Enrollment
272
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Dekalb, IL
Lincoln Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Lincoln Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 22/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 171200001452
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lincoln Elementary School earns 22/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of Illinois schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Illinois schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Dekalb · Resource Index
- 22
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16:1
- large classes for Illinois
- 272
- students enrolled
Lincoln Elementary School has class sizes larger than 79% of Illinois schools. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lincoln Elementary School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Dekalb, IL.
School address
District: Dekalb Cusd 428 · Illinois
NCES ID 171200001452 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
+14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lincoln Elementary School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lincoln Elementary School
Scale and staffing sit near the state mainstream
Lincoln Elementary School is neither an extreme outlier in enrollment nor in student-teacher ratio among Illinois schools. Its profile therefore turns on the other dimensions rather than on scale alone: economic need, counselor coverage, program access, attendance, and district finance. This middle placement is useful because it prevents the campus from being mislabeled as unusually large, small, crowded, or teacher-dense when the federal comparison does not support that claim.
Attendance is the dominant support signal
Lincoln Elementary School's 46.0% chronic-absence rate is more consequential than a generic staffing label: at least one quarter of students missed 10% or more of school days in the 2021-22 collection. That level can affect instruction, counseling demand, and continuity even when other reported resources look ordinary. The dataset records the scale of absence but not its causes, so it should prompt a current-year question rather than a conclusion about school management.
Lincoln Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Dekalb, Illinois, enrolling 272 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16:1 puts it in the larger third of Illinois schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 272 puts it in the smaller third of Illinois schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 93% of the 3,845 Illinois schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Its student body is led by African American (45%) and White (37%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 65/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 46.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 154 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 272 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 154 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Dekalb's elementary schools, it stands alongside Founders Elementary School (565 students): Lincoln Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (16:1 vs 14.5:1).
Dekalb Cusd 428 also operates Dekalb High School (2,134 students) and Huntley Middle School (865 students) alongside Lincoln Elementary School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Lincoln Elementary School compares
Lincoln Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Illinois and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Illinois | Illinois avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16:1 | ▲ 14% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 272 | top 69% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16:1
Leaner classes than 38% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
272
Bigger than 28% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
16:1
students per teacher
- 14% above state mean
Top 79% in Illinois - lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
46.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,840
per pupil, district-wide
- below Illinois avg of $17,042
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
77
in-school suspensions + 77 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 28.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 56.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 154 expulsions.
Student demographics
African American 45.2%
White 36.8%
Hispanic or Latino 10.3%
Two or More 7.0%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 45.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 64.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 64.5, Lincoln Elementary School is more mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dekalb Cusd 428, which includes Lincoln Elementary School.
$16,840
Per student
-1%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
+1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 41.5%
State 46.9%
Federal 11.6%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Lincoln Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dekalb High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Huntley Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Clinton Rosette Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Founders Elementary School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cortland Elementary School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lincoln Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,134
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 865
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 575
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 565
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 523
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar elementary schools in Dekalb
3 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Illinois, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~272 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lincoln Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Lincoln Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Dekalb Cusd 428's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Lincoln Elementary School
How many students attend Lincoln Elementary School?
Lincoln Elementary School has 272 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Dekalb, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lincoln Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Lincoln Elementary School is 16:1, which is 14% higher than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 2% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lincoln Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Lincoln Elementary School is African American at 45.2% of enrollment, in Dekalb, IL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lincoln Elementary School?
Lincoln Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Lincoln Elementary School rank among public schools in Dekalb?
By Resource Investment Index, Lincoln Elementary School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Dekalb, IL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Dekalb on the city page.
What other schools are in Dekalb Cusd 428?
Besides Lincoln Elementary School, Dekalb Cusd 428 also operates Dekalb High School (2,134 students), Huntley Middle School (865 students), and Clinton Rosette Middle School (575 students). See the Dekalb Cusd 428 district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of July 2026.