schoolsbycounty

Lincoln County Schools & Education

School Score

46/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Midrange Signal

Graduation Rate

86.1%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

86.1%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 86.6%

Per-Pupil Spending

$7,986

National avg $13,239

State avg $8,463

School Score

46/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 55/100

State Score Position

#62

of 87 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Lincoln County

Measured School Summary

Lincoln County performs at an average level with a school score of 46/100 and a solid graduation rate of 86.1%.

Funding Context

At $7,986 per pupil, Lincoln County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 16% below the Minnesota average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 0.5 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 6% lower than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Lincoln County before comparing districts

County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.

Local context that changes the interpretation

12 public schools and 4 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.

Overall screen

46/100

Mixed county signal. Ranks #62 of 87 Minnesota counties with school score data.

Completion

86.1%

0.5 pts below the state average

Funding context

$7,986

$477 below the state average

School coverage

12

4 districts represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

This county needs a closer look at district mix, school level, and local context. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

Lincoln County has 12 public schools across 4 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.

Verify local rules

Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.

Parent decision brief

What Lincoln County school data means before you move

County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.

Mixed school landscape

Lincoln County has enough school-level records to compare the local mix, but no single county metric should be treated as the answer. Use district shape, grade span, and data coverage together.

State position

#62

of 87 Minnesota counties with school score data. The county score is 9 points below the state average.

Data confidence

Usable

3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.

K-12 continuity check

These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.

RTR PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Elementary and high visible

620 students

Elementary 1Middle 0High 2Other 0

3 listed schools in this county slice.

HENDRICKS PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

Elementary to high school visible

211 students

Elementary 1Middle 1High 2Other 0

4 listed schools in this county slice.

LAKE BENTON PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

Elementary and high visible

117 students

Elementary 1Middle 0High 1Other 0

2 listed schools in this county slice.

IVANHOE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

Elementary school only in this slice

73 students

Elementary 1Middle 0High 0Other 0

1 listed school in this county slice.

District reality check

HENDRICKS PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT is the largest listed district slice, with 4 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.

What the data cannot tell you

NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.

Questions to ask before choosing an address

Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Lincoln County?

Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Lincoln County district systems?

What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?

Which charter, magnet, or virtual options require a lottery, application window, separate transportation plan, or address eligibility check?

Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?

Education Overview

About Schools in Lincoln County, Minnesota

This context is screened for neutral school-data wording and should be read alongside the current metrics on this page. It is not school advice.

Small-Scale Education in Rural Lincoln County

Lincoln County maintains a focused education infrastructure with 12 public schools serving 1,021 total students. The system is distributed across four school districts and includes seven high schools and four elementary schools.

Evaluating Performance and Spending Trends

The county reports a graduation rate of 86.1%, which is just below the state average of 86.6% and the national mark of 87%. Per-pupil expenditure stands at $7,986, trailing both the Minnesota average of $8,463 and the national average of $13,000.

RTR Public Schools Leads the Region

RTR Public Schools is the largest district in the county, educating 620 students across three separate facilities. Other key providers include the Hendricks and Lake Benton public school districts, and the county currently operates without any charter school options.

A Purely Rural Learning Environment

Every school in Lincoln County is classified as rural, creating an intimate average school size of just 128 students. RTR Secondary is the largest campus with 359 students, while Lincoln Elementary in Ivanhoe serves a small cohort of just 73 children.

School Overview

Total Schools

12

in Lincoln County

Reported Enrollment

1,021

12 schools reporting

School Districts

4

districts

Charter Schools

0

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary4
Middle1
High7
Other0

4 School Districts in Lincoln County

RTR PUBLIC SCHOOLS

3 schools
620 students

HENDRICKS PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

4 schools
211 students

LAKE BENTON PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

2 schools
117 students

IVANHOE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

1 school
73 students

12 Public Schools in Lincoln County

Sorted by reported enrollment. Every NCES public school remains listed here; no school-level profile pages are included in the current generated coverage for this county.

