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Lincoln School

Q: Is Lincoln School a good school?

Lincoln School ranks 222 nd of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

222^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 85% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Lincoln School is a public elementary school in Saint Joseph, MI, serving 423 students in grades PK-5 as part of the highly-rated St. Joseph Public Schools district.

Lincoln School is a consistently strong performer, earning a 4-star rating for the past decade and ranking in the 85th percentile of Michigan elementary schools. Your child will likely thrive here, especially in the early grades. In 3rd grade, for example, 69% of students were proficient in reading and 75% in math—far exceeding state averages of 38% and 43%. The school also does an excellent job keeping kids in class, with a chronic absenteeism rate of 14.3%, which is about half the state average. However, there are two things to watch. First, test scores show a noticeable "5th-grade slump"—by 5th grade, math proficiency drops to just 32%, below the district average of 43%. If your child is entering the upper grades, it's worth asking how the school supports that transition. Second, while the school excels for its general population, support for students from low-income families has been less consistent year-to-year, with rankings fluctuating significantly. The school's spending of about $12,331 per student is on par with its in-district peers like Clarke School and Brown School, yet Lincoln achieves top-quartile results—a sign of strong instructional quality and family engagement.

For context, Lincoln's academic outcomes are dramatically higher than schools just two miles away in the Benton Harbor Area Schools district. For instance, Lincoln's 4th-grade reading proficiency (69%) is over eight times higher than Fair Plain East Elementary's 8%. This gap largely reflects differences in community resources—Lincoln has just 23% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch compared to over 95% at Fair Plain East. Within its own district, Lincoln has the highest absenteeism rate among the three elementaries, though it remains well below state levels. Overall, Lincoln offers a stable, high-quality education, with its main challenges being maintaining momentum through 5th grade and ensuring consistent support for all learners.

423

Students ?

18.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,331

Per pupil spending ?

22.9%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Michigan receive free school meals.

98.1%

Kindergartners complete for all required vaccines (2025-26)

Exemptions: 1.9% (any vaccine)

1102 Orchard Ave
Saint Joseph, MI 49085-2114

(269) 926-3700

District: St. Joseph Public Schools

Students who attend Lincoln School usually attend:

Middle:	Upton Middle School
High:	St Joseph High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

72.8%

African American:

10.2%

Hispanic:

8.5%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Lincoln School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 93rd percentile in 2016 → 85th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Michigan average (59% vs 38% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 15% of Michigan elementary schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 8 percentile points since 2016

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school59%

District avg59%

Michigan avg38%

222^nd of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Top 15%▼ down 8 pts since 2016

From top 7% (2016) to top 15% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3Elementary Schools in the St. Joseph Public Schools

