Lincoln High School

Lincoln · Placer County · Western Placer Unified · Public

Public Placer County 🏛 Western Placer Unified → ~305 seniors CDS 3166951…
📄 Shareable scorecard →

📚AP rigor: Top 3.7% nationally 📖16 AP courses 🎓98% 4-yr grad rate

📋 At a glance

Programs & features
  • 📚 16 AP courses offered — Elite
  • ✅ Dual-enrollment program (college credit while in HS)
  • ✅ Gifted & talented program
  • 🔢 5 calculus classes · 6 physics · 23 chemistry
Academic signals
  • 🎓 AP rigor: Top 3.7% of US high schools
  • 📝 SAT/ACT participation: Bottom 45% by test-taker volume
  • 🎓 4-yr grad rate: 98% (Top 2.3% of US high schools by 4-yr grad rate)

Composed from federal CRDC offerings, EDFacts ACGR, and other public data. Full breakdowns below.

💡

How Lincoln High School compares for families

Real college outcomes data available below.

  • Statewide3.9% UC Reach — 14.2 points below the California median of 18.1%.
  • vs Similar SchoolsTrails the peer median (3.9% UC Reach vs 13.3% median) across the 5 most similar nearby schools.

🎓 Academic rigor

AP + advanced-course offerings

Elite — exceptional AP + advanced course breadth

Top 3.7% of US high schools

50th 90th ↑ this school
Less rigorMore rigorMost rigor
AP courses offered
16
Math ✓ · Science ✓
Advanced math classes
33
5 calculus · 28 advanced
Lab science classes
29
6 physics · 23 chemistry
Other rigor signals
✅ Dual-enrollment program
✅ Gifted/talented program

Source: federal Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC 2020-21). CRDC reports what's offered + enrolled — it doesn't collect AP exam pass rates (College Board owns that data and doesn't release it school-level).

SAT / ACT participation

CRDC federal data · 2020-21

Bottom 45% by test-taker volume

50th 90th
SAT/ACT test-takers
56
11th-12th graders who took 1+ college admissions test
Test-taking intensity
4.7
takers per 100 students in grades 9-12
Compared against
18,426
US high schools reporting SAT/ACT participation

Source: federal Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC 2020-21). Volume — not score — is what's reported here. A higher count means more students at this school are entering the college admissions pipeline. Note: 2020-21 was COVID-disrupted; some districts (especially those that stayed remote longer) report unusually low or zero takers.

🎓 4-year graduation rate · federal EDFacts

What % of students graduate on time?

Top 2.3% of US high schools by 4-yr grad rate

50th 90th
4-year graduation rate
98%
Single-point estimate
4-year cohort size
453
Students in the 9th-grade entry class tracked over 4 years
Compared against
17,988
US high schools reporting 4-year ACGR

Source: federal EDFacts ACGR (Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate), 2019 vintage via Urban Institute. EDFacts publishes a range (low-high) to preserve privacy on small cohorts; we display the midpoint.

🏛️ Federal Title I context

Title I Schoolwide eligible

≥40% FRPL — qualifies for Title I Schoolwide program

42.1%
FRPL rate — % of students who qualify for the federal Free or Reduced-Price Lunch program. This is the underlying federal income-eligibility signal Title I designations are computed from (ESEA Sec. 1113).
0% (no FRPL) 35% TA · 40% Schoolwide 100% (universal FRPL)

40-74% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch. The district can use Title I funds across the whole school under federal Schoolwide Program rules.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, free/reduced-price lunch eligibility. The actual Title I designation is a district decision and may differ from eligibility — but the federal eligibility math is what we show here. We don't claim to assert whether the district formally chose to enroll this school in Title I.

📊 Key takeaway · Class of 2025

Lincoln High School sent 53 applications to the six most selective University of California campuses and 22.6% were admitted, producing a UC Reach of 3.9%14.2 percentage points below the California median of 18.1%, higher than 2% of California high schools..

University of California outcomes · Class of 2025
UC Reach
4%
12 admits / 305 seniors
-9.4 pp vs. peer median (13.3%) · Ranked #8 of 8 similar schools
5-year trend
2021 · 6.4% 2025 · 3.9%
Where this sits on the California curve
CA median
18.1%
Peer median
13.3%
Top 10%
51.2%
This school
3.9%
0%50%100%
CA median 18.1% Top 10% ≥ 51.2% This school 3.9%

Higher than 2% of California high schools (978 ranked, ≥50 seniors)

📊 What this number means

Lincoln High School's UC Reach of 3.9% is below the California median (18.1%). The top 10% of CA schools achieve 51.2% or higher.

Overall, Lincoln High School's UC Reach is higher than 2% of California high schools (978 ranked).

