The top reported proficiency rate is 49% in Science. The lowest is 27% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Goodrich Middle School
Goodrich Middle School serves grades six through eight as a regular public school within the Lincoln Public Schools district, one of the major employers in the city of Lincoln. Lincoln itself functions as the economic, cultural, and governmental anchor of the metropolitan area, with a mix of government, education, healthcare, and manufacturing industries. The school is located on Lewis Avenue in the central part of the city.
The student body is diverse. White students form the largest single group, while substantial shares of students are Hispanic, Black, Asian, or identify with two or more races. A very large share of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a population with significant economic need.
State assessment results from the most recent testing year show a mixed picture. In math, proficiency rates varied sharply by grade level. The sixth-grade rate was below average, and the eighth-grade rate was reported at zero percent, an exceptionally low figure that a parent may want to discuss directly with the school to understand the context or any data issues involved. The seventh-grade rate was substantially higher, above the midpoint of the range, suggesting a wide gulf in performance across the grade levels in the same subject. In English language arts, rates across grades six, seven, and eight clustered together in a narrow range, all below the halfway mark. The eighth-grade science rate was notably the strongest single result, landing at a level that approached half of students meeting the standard.
Compared to other middle schools within Lincoln Public Schools and across districts in Lancaster County, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. This is a significant soft spot. The pattern across subjects and grades is uneven, which may point to specific instructional challenges or differences in student preparation entering the school. Because the school does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report.
The district itself has been in a period of physical change. In the recent past, Lincoln Public Schools passed a major bond issue — the largest in its history — funding the construction of two new high schools and a new elementary school, along with major renovations. This has reshaped attendance boundaries and relieved overcrowding. The district has also shifted its approach to early literacy, implementing a science-of-reading framework across all elementary schools, though the reach of that change into the middle grades is not specified.
The neighborhood around the school sits within a city that is seeing steady population growth. Housing values and rents in the area have been rising, and the cost of buying a home relative to income is stretched, reflecting national trends. The general economic context includes a low national unemployment rate and moderate income growth.
The data available on the school does not include information on teacher staffing levels, class sizes, or chronic absenteeism. It also lacks details on special education and English learner populations, leaving a gap in understanding the full range of student supports in place. The school is not a charter or magnet school, and its Title I status was not reported, so whether it receives that federal designation is not clear from the available information.
For a family considering this school, the academic picture is one of significant variability. The very low eighth-grade math result in particular warrants a direct conversation with the school. The strong economic need among the student body and the school's position relative to other middle schools in the county are central facts to weigh. The broader district context includes recent investment in new facilities and a shift in early-grade instruction, both of which may eventually affect the middle school experience but are not yet directly measured here.
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