Original Research by School Decision on Lincoln High School
Lincoln High School is a small alternative high school serving grades nine through twelve in Fort Morgan, Colorado, as part of School District No. Re-3 Fort Morgan. Its designation as an alternative school is the central fact. The school is for students who need a different academic environment than the comprehensive high school provides, and its entire profile must be read through that lens.
The school is very small, which is typical for an alternative setting. Its student body is predominantly Hispanic and white, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Because Lincoln is an alternative school, no state testing data, graduation rate, or chronic absenteeism rate was reported in the available data. This is not unusual; alternative and special-purpose schools are often not included in standard accountability metrics, either because they serve a population that is not tested in the same way or because the state does not report results for such a small setting. A parent or resident should understand that the absence of these numbers does not mean the school is failing to meet its mission, but it does mean there is no public, standardized way to compare its academic performance to other schools.
The parent district, Fort Morgan Re-3, has been active in recent years. Voters approved a mill levy override and bond issue in late 2022, which provided additional operational and capital funding. The district has expanded its dual language immersion program through eighth grade, adopted a new elementary literacy curriculum, updated high school graduation requirements to emphasize career and college readiness, and expanded a one-to-one technology initiative to all students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. These changes are context for the district as a whole, but Lincoln High School is a distinct program within it.
Fort Morgan itself is a home-rule municipality on Colorado's Eastern Plains, serving as the county seat and a commercial and industrial hub for the region. Its economy is rooted in agriculture and food processing, with large employers including a Cargill meatpacking plant, a Leprino Foods cheese factory, and a Dairy Farmers of America facility. The city owns and operates its own utilities, which provides additional local employment. The town has a historic downtown, a library and museum, community parks, an Amtrak station on the California Zephyr line, and a modest, slow population growth. Housing values sit slightly below the state median, which aligns with the area's agricultural and industrial economic base.
For a family considering Lincoln High School, the most important piece is that this is an alternative placement, not a traditional comprehensive high school. The data does not show what the school's specific mission or program focus is, whether it serves students on a credit-recovery track, students with behavioral or disciplinary needs, or students who have chosen an alternative environment for other reasons. A parent exploring this option would need to speak directly with the school or district to understand the admission criteria, the curriculum, the supports offered, and how the program connects students to graduation and postsecondary pathways. The district's recent emphasis on career and college readiness for all high school students and its technology expansion may apply here, but that is something to confirm with the school. The profile is thin on concrete program details, and a family should treat that as a signal to go ask questions, not as a negative judgment on the school's quality.
See more original research from School Decision →