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Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School

Q: Is Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School a good school?

Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School ranks 1090 th of 1560 Ohio elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-4

1090^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,560 Ohio Elementary Schools

Better than 30% of Ohio elementary schools

Summary

Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School is a PK–4 public school serving 392 students in the small town of Cardington, Ohio, and is part of the Cardington-Lincoln Local district, which ranks 559th of 773 Ohio districts (28th percentile, 1 star).

Academically, the school ranked 1,090th of 1,560 Ohio elementary schools in 2025-26 — the 30th percentile, 2 stars. That is the lowest point in the available history and a decline from a recent high of the 51st percentile in 2022-23. Proficiency trails state averages in every reported grade and subject, and 4th grade is the clearest weak spot: 4th grade math came in at 44.4% versus 67.3% statewide, and 4th grade ELA at 45.9% versus 61.8%. Among nearby schools, the 4th grade math rate is the lowest. Third grade math (60.7%) is much closer to the state average (62.1%), and the school outperforms George Washington Elementary School and Benjamin Harrison Elementary School in both 3rd grade subjects. Nearby Park Avenue Elementary School, with a similar poverty rate, has a slightly higher overall rank and much stronger 4th grade results (70.1% math, 55.2% ELA), while Buckeye Valley East Elementary School (83rd percentile), Heritage Elementary School (71st), and Northmor Elementary School (62nd) all rank well above it.

Attendance is a real strength: chronic absenteeism fell from 33.0% in 2021-22 to 12.7% in 2025-26, better than the district’s 15.5% and the nearby median of about 15.2%. Yet scores declined over the same period, so attendance is not the main academic obstacle. The student-teacher ratio (17.8 in 2024-25) is higher than most nearby schools, and per-student spending ($9,565 in 2018-19) is above the nearby median, though that figure is old. The free/reduced-lunch rate of 54.07% (2023-24) is moderate-high, yet Northmor Elementary School posts stronger results with far higher poverty. Students with disabilities performed above the school’s overall rank in 2023-24, while male students slipped to the 22nd percentile in 2025-26.

392

Students ?

17.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,794

Per pupil spending ?

47.7%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

80.9%

Kindergartners complete for all required vaccines (2025-26)

Exemptions: 12.8% (any vaccine)

121 Nichols St
Cardington, OH 43315-1121

(419) 864-6692

District: Cardington-Lincoln Local

Students who attend Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Cardington-Lincoln Middle School
High:	Cardington-Lincoln High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

91.3%

Two or more races:

4.3%

Hispanic:

3.3%

See top rated Ohio elementary schools

Compare Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 49th percentile in 2016 → 30th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Ohio average (51% vs 64% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 19 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school51%

District avg51%

Ohio avg64%

1,090^th of 1,560

Ohio public elementary schools ?

Bottom 30%▼ down 19 pts since 2016

From bottom 49% (2016) to bottom 30% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Ohio Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

559^th of 773Cardington-Lincoln Local among Ohio 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	Ohio percentile	Rating
2026	33.9	1090 of 1560	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.3	1074 of 1558	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.2	1003 of 1577	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	59.7	775 of 1596	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.1	922 of 1588	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	55.8	844 of 1610	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	62.8	763 of 1676	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.8	911 of 1636	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	40.6	1126 of 1651	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2016	59.8	855 of 1678	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	52.1	998 of 1684	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2014	74.5	442 of 1687	73.8%	★★★★☆
2005	53.7	818 of 1501	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2004	37.0	1077 of 1471	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2022	28.5	622 of 824	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	44.5	374 of 765	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	33.4	723 of 1021	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2026	45.0	899 of 1452	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.5	945 of 1452	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.5	1008 of 1466	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	59.4	707 of 1483	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.1	833 of 1488	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	61.7	625 of 1467	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.9	657 of 1502	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.8	567 of 1518	62.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2026	43.2	938 of 1467	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	43.7	924 of 1473	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.5	1013 of 1484	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	63.8	529 of 1447	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.7	733 of 1419	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	63.2	510 of 1404	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	69.5	417 of 1465	71.5%	★★★★☆
2018	65.0	533 of 1465	63.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2026	24.1	1148 of 1467	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.1	1094 of 1466	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	45.1	921 of 1485	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.9	780 of 1498	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.2	972 of 1518	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.3	935 of 1499	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	63.7	687 of 1535	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.3	1012 of 1536	34.1%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2024	45.9	426 of 900	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.0	465 of 856	45.7%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2026	14.2	1077 of 1181	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	11.8	1081 of 1175	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	23.1	1003 of 1190	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	45.9	765 of 1215	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.9	953 of 1242	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.5	889 of 1249	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	49.7	772 of 1271	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.4	942 of 1309	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2024)53rd percentile+16 vs school

Female (2026)38th percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)36th percentile+6 vs school

Disabled (2022)25th percentile-17 vs school

Male (2026)22nd percentile-8 vs school

White (2026)9th percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs Ohio (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics53%-12 vs state