44^th of 625St. Joseph Public Schools among Michigan districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	83.8	222 of 1492	85.1%	★★★★☆
2025	80.9	259 of 1488	82.6%	★★★★☆
2024	78.7	271 of 1486	81.8%	★★★★☆
2023	82.8	218 of 1470	85.2%	★★★★☆
2022	73.0	303 of 1344	77.5%	★★★★☆
2021	71.4	263 of 1153	77.2%	★★★★☆
2019	83.4	175 of 1408	87.6%	★★★★☆
2018	85.2	181 of 1448	87.5%	★★★★☆
2017	78.9	228 of 1466	84.4%	★★★★☆
2016	89.4	111 of 1548	92.8%	★★★★★
2015	83.2	209 of 1580	86.8%	★★★★☆
2014	81.9	208 of 1533	86.4%	★★★★☆
2013	80.9	236 of 1563	84.9%	★★★★☆
2012	80.3	250 of 1566	84.0%	★★★★☆
2011	80.3	180 of 1552	88.4%	★★★★☆
2010	79.4	154 of 1552	90.1%	★★★★★
2009	76.0	322 of 1589	79.7%	★★★★☆
2008	81.3	162 of 1577	89.7%	★★★★☆
2007	77.9	246 of 1565	84.3%	★★★★☆
2006	67.4	515 of 1545	66.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	81.4	190 of 1343	85.9%	★★★★☆
2025	77.4	248 of 1338	81.5%	★★★★☆
2024	77.6	229 of 1342	82.9%	★★★★☆
2023	72.2	280 of 1321	78.8%	★★★★☆
2022	50.9	507 of 1106	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.5	299 of 902	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	74.1	228 of 1171	80.5%	★★★★☆
2018	80.2	244 of 1443	83.1%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	59.5	455 of 1352	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	70.4	291 of 1346	78.4%	★★★★☆
2024	51.2	615 of 1381	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.8	386 of 1350	71.4%	★★★★☆
2022	65.3	297 of 1099	73.0%	★★★★☆
2019	59.7	390 of 1134	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	72.7	277 of 1397	80.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	80.5	220 of 1372	84.0%	★★★★☆
2025	78.9	256 of 1366	81.3%	★★★★☆
2024	70.6	347 of 1347	74.2%	★★★★☆
2023	83.1	168 of 1334	87.4%	★★★★☆
2022	77.1	213 of 1139	81.3%	★★★★☆
2021	73.1	197 of 915	78.5%	★★★★☆
2019	87.5	92 of 1196	92.3%	★★★★★
2018	85.0	169 of 1446	88.3%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	85.3	150 of 1199	87.5%	★★★★☆
2025	83.0	171 of 1206	85.8%	★★★★☆
2024	76.7	239 of 1204	80.1%	★★★★☆
2023	84.8	137 of 1198	88.6%	★★★★☆
2022	72.6	260 of 1102	76.4%	★★★★☆
2021	79.5	154 of 1005	84.7%	★★★★☆
2019	85.1	116 of 1128	89.7%	★★★★☆
2018	81.4	176 of 1253	86.0%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

White (2026)87th percentile~ school

Female (2026)86th percentile~ school

Male (2026)84th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)66th percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts66%+25 vs state