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

Level

Showing 12 of 12 matching schools

RTR Secondary School

RTR PUBLIC SCHOOLS

TYLER, 56178 / Rural: Remote

Record6–12High359 students

RTR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

RTR PUBLIC SCHOOLS

TYLER, 56178 / Rural: Remote

RecordPK–5Primary261 students

LAKE BENTON ELEMENTARY

LAKE BENTON PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

LAKE BENTON, 56149 / Rural: Remote

RecordPK–6Primary116 students

HENDRICKS ELEMENTARY

HENDRICKS PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

HENDRICKS, 56136 / Rural: Remote

RecordPK–6Primary98 students

Lincoln Elementary - Ivanhoe

IVANHOE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

IVANHOE, 56142 / Rural: Remote

RecordPK–6Primary73 students

MNVSS

HENDRICKS PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

HENDRICKS, 56136 / Rural: Remote

Record6–12Virtual66 students

Hendricks Senior High

HENDRICKS PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

HENDRICKS, 56136 / Rural: Remote

Record7–12High47 students

LAKE BENTON SECONDARY

LAKE BENTON PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

LAKE BENTON, 56149 / Rural: Remote

Record7–12High1 students

Hendricks Learning Center - Credit

Region 6 and 8-SW/WC Service Coop

HENDRICKS, 56136 / Rural: Remote

Record9–12Alternative0 students

Hendricks Middle School

HENDRICKS PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

HENDRICKS, 56136 / Rural: Remote

Record5–8Middle0 students

RTR ALC

Region 6 and 8-SW/WC Service Coop

TYLER, 56178 / Rural: Remote

Record9–12Alternative0 students

RTR ALP

RTR PUBLIC SCHOOLS

TYLER, 56178 / Rural: Remote

Record9–12Alternative0 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$7,986

State avg $8,463

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Lincoln County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.

Open Compare

Browse Public Schools

See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.

View Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Minnesota counties have the highest graduation rates?
Jackson County (95.7%), Cottonwood County (95.3%), and Cook County (95.0%) currently lead Minnesota among counties with available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used in the county table and can change when federal data refreshes.
What is per-pupil spending like in Minnesota?
Across Minnesota counties with available NCES district-finance data, average per-pupil spending is $8,463. The highest current county values are Cook County ($12,089), Kittson County ($10,301), and Beltrami County ($10,167). Compare counties in the table before treating the statewide average as representative of a local district.
How should I read the school score in Lincoln County?
Lincoln County has a school score of 46/100, which is a midrange measured signal in this county-level index. This score is calculated from available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data, with school-level records shown separately below.
What is the graduation rate in Lincoln County?
The high school graduation rate in Lincoln County is 86.1%, which is below the national average of 87.5%. This figure is based on NCES district-level data for public high schools in the county.
How much does Lincoln County spend per student?
Lincoln County spends $7,986 per pupil annually on public education, based on NCES district finance data. Current operating spending per fall enrollment, including instruction, support services, administration, transportation, and operations. It excludes capital outlays and debt service in the SchoolsByCounty methodology.

Frequently Asked Questions

Schools in Lincoln County, Minnesota — FAQ

What does the school system look like in Lincoln County, Minnesota?

Lincoln County maintains a focused education infrastructure with 12 public schools serving 1,021 total students. The system is distributed across four school districts and includes seven high schools and four elementary schools.

How do schools in Lincoln County perform academically?

The county reports a graduation rate of 86.1%, which is just below the state average of 86.6% and the national mark of 87%. Per-pupil expenditure stands at $7,986, trailing both the Minnesota average of $8,463 and the national average of $13,000.

What are the major school districts in Lincoln County, Minnesota?

RTR Public Schools is the largest district in the county, educating 620 students across three separate facilities. Other key providers include the Hendricks and Lake Benton public school districts, and the county currently operates without any charter school options.

What is the school experience like in Lincoln County?

Every school in Lincoln County is classified as rural, creating an intimate average school size of just 128 students. RTR Secondary is the largest campus with 359 students, while Lincoln Elementary in Ivanhoe serves a small cohort of just 73 children.

Counties with Similar School Profile

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Data Sources

Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.

Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.