Summary:
Zip code 61342 has two elementary schools in Mendota CCSD 289: Blackstone Elementary School serves kindergarten through grade 1, and Lincoln Elementary School serves grades 2–4. The schools have similar enrollment and reported profile measures, but only Lincoln has supplied IAR results. Its 2025–2026 results show the clearest academic concern in ELA: Lincoln was 18 percentage points below the state, compared with 2 points below in math.
Lincoln’s math result stands out as much closer to the state benchmark than its ELA result: 38% of students were proficient in math versus 40% statewide, while ELA proficiency was 38% versus 56%. Lincoln’s math result was also 10 points above the district’s, while its ELA result was 12 points below the district’s. SchoolDigger places Lincoln at the 23rd percentile statewide and gives it one star. Blackstone has no supplied IAR results, so the available data cannot show which school has stronger achievement. On other reported measures, Blackstone has the slightly lower student–teacher ratio (11.5 versus 11.8) and higher spending per student ($17,684 versus $15,114); its chronic absenteeism rate was also higher, at 17% versus 15%.
Lincoln’s reported proficiency rose modestly in both subjects from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, but its standing relative to the state moved differently by subject: the ELA gap widened by 3 points, while the math gap was nearly unchanged. Its SchoolDigger ranking also fell from the 37th percentile and two stars to the 23rd percentile and one star. The schools’ free/reduced lunch eligible shares were close in 2024–2025: 62% at Blackstone and 61% at Lincoln. These figures offer context, not an explanation of achievement; families comparing the schools should note that they serve different grades and that the test results are available only for Lincoln.
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