Lincoln Middle School, Lincoln AR

Original Research by School Decision on Lincoln Middle School

LincolnMiddle School serves the community of Lincoln, Arkansas, a small city in Washington County roughly 25 miles southwest of Fayetteville. The town sits on Highway 62, midway between Prairie Grove and the Oklahoma line, and has a quiet, rural Ozark character built around a historic downtown square. Lincoln bills itself as the Apple Capital of Arkansas and hosts the Arkansas Apple Festival each October, an event that draws crowds to the square. This is a modestly growing place, part of the fast-expanding Northwest Arkansas metro area but growing more slowly than the region’s principal cities along the I‑49 corridor.

The school itself enrolls students in grades four through eight, and its student body is predominantly white, with a smaller Hispanic population and small shares of American Indian, Asian, and multiracial students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced‑price lunch, reflecting a community where economic need is common. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not available in the state’s reporting; a parent might want to ask the school directly about those supports.

On state assessments administered through Arkansas’s ATLAS program, Lincoln Middle School’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the bottom quarter of districts in Washington County, based on a proficiency index that averages results from the school’s own tested grades. That overall number masks variation by subject. Science results are notably stronger than math and English language arts in several grades, suggesting that curriculum or instruction in science may be a relative strength. In both math and ELA, proficiency rates are lower, and by eighth grade the share of students meeting the proficient benchmark is well below half. The pattern across grades is fairly consistent: fourth and fifth graders tend to perform somewhat better than students in grades six through eight, a trend that may reflect cumulative challenges as students move through the middle years.

Because this is a middle school, there is no graduation rate to report. Chronic absenteeism data, discipline records, and staffing ratios were also absent from the available data; a parent or guardian may wish to follow up with the school for those details.

The school is part of the Lincoln School District, which overall has a modest profile in the region. The district’s most visible recent investment was a new high school and athletics complex built in 2019, not far from the middle school campus. The town’s civic anchors include a rebuilt public library, a lake park north of town with trails and fishing, and an annual rodeo. Housing values in Lincoln’s ZIP code are moderately above the statewide benchmark, though still below the national median, and monthly mortgage costs are roughly on par with or slightly below typical rents—a pattern that may matter for families deciding whether to buy or rent in the area.

For a family considering this school, the key takeaway is that Lincoln Middle School operates in a small, rural community with a distinct identity and a high level of economic need among its families. Academic performance overall trails most other districts in the county, with science as the relative bright spot and math and literacy needing more attention. Parents may want to explore what interventions or enrichment are available, especially in the upper grades, and to ask about staffing levels and student support resources that are not reflected in the public data. The school fits a family looking for a neighborhood school in a small town setting within reach of the Northwest Arkansas metro area, but one where the academic indicators point to room for growth.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 431%

School 31% · District 31%

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 537%

School 37% · District 37%

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 622%

School 22% · District 22%

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Grade 735%

School 35% · District 35%

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 825%

School 25% · District 25%

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 433%

School 33% · District 33%

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 527%

School 27% · District 27%

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 638%

School 38% · District 38%

▲ 5 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 732%

School 32% · District 32%

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 826%

School 26% · District 26%

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Science

Grade 446%

School 46% · District 46%

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 54%

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 636%

School 36% · District 36%

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 738%

School 38% · District 38%

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 838%

School 38% · District 38%

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

This schoolLINCOLN SCHOOL DISTRICT, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 4Lower-income16%Higher-income50%34 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income38%Higher-income56%19 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income33%Higher-income28%5 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income27%Higher-income50%23 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income31%Higher-income22%9 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income25%Higher-income48%23 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income30%Higher-income38%7 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income28%Higher-income28%0 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income29%Higher-income50%21 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income29%Higher-income31%2 pp gap