High school (grades 9-12) · Sioux Falls, SD

Lincoln High School - 02

Federal NCES profile for Lincoln High School - 02, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.

2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 466627000600
0/100100/10051/100
👥 S:T ratio
32
📚 AP courses
90
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
44
📋 Attendance
18
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Lincoln High School - 02 earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% of South Dakota schools. It is also one of the largest schools in South Dakota.

#1 of 5
high schools in Sioux Falls · Resource Index
51
Resource Index · Higher
17:1
large classes for South Dakota
18.3%
free-lunch eligible

Lincoln High School - 02 has class sizes larger than 85% of South Dakota schools. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Lincoln High School - 02 ranks #1 of 5 high schools in Sioux Falls, SD.

Enrollment

1,954

South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

115.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

17:1

vs 13.6:1 South Dakota avg

+25% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

18.3%

vs 28.8% South Dakota avg

-36% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Lincoln High School - 02 compares with South Dakota and U.S. medians

Larger classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Lincoln High School - 02

Lincoln High School - 02 is a lower-poverty, large high school in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, enrolling 1,954 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17:1 puts it in the larger third of South Dakota schools by student-teacher ratio.

Its free-meal eligibility rate of 18.3% lands close to the South Dakota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.

By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in South Dakota, bigger than 99% of state schools at 1,954 students.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 691 scored South Dakota schools.

Its student body is led by White (66%) and Hispanic or Latino (13%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 54/100).

On the academic-pipeline side it reports 18 Advanced Placement courses.

Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 279 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

The surrounding Sioux Falls School District 49-5 spends $10,788 per pupil, 20% below the South Dakota average, a leaner-resourced district than most.

Its district draws 18.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Sioux Falls's high schools, it stands alongside Jefferson High School - 67 (1,888 students): Lincoln High School - 02 is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17:1 vs 17.8:1).

Sioux Falls School District 49-5 also operates Jefferson High School - 67 (1,888 students) and Washington High School - 01 (1,819 students) alongside Lincoln High School - 02.

Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25

How Lincoln High School - 02 compares

Lincoln High School - 02 on the metrics families compare, against South Dakota and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs South Dakota South Dakota avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 17:1 ▲ 25% 13.6:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 18.3% ▼ 36% 28.8% 51.7%
Enrollment 1,954 top 1% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

17:1
Leaner classes than 30% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,954
Bigger than 98% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
18.3%
free-lunch eligible - 36% below the South Dakota average of 28.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17:1
students per teacher - 25% above state mean
Top 85% in South Dakota - lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
32.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$10,788
per pupil, district-wide - below South Dakota avg of $13,477
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors7.0 FTE
Per 279 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 164 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Overview

  • Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
  • Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
  • F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.

Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.

Student demographics

White 65.8%
Hispanic or Latino 13.4%
African American 8.1%
Two or More 7.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.5%
Asian 1.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%

Largest group: White at 65.8% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 53.6/100

Simpson diversity index - at 53.6, Lincoln High School - 02 is more mixed than the South Dakota school average of 27.6.

Programs

AP courses offered 18
Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sioux Falls School District 49-5, which includes Lincoln High School - 02.

$10,788
Per student
-20%
vs South Dakota
Avg $13,477
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 48.1%
State 33.1%
Federal 18.9%

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.

How Lincoln High School - 02 Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Jefferson High School - 67 Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Washington High School - 01 Similar size Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Roosevelt High School - 03 Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Memorial Middle School - 04 Smaller Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Edison Middle School - 06 Smaller Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Lincoln High School - 02's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Sioux Falls School District 49-5 · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar high schools in Sioux Falls

4 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.

Similar high schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of South Dakota, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Lincoln High School - 02's federal record.

Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.

Frequently asked questions about Lincoln High School - 02

How many students attend Lincoln High School - 02?

Lincoln High School - 02 has 1,954 students enrolled. It is a high school in Sioux Falls, SD.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Lincoln High School - 02?

The student-teacher ratio at Lincoln High School - 02 is 17:1, which is 25% higher than the South Dakota average of 13.6:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lincoln High School - 02?

18.3% of students at Lincoln High School - 02 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lincoln High School - 02?

The largest demographic group at Lincoln High School - 02 is White at 65.8% of enrollment, in Sioux Falls, SD. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.6/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Lincoln High School - 02?

Lincoln High School - 02 has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Lincoln High School - 02 rank among high schools in Sioux Falls?

By Resource Investment Index, Lincoln High School - 02 ranks #1 of 5 high schools in Sioux Falls, SD. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Sioux Falls on the city page.

Is Lincoln High School - 02 a good school?

Lincoln High School - 02 earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% of South Dakota schools. It is also one of the largest schools in South Dakota. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.

What other schools are in Sioux Falls School District 49-5?

Besides Lincoln High School - 02, Sioux Falls School District 49-5 also operates Jefferson High School - 67 (1,888 students), Washington High School - 01 (1,819 students), and Roosevelt High School - 03 (1,785 students). See the Sioux Falls School District 49-5 district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.