Lincoln Elem

Lincoln Elem is a mid-tier elementary school in Hays, Kansas, part of Hays. The school hosts 274 students in grades pre-K through 5.

Within Hays, which oversees 7 schools and 3,434 students, Lincoln Elem is one campus in the system.

Looking at the student body, Lincoln Elem logs that White students make up the majority at 69%. Other groups include 23% Hispanic, 5% multiracial, 3% Black. By comparison, Ellis County as a whole is about 89% White, so the school skews meaningfully less White than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, Lincoln Elem has 18 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 15.4:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 13.2:1 average. An estimated 59% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. By comparison, Ellis County runs at roughly 41%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat above the surrounding baseline.

With demographic context factored in, Lincoln Elem performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 33.7%, the actual is 47.9%, a residual of +14.1 points.

Across the wider county, the surrounding county (Ellis County) records that median household earnings sit near $63,084, roughly 39% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 11% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Ellis County's 11 public schools (combined enrollment of about 4,040 students), Lincoln Elem is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Kathryn O'Loughlin McCarthy Elem, around 0.5 miles off. Within five miles, there are 6 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Lincoln Elem at 4th of 8; the average score across the group is 45.8%.

Geographically, the school is in a town-based area.

Five-year trend. Lincoln Elem's enrollment has shrank 23% since 2018, when it stood at 358 (now 274). Over the same period, the Hispanic share expanded from 15% to 23%. Class-load math has tightened: from 21.4:1 in 2018 to 15.4:1 in 2025.

Within the allk12 community for this school, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.