Lincoln Trail Elementary School

LTE has bent the rules as far as they could go without breaking them. My child went through the entire school year, and we never ever knew there was a problem in a particular subject while excelling to the top of the class in others. LTE calls us in on the last day of school to tell us that they are going to retain our child in the same grade! why did we not hear of this problem sooner??? "It looked as if the child was making progress, I'm sorry I didn't call you sooner." Retaining my child for only one subject while the child excels in all others will only hinder them educationally, retention is not an option! However the counselor immediately informed me that my opinion did not matter and I was only there to get on board with the idea :/ Now I'm paying a tutor to teach my child what LTE was incapable of.
—Submitted by a parent

This is our first year at Lincoln Trail and both of my sons have special needs. I have a 1st grader and a 3rd grader. Three days after being in the school I get a phone call from the counselor telling me they would be putting my 1st grade son back in K and 5 weeks later they want to move my other son down a grade. Something as serious as a possible grade change, the school needs to call you into the school for a conference and show you why, but LTE has the counselor call you on a Friday evening to tell you your child will be going to a lower grade starting Mon. Some teachers were defensive when questioned about strategies used with my son. Hardin County District will not listen to you if there are concerns about LTE because they supposedly are rated the best performing for the district.I was told how suprised they were to hear of any complaint and that parents were beating down the doors to get into that school so I should feel lucky to be there. If your child does not fit the LTE mold and make the scores you are in for a giant battle.This school does have several positives, but for my family they have made us, as parents, feel so cornered with decisions about our kids.
—Submitted by a parent

I would not recommend this school for any child who has special needs. I am also interested in finding student retention data for this school.

We have had 3 children attend Lincoln Trail. Every year has been a successful one. One of my children has Tourette's and was diagnosed while attending there. The teachers were helpful in observing and communicating to me, as well as being receptive to being educated and understanding about Tourette's. Also, have 2 that were gifted and talented at the school and were able to be challenged.I believe that volunteering when you can and being involved will impact your child's education at any school, and I have always felt welcome at Lincoln Trail.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a parent here at Lincoln Trail Elementary. I have a gifted child who attends this school. They have absolutely bent over backwards to help me and my family. The school is inviting and the warm friendly staff is always ready to be of service. the administration is always available and they stand outside the office everyday to greet the kids as they come into the building. I love the school and the people there. Thank you LTE!
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter goes to Lincoln Trail and I think that it is an excellent school. Lincoln Trail Elem. has the best teachers in the county. They are always willing to go the extra mile to help a student no matter what it takes. The special ed. team at Lincoln Trail is also excellent. They always work hard to make sure no children are left behind. The adminstration has done a very good job making sure that the school is up to date on all technology. They have made sure that each classroom has a smartboard, projection device, CPS system and a sound field. This is excellent for our kids success. My child is in the first grade and she came home telling me that they are using the 2nd grade study island on the smartboard along with the CPS system. What great technology vocabulary for a first grader. Wow.
—Submitted by a parent

I attended this school as a child and actually moved back to this area to enroll my children at Lincoln Trail. For the most part, I have been happy with the school. My husband and I are very involved, but have experienced a few challenges. When my oldest was in kindergarten he was lost on the bus the first day of school, subsequently this also happened to my daughter (she was put on the wrong bus). We had a second grade teacher that should not have been granted a teaching degree (she has since resigned) and felt after several meetings with the principal that our concerns fell on deaf ears. After my eldest child's 2nd grade year it has been smooth sailing. Both of my children have needed extra help learning to read and the special education teachers have been wonderful. I cannot sing their praises loud enough.
—Submitted by a parent

Student population is not diverse. Lincoln Trail has some great teachers and some terrible teachers. Administration and faculty overreact to any child that is not the stereotypical, perfect child. If your child misbehaves in any way be prepared for some drama.
—Submitted by a parent

I'm very disappointed in the school, the STEP program at this school and the quality of education my special needs child is receiving. The only positive thing has been the therapy team he has, which are some of the best therapist in the county. Lincoln Trail does have an awesome speech program and has been the biggest influence in me keeping my child at this school. If I had it all to over again I would not select this school or this program for my special needs child. I Hope that ANY parent considering this program would investigate it completely before placing their child there.
—Submitted by a parent

This school only wants kids to fit their mold. they do not want to help any special needs child and feel that any child is different is bad. my kindergardner came home from school crying after a month declaring herself a bad kid. I am currently reviewing other options for schools for her because she is so miserable there.
—Submitted by a parent

As a parent with children who attended Lincoln Trail for the past 10 years, I can say this has been a wonderful school in all areas. The academics are challenging, the music program is excellent, and in my experience there has been a lot of parent envolvment. I appreciate the teachers I have worked with and have never felt like I couldn't talk to them about my child's progress. There are always going to be disruptive students but in my experience, the teachers handled these students the best they could. If more parents were involved with their students at home and took an interest in their learning it would help all the students advance but this would only happen in a perfect world so Lincoln Trail does a great job overall in my opinion.
—Submitted by a parent

This school demands 'cookie-cut' children. They do not want children that they deem to be deviant or challenging. Lunches are small and over-priced. Parent involvement is good, but at times it places a lot of pressure on the students because some of the parents cannot be as involved and thus causes them to feel inadequate and embarrassed. Some of the teachers are not friendly and do not want to associate with the children in the parking lot of the school. This also causes distress because they are clearly rejecting the child. If I did not live in this school district or if I could claim private school on my taxes, my child would not be enrolled in any Hardin Co. Public school.
—Submitted by a parent

This school has awful lunches and mean teachers. The only good thing is parent involvement. It is clean and the kids are disciplined.
—Submitted by Bill, a parent