The top reported proficiency rate is 56% in English language arts. The lowest is 33% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Lincoln High
Lincoln High serves grades seven through twelve in the small rural town of Lincoln, Missouri, as part of the Lincoln R-II district. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. The student body is predominantly white, and more than half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a common measure of economic need. Enrollment is small, with each grade from seventh through twelfth containing roughly between thirty and fifty students, creating the kind of intimate setting where staff are likely to know every student by name.
State testing results for the most recent school year offer a mixed picture, and a parent should be aware that the data is incomplete because some results were suppressed for privacy reasons. For math, the proficiency rates for both seventh and eighth grade were suppressed, meaning the state did not release them, likely because of small group sizes. For English language arts, the seventh-grade proficiency rate was reported and was fairly strong, with more than half of the tested students scoring at or above the standard. The eighth-grade ELA rate was also suppressed. In eighth-grade science, the reported proficiency rate was lower: about a third of students met the state standard. A parent should keep in mind that the small size of the tested groups means a single year’s result can swing noticeably, and the suppression of several grade-level results makes it difficult to get a full picture. Looking across all tested subjects and grades where data was available, the school’s overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint when compared to other districts within Benton County, though the county has few districts, so the comparison set is small.
No graduation rate data was available for this school. Because the school includes grades seven through twelve, a graduation rate would normally apply, but it was not reported in the data provided. A parent may want to ask the school directly about its graduation outcomes.
The school’s academic program offerings were not detailed in the available information. There is no data on Advanced Placement, dual-credit, career and technical education, or elective course access. Similarly, information on discipline rates, chronic absenteeism, and staffing ratios was not provided. The search for recent district-level changes turned up little, so the broader district context appears stable, or at least without recent high-profile shifts worth noting.
Lincoln, the town the school draws from, is a very small community with a Main Street core, a local library inside City Hall, and an economy anchored by health care, construction, and food service. The housing market is modest compared to national benchmarks. Commute times are typical for a rural area, and most residents drive alone. The town has annual community events and sits near Harry S. Truman Lake, a regional outdoor destination. The area has seen modest growth in population and property values in recent years, but not a development boom. For a family considering this school, the setting means a short commute from home, a small-town peer environment, and a school where class sizes are likely small.
The student body is almost entirely white, which is typical for the region, and the share of students from low-income households is substantial. Without data on special education or English learner populations, a parent with a child who has an Individualized Education Program or who is learning English may want to confirm with the school that appropriate support is available. The lack of course access data is also a gap for a parent wanting to know whether the school offers college-preparatory or career-oriented pathways, especially since the middle and high school grades together mean a student could attend Lincoln High for six years.
On balance, Lincoln High is a small rural school in a stable town, with some academic results that look solid where they are reportable and other results that are simply not available for public view. The school’s strength lies in the kind of close-knit environment that small enrollment can provide. The gaps in the data — suppressed test results in math and eighth-grade ELA, no graduation rate, no program offerings — mean that a parent trying to make a decision should expect to call the school and ask direct questions about math achievement, how the school supports students who struggle, and what academic options exist for students on a college or career track.
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