Lincoln School vs Sheridan School

Lincoln School and Sheridan School sit 0.9 miles apart in Petoskey, Michigan, and both rank among Michigan's top elementary schools. Lincoln School holds an overall rating of 9.4/10, placing it #24 of 3,190 schools statewide, while Sheridan School earns a 9.3/10 and ranks #33 of 3,190 — a gap of 0.1 points and nine positions at the very top of Michigan's rankings. For most families, either school represents an exceptional outcome by any statewide measure.

On academic performance, Lincoln School scores 9.7/10 against Sheridan School's 9.6/10 — a marginal one-tenth-point difference. The growth score tells a slightly wider story: Lincoln School earns a 9.7/10 in academic growth versus Sheridan School's 9.5/10, a two-tenth-point gap suggesting Lincoln students show incrementally stronger year-over-year learning gains relative to similar peers. Both figures remain elite, but families prioritizing demonstrated growth trajectories will find Lincoln School's edge measurable, not theoretical.

Demographically, the two schools are nearly identical. Sheridan School enrolls 259 students compared to Lincoln School's 225, making it roughly 15% larger. Free and reduced-price lunch eligibility runs 44% at Lincoln School and 46% at Sheridan School — a two-point difference indicating comparable economic diversity at both campuses. Student-teacher ratios are tight at both schools: Lincoln School at 14.1:1 and Sheridan School at 14.4:1, meaning class sizes are effectively equivalent and neither school carries a meaningful staffing advantage.

Both Lincoln School and Sheridan School serve grades KG–05, so families with children across the full elementary span have identical grade coverage at either campus. The choice ultimately comes down to fine-grained differences — Lincoln School's slightly higher growth score and marginally better student-teacher ratio versus Sheridan School's larger enrollment, which may reflect broader program capacity or neighborhood demand. Neither school is a fallback option; both sit in the top 1.1% of all Michigan elementary schools.