UC Application Reach
17.4%
53 applications
In context: CA median 74.9% · Top 10% statewide ≥ 241.0% · higher than 2% of CA HS.
UC Admit Rate
22.6%
12 / 53 applications
In context: CA median 26.1% · Top 10% statewide ≥ 40.5% · higher than 31% of CA HS.
UC Yield Rate
25.0%
3 enrolled of 12 admitted
Yield vs. Enrollment Reach: Yield answers "of UC admits, what % chose UC?" — denominator is just the admits. A small admitted cohort can post a low yield even when the school sends a healthy share of its class to UC.
UC Enrollment Reach
1.0%
3 enrollees / 305 seniors
Enrollment Reach vs. Yield: Reach answers "of the whole senior class, what % ended up at UC?" — denominator is everyone. High Yield with low Enrollment Reach is common at elite privates: most admits matriculate, but the school sends most of its class to non-UC selective colleges.
Student-Counselor Ratio
279:1
4.0 FTE counselors · 1,117 students
In context: CA median 338:1 · 59 fewer students per counselor · ASCA target 250:1.
A-G Completion
58%
154 of 265 graduates · 2024-25 cohort
In context: CA median 55.9% · +2.2 pp above · Placer Co. 67.3%.
Selective UC Reach (UCSD, UCSB, UCI, UCD)
1.6
per 100 seniors · campus-level total
In context: CA median 15.4 · Top 10% statewide ≥ 41.5 · higher than 0% of CA HS.
Elite UC Reach (UCB + UCLA)
N/A
Senior Class Size
305
CDE grade 12 (exact)
Total School Enrollment
1,184
All grades · CDE Census Day
Economic Connectedness
0.93
40th percentile in CA · cross‑class friendships
Avg. Applicant GPA · top-6 UCs
3.75
Avg. Admitted GPA · top-6 UCs
4.05

UC funnel — which kids are getting in at what GPA

Combining the school's applicant pool GPA, admit pool GPA, actual admit rate, and statewide CA admit rates by individual GPA band, we can read which GPA tiers tend to get in — and which don't.

🎯 Who's actually getting into UC from Lincoln High School
Campus 4.00+ GPA 3.70–3.99 GPA 3.30–3.69 GPA < 3.30 GPA
UCLA Real shot Long odds Filtered out Filtered out
UC San Diego Strong shot Moderate Long odds Filtered out
UC Santa Barbara Strong shot Real shot Long odds Filtered out
UC Irvine Strong shot Real shot Long odds Filtered out
UC Davis Strong shot Strong shot Real shot Filtered out
Strong shot = ≥30% statewide admit rate at this band · Real shot = 10–29% · Moderate = 5–9% · Long odds = 1–4% · Filtered out = under 1%. Tiers map this school's likely outcomes by GPA tier using statewide CA admit rates from UCOP 2025.

The numbers behind it

Campus Applicant GPA Admit GPA Lift Admit rate vs peer schools @ same GPA
UCLA (2022) 3.78 4.23 +0.44 11.1% Peers +0.40 · steeper
UC San Diego (2023) 3.54 4.13 +0.59 13.0% Peers +0.46 · steeper
UC Santa Barbara 3.90 4.00 +0.11 83.3% Peers +0.31 · wider
UC Irvine (2023) 3.65 4.26 +0.62 13.8% Peers +0.46 · steeper
UC Davis 3.75 4.09 +0.34 53.8% Peers +0.34 · matches
📊 Statewide CA admit rates by individual GPA band, 2025 (for reference)
GPA band UCB UCLA UCSD UCSB UCI UCD
4.00+ 17.0% 15.1% 45.2% 62.3% 46.3% 65.9%
3.70–3.99 3.1% 1.6% 9.3% 17.6% 17.0% 31.1%
3.30–3.69 0.8% 0.5% 1.5% 2.8% 2.4% 10.3%
3.00–3.29 0.4% 0.3% 0.2% 0.4% 0.3% 1.9%
< 3.00 0.7% 0.4% 0.3% 0.2% 0.1% 0.7%
How we infer the tier labels: Each tier comes from the statewide CA admit rate at that GPA band at that UC. The "vs peers" column compares this school's lift (admit GPA − applicant GPA) to the average lift at ~100–300 other CA schools with similar applicant pool GPA. What this isn't: a guarantee. UC comprehensive review weighs essays, course rigor, demographics, and context-of-opportunity beyond GPA. A 3.9 with strong context can land an admit; a 4.0 with weak essays can be denied. Use as a baseline expectation, not a verdict. Per-campus year is shown when it differs from the headline year (UCOP doesn't always publish admit-GPA for every campus every year).

UC Outcomes Trend — 2018–2025

UC Admit Rate %
UC Reach % (where available)
UC Admits (count, right axis)

Class size from CDE grade 12 enrollment. Campus-level data — applicant/admit totals may count a student at multiple campuses more than once.