Science64%+24 vs state

Math55%+16 vs state

Social Studies44%+17 vs state

★

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Schools Near Lincoln School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				PSAT English Language Arts (2026)	PSAT Mathematics (2026)	M-Step English Language Arts (2026)					M-Step Math (2026)					M-Step Science (2026)		M-Step Social Studies (2026)		Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 8th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 3rd Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 4th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 5th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 6th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 7th Grade	M-Step Math 3rd Grade	M-Step Math 4th Grade	M-Step Math 5th Grade	M-Step Math 6th Grade	M-Step Math 7th Grade	M-Step Science 5th Grade	M-Step Science 8th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 5th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 8th Grade	Vaccination: Kindergartners complete for all required vaccines	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Lincoln School	Public	PK, KG-5	1102 Orchard Ave	Saint Joseph	49085	Berrien County	St. Joseph Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 926-3700	423	23	18.3	22.9%	308 (72.8%)	43 (10.2%)	36 (8.5%)	8 (1.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	26 (6.1%)	83.8	222^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	85.1%		80.9	259^th of 1488 public elementary schools	82.6%	37			69.2	69.1	59.7			75.0	61.7	31.9			63.9		44.4		98.1%	1.9%	$12,331	$632	$11,699
Mildred C Wells Preparatory Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	248 9th St	Benton Harbor	49022	Berrien County	Mildred C. Wells Preparatory Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(269) 926-2885	227	14	16.3	—	1 (0.4%)	221 (97.4%)	5 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10	1369^th of 1492 public elementary schools	8.2%					(n/a)	42.1	352.6	14.3	1367.4	12.0	1571.6	1671.5	20.7	13.8	1456.6	1560.8	1659.8	1467.0	1779.5	1459.0	15.8	100%	0%	$13,214	$2,406	$10,808
Fair Plain East Elementary	Public	4-5	1995 Union Ave	Benton Harbor	49022	Berrien County	Benton Harbor Area Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 605-2400	150	13	11.5	95.3%	5 (3.3%)	132 (88.0%)	7 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.0%)	5.7	1468^th of 1492 public elementary schools	1.6%		6.7	1433^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	3.7%	35				8.2	9.3				6.1	1461.5			14.7		4.0				$30,379	$12,297	$18,083
Martin Luther King Junior Elementary	Public	1-3	750 E Britain Ave	Benton Harbor	49022	Berrien County	Benton Harbor Area Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 605-1500	229	22	10.4	89.1%	8 (3.5%)	197 (86.0%)	15 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.5%)								(n/a)			8.2					6.8											$27,150	$10,410	$16,740
Brown School	Public	PK, KG-5	2027 Brown School Rd	Saint Joseph	49085	Berrien County	St. Joseph Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 926-3500	410	19	21.2	22.9%	295 (72.0%)	33 (8.0%)	23 (5.6%)	30 (7.3%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	26 (6.3%)	87.9	166^th of 1492 public elementary schools	88.9%		83.7	223^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	85.0%	57			58.7	71.7	64.8			61.3	79.2	46.5			66.2		46.5		89.4%	8.5%	$12,338	$519	$11,819
Discovery Enrichment Center	Public	PK-K	465 S Mccord St	Benton Harbor	49022	Berrien County	Benton Harbor Area Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 605-1600	80	11	7.2	88.8%	0 (0.0%)	79 (98.8%)	1 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																	92.6%	5.6%	$31,369	$9,074	$22,295
Clarke School	Public	PK, KG-5	515 E Glenlord Rd	Saint Joseph	49085	Berrien County	St. Joseph Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 926-3600	462	22	21.3	20.1%	340 (73.6%)	19 (4.1%)	32 (6.9%)	42 (9.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (6.3%)	84.5	211^th of 1492 public elementary schools	85.9%		83.5	225^th of 1488 public elementary schools	84.9%	14			47.3	64.9	60.8			52.7	62.3	50.6			72.2		54.4		94.9%	3.4%	$11,847	$555	$11,292
Stewart Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2750 Orchard Ln	Stevensville	49127	Berrien County	Lakeshore School District (Berrien)	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 428-1418	391	26	15.2	31.5%	295 (75.4%)	24 (6.1%)	18 (4.6%)	36 (9.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.3%)	67.7	437^th of 1492 public elementary schools	70.7%		76.8	310^th of 1488 public elementary schools	79.2%	127			50.0	48.1	61.1			55.0	39.0	27.3			55.6		44.4		86.8%	5.3%	$13,646	$1,599	$12,047
Roosevelt Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2000 El Dorado Dr	Stevensville	49127	Berrien County	Lakeshore School District (Berrien)	No	No	No	No	(269) 428-1416	412	26	15.7	28.9%	332 (80.6%)	10 (2.4%)	27 (6.6%)	24 (5.8%)	4 (1.0%)	2 (0.5%)	13 (3.2%)	84.7	201^st of 1492 public elementary schools	86.5%		84.6	212^th of 1488 public elementary schools	85.8%	11			50.0	61.5	75.4			52.7	61.5	63.1			63.1		44.6		97.6%	0%	$14,298	$683	$13,616
Hollywood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	143 E John Beers Rd	Stevensville	49127	Berrien County	Lakeshore School District (Berrien)	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 428-1414	377	25	15.2	37.4%	312 (82.8%)	16 (4.2%)	31 (8.2%)	7 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (2.7%)	85.6	188^th of 1492 public elementary schools	87.4%		82.6	236^th of 1488 public elementary schools	84.1%	48			51.5	58.5	69.6			59.1	52.8	65.2			68.1		44.9		93%	3.5%	$16,319	$2,109	$14,210

Frequently Asked Questions about Lincoln School

Is Lincoln School a good school?

Lincoln School ranks 222^nd of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Lincoln School attend?

Students who attend Lincoln School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Upton Middle School
High : St Joseph High School

How many students attend Lincoln School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 423 students attended Lincoln School.

What district is Lincoln School in?

St. Joseph Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Lincoln School?

Students at Lincoln School are 73% White, 10% African American, 9% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

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MIMichigan Elementary School Rankings

MIMichigan District Rankings

Schools in Saint Joseph, MI

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Latest Michigan data All new data »

2024–25 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2021–22 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2025–26 M-Step, PSAT & SAT test scoresSep 4, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Michigan Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.