English Language Arts50%-12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cardington-Lincoln Elementary 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)				Ohio State Tests Science (2026)	Ohio State Tests Mathematics (2026)					Ohio State Tests English Language Arts (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	Ohio State Tests Science 5th Grade	Ohio State Tests Mathematics 3rd Grade	Ohio State Tests Mathematics 4th Grade	Ohio State Tests Mathematics 5th Grade	Ohio State Tests Mathematics 6th Grade	Ohio State Tests Mathematics 7th Grade	Ohio State Tests English Language Arts 3rd Grade	Ohio State Tests English Language Arts 4th Grade	Ohio State Tests English Language Arts 5th Grade	Ohio State Tests English Language Arts 6th Grade	Ohio State Tests English Language Arts 7th Grade	Vaccination: Kindergartners complete for all required vaccines	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Total
Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	121 Nichols St	Cardington	43315	Morrow County	Cardington-Lincoln Local	No	(n/a)	No	No	(419) 864-6692	392	22	17.8	—	358 (91.3%)	4 (1.0%)	13 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.3%)	33.9	1090^th of 1560 public elementary schools	30.1%		34.3	1074^th of 1558 public elementary schools	31.1%	16		60.7	44.4				54.8	45.9				80.9%	12.8%	$10,794
Park Avenue Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	335 W Park Ave	Mount Gilead	43338	Morrow County	Mount Gilead Exempted Village	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(419) 946-5736	475	32	14.8	50.9%	432 (90.9%)	3 (0.6%)	16 (3.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (4.6%)	41.2	1016^th of 1560 public elementary schools	34.9%		31.3	1105^th of 1558 public elementary schools	29.1%	89	54.8	50.8	70.1	37.1			45.3	55.2	71.0			90.8%	7.9%	$12,131
Buckeye Valley East Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	522 E High St	Ashley	43003	Delaware County	Buckeye Valley Local Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(740) 363-2253	441	29	15.2	33.8%	406 (92.1%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (3.2%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.7%)	14 (3.2%)	80.9	270^th of 1560 public elementary schools	82.7%		69.6	539^th of 1558 public elementary schools	65.4%	269		81.0	75.6	100.0			83.1	73.3				84.3%	11.8%	$13,752
Heritage Elementary School	Public	K-5	720 Columbus Sandusky Rd S	Marion	43302	Marion County	River Valley Local	No	(n/a)	No	No	(740) 725-5500	483	26	18.5	—	431 (89.2%)	10 (2.1%)	16 (3.3%)	7 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	17 (3.5%)	74.1	456^th of 1560 public elementary schools	70.8%		72.4	484^th of 1558 public elementary schools	68.9%	28	70.6	72.7	84.3	64.7			75.3	73.5	87.1			83.3%	12.5%	$12,976
Liberty Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1932 Whetstone River Rd N	Caledonia	43314	Marion County	River Valley Local	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(740) 725-5600	402	23	17.4	—	353 (87.8%)	2 (0.5%)	13 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	31 (7.7%)	56.1	794^th of 1560 public elementary schools	49.1%		46.9	944^th of 1558 public elementary schools	39.4%	150	73.8	58.3	66.1	62.3			63.9	51.6	75.4			98.1%	0%	$13,885
Highland Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1250 Township Road 16	Marengo	43334	Morrow County	Highland Local	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(419) 768-3040	836	48	17.4	32.5%	774 (92.6%)	14 (1.7%)	26 (3.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (2.5%)	65.3	630^th of 1560 public elementary schools	59.6%		65.3	620^th of 1558 public elementary schools	60.2%	10	68.5	68.3	73.4	51.9			71.7	75.0	77.1			88%	4.9%	$11,015
Northmor Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	7819 State Route 19	Galion	44833	Morrow County	Northmor Local	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(419) 947-1900	541	35	15.4	85.0%	517 (95.6%)	3 (0.6%)	4 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.6%)	67.2	587^th of 1560 public elementary schools	62.4%		64.5	638^th of 1558 public elementary schools	59.1%	51	68.2	63.3	64.9	64.6	72.0		63.3	72.4	86.4	67.5		85.7%	2.9%	$12,365
Academy of Arts and Technology	Public, Charter	K-8	1001 Mount Vernon Ave	Marion	43302	Marion County	Academy of Arts and Technology	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(740) 914-3050	151	14	10.5	—	102 (67.5%)	32 (21.2%)	2 (1.3%)	1 (0.7%)	3 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (7.3%)	11	1393^rd of 1560 public elementary schools	10.7%		12	1367^th of 1558 public elementary schools	12.3%	26	20.0			30.0		20.0			40.0		30.0	0%	0%	$7,456
George Washington Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	400 Pennsylvania Ave	Marion	43302	Marion County	Marion City	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(740) 223-3883	452	28	16.1	—	309 (68.4%)	15 (3.3%)	42 (9.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	86 (19.0%)	21	1246^th of 1560 public elementary schools	20.1%		21.5	1238^th of 1558 public elementary schools	20.5%	8	30.8	49.2	55.6	25.5			45.9	41.7	38.5			96.1%	0%	$10,775
Pleasant Elementary School	Public	K-4	1105 Owens Rd W	Marion	43302	Marion County	Pleasant Local	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(740) 389-4815	480	32	15.0	44.2%	422 (87.9%)	7 (1.5%)	26 (5.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (5.0%)	57.4	771^st of 1560 public elementary schools	50.6%		61.5	710^th of 1558 public elementary schools	54.4%	61		72.6	62.5				73.6	54.2				95%	3.8%	$11,639

Frequently Asked Questions about Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School

How many students attend Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 392 students attended Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School.

What district is Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School in?

Cardington-Lincoln Local

What is the racial makeup of Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School?

Students at Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School are 91% White, 4% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic, 1% African American.

Is Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School a good school?

Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School ranks 1090^th of 1560 Ohio elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Cardington-Lincoln Middle School
High : Cardington-Lincoln High School

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Latest Ohio data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 immunization ratesOct 19, 2026

2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 15, 2026

2025–26 Ohio State Tests scoresSep 15, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJan 6, 2026

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