Campus Breakdown — 2025

Campus Applicants Admits Enrollees Admit Rate UC Reach Yield Avg GPA (App) Avg GPA (Adm)
UC Berkeley → Elite 13 3.67
UCLA → Elite 9 3.79
UC San Diego → Selective 5 3.48
UC Santa Barbara → Selective 6 5 83.3% 1.6% 3.90 4.00
UC Irvine → Selective 7 3.93
UC Davis → 13 7 3 53.8% 2.3% 42.9% 3.75 4.09
= UCOP-suppressed (count below 3 students, hidden for privacy — actual value is 0, 1, or 2, not necessarily zero). Campus-level totals may count one student admitted to multiple UC campuses more than once; Admit Volume metrics are not the same as UC Reach, which requires unique-student counts. See methodology →

SBAC academic outcomes — grade 11, 2025

Share of grade-11 students meeting or exceeding the California standard on Smarter Balanced ELA and Math. This is the academic-readiness signal that pairs with UC Reach (post-grad outcomes), stability (retention), and absenteeism (engagement). Note: statewide median Math is only ~20% — a school at 20% isn't an outlier; one at 45%+ genuinely is.

ELA — met or exceeded
n = 268
54.1%
incl. 23.9% exceeded
-13.2 pts vs. Placer County median (67.3%) · CA median 54.3% · Top 10% statewide ≥ 79.3%
Math — met or exceeded
n = 269
28.2%
incl. 12.3% exceeded
-12.0 pts vs. Placer County median (40.2%) · CA median 21.1% · Top 10% statewide ≥ 53.6%

Source: California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) Smarter Balanced research files. Benchmarks limited to non-virtual public & charter HS with ≥30 tested students.

Student composition — 2025-26

HS grades 9–12 racial/ethnic composition and program subgroups, from CDE Census Day Enrollment. Two-year shift shown when ≥1 pt — surfaces how the community served has changed since 2023-24.

Race / ethnicity

Hispanic / Latino 44% +3.9
White 43% -4.0
Two or more 5% +1.3
Asian 3%
Black / African Am. 2%
Filipino 2%
Not reported 1%
American Indian 1%

Program subgroups

Students w/ disabilities 47% +3.0
Socioeconomically disadv. 16% +1.0
English learners 8%
Homeless 6% +2.3

Source: California Department of Education, Census Day Enrollment 2025-26 (HS grades 9–12). Δ shown when shift is ≥1 pt since 2023-24. Categories below 0.5% omitted.

Chronic absenteeism — 2024-25

Share of students missing 10% or more of expected attendance — the leading indicator that often precedes the demand decline shown above. Families disengaging tend to raise absenteeism first, then formally leave. Basis: grades 9–12.

Chronic absent
17.3%
211 of 1,217 students

Absenteeism is up 7.6 pp since 2016-17. A rising absenteeism trend often precedes formal departure — worth investigating which subgroups are driving it.

Placer County median
15.1% · school is worse than 64% of 22 HS
Statewide median
22.9%
Chronic absenteeism by year (raw %)

Source: California Department of Education, Chronic Absenteeism 2024-25. Benchmarks limited to non-virtual public & charter HS with ≥100 eligible students. CDE didn't publish a usable 2019-20 file (COVID).

Enrollment trend & projection

Total enrollment (9–12)
1,952 (2018)1,117 (2026)
-42.8%
Grade 12 (graduating class)
436 (2018)290 (2026)
-33.5%

If this trend holds (-6.7%/yr, Total enrollment)

At per-pupil funding of $ / student:

Horizon Projected Total enrollment Change Funding impact / yr
1 yr (2027) ~1,042 -75 $0
3 yr (2029) ~906 -211 $0
5 yr (2031) ~788 -329 $0

Straight-line extrapolation of the recent annual rate — a what-if, not a forecast of intent. Default = California's LCFF base grant for grades 9–12 ($12,423/ADA). Edit the figure to match your school.

Lincoln High School — Enrollment & Outcomes Snapshot

Public · Lincoln · vs. 10 most similar nearby schools

  • On UC Reach, Lincoln High School sits near the bottom of its similar-school group (ranked #8 of 8): 4% vs. a peer median of 13%.
  • Lincoln High School's UC Reach has stepped down from a peak of 14% in 2019 to 4% in 2025 — a 10-point decline worth tracking.
  • Senior-class enrollment is down 34% (436→290 from 2018 to 2026), trailing the peer-group median of +0%.
  • At its recent rate (-6.7%/yr), enrollment projects to ~906 by 2029 — about 211 fewer students than today.

Enrollment projection

1117 students (2026)
~906 projected (2029)
at -6.7%/yr

That's about 211 fewer students. At per-student funding of $ per student, that's roughly $0 in annual state funding at risk.

Default = California's LCFF base grant for grades 9–12 ($12,423 per ADA) — adjust to your district's actual per-pupil figure. Projection extrapolates the recent annual rate — not a forecast of intent.

Your school vs. its 10 most similar nearby schools

School Type Size UC Reach Enroll. trend
Lincoln High School Public 1117 3.9% -34%
Peer-group median 13.3% +0%
John Adams Academy - Lincoln Public 1390 +14%
Twelve Bridges High School Public 1377 14.8% +28%
Wheatland Union High Public 1185 +90%
Horizon Charter School Public 639 4.9% -3%
Western Sierra Collegiate Academy Public 782 +5%
Placer High School Public 1239 10.4% -3%
Oakmont High School Public 1283 15.7% -30%
Roseville High School Public 1458 13.3% -25%
Center High School Public 1257 8.8% +3%
Del Oro High School Public 1636 15.4% -11%

UC Reach = top-6 UC admits ÷ senior class (can exceed 100% when students are admitted to multiple campuses). Enrollment trend = first-to-latest grade-12 change on file. Similar schools matched on proximity, size, type. Methodology →

Enrollment stability & demand — 2024-25

Two complementary signals: retention (do students stay once enrolled?) and demand (are families choosing the school?). Read against the Placer County baseline — the demographic tide is moving every CA HS, so a school's gap vs. county is the actionable signal.

Critical
Material decline in demand.

Enrollment -33.5% vs. county +16.4% — losing 2.0× the county rate. Each enrolled family matters more, but the engine of new enrollment is breaking down.

-33.5%  school enrollment (2018–2026)
+16.4%  Placer County baseline
-49.9pp  gap vs. county
90.5%  retention (county median 90.8%)
Enrollment — indexed to 100 at 2018
Stability rate by year (raw %)
Stability rate
90.5%
1,124 of 1,242 students

118 of 1,242 students who enrolled at Lincoln High School this year didn't maintain continuous enrollment (9.5% non-stability). Mid-year transfers, dropouts, and other exits are all counted.

Placer County median
90.8% · school is in the 48th percentile of 23 HS
Statewide median
87.2% · in the 68th percentile of 1,688 HS

Stability by student group

Socio. disadvantaged (563) 87.7%
White (552) 91.5%
Hispanic / Latino (532) 90.4%
Students w/ disabilities (201) 84.6%
English learners (118) 88.1%
Two or more races (52) 92.3%

Nearest peer high schools

John Adams Academy - Lincoln 80.1% Twelve Bridges High School 94.7% Wheatland Union High 88.4% Horizon Charter School 80.8% Western Sierra Collegiate Academy 98.3%

Source: California Department of Education, Stability Rate 2024-25. Benchmarks limited to non-virtual public & charter HS with ≥100 cumulative enrollees so by-design-high-churn continuation schools don't dominate the bottom of the distribution. Cumulative enrollment counts every student on the rolls during the year, so it can exceed peak-day enrollment.

District financial profile — Western Placer Unified (FY2020)

From 4 years of NCES F-33 filings (the federally-mandated district finance survey). Public schools don't have their own books — the district does. These figures show the financial scale, revenue dependence, instruction-vs-overhead mix, and long-term debt that shape what a school can sustain.

Total revenue
$134.1M
+21.8% since FY2017
Per-pupil revenue
$18,935
7,081 students enrolled
Revenue mix
State: 30.7%
Local: 61.9%
Federal: 7.4%
Instruction share
59.0%
of current spending · $7,458/pupil
Long-term debt
$316.8M
+49.3% since FY2017
Total revenue by year ($M)
Total expenditure by year ($M)

Source: NCES F-33 Annual Survey of School System Finances (Urban Institute Education Data API). Latest year currently published: FY2020. F-33 is a district-level federal filing — it reflects the Western Placer Unified as a whole, not this individual school's books. Revenue mix shows where the district's dollars come from (state aid dominates in CA via LCFF). Instruction share is current expenditure on instruction ÷ total current expenditure (national benchmark ~60%). Long-term debt is end-of-year outstanding (mostly facilities bonds).

What This Means

A relatively small share of the senior class is entering the UC application pipeline. This may signal limited A-G completion, UC awareness gaps, or counseling capacity constraints. Broadening access is the highest-leverage opportunity for this school.
Fewer than 15% of seniors are earning UC admission. This may reflect a high non-UC college-going rate, significant A-G completion gaps, or an early-stage UC pipeline. A deeper review of A-G readiness and counseling capacity is warranted.
Students are earning UC admission but enrolling elsewhere at a notable rate. This may reflect competition from private colleges, out-of-state flagships, cost considerations, or UC campus fit. Student outcome surveys can clarify.
Note: admit counts used here are campus-level totals. A student admitted to both UCLA and UCSD is counted twice. When UCOP unique-student data becomes available it will be loaded automatically and the labels will update.
Compare with other schools → See Placer County rankings →

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