Summary:
Zip code 62286 has two schools in Sparta CUSD 140, serving prekindergarten through grade 8 at Sparta Lincoln School and grades 9–12 at Sparta High School; together they enroll 1,044 students. The most concerning result is at the high school: 11th-grade ACT proficiency fell from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026 in every subject, and results now trail state figures by 20 points in ELA, 27 in math, and 26 in science.
Lincoln has the clearest above-state bright spots: grade 7 ELA was 65% proficient versus 58% statewide, and grade 8 science was 59% versus 52%. Its weaker areas include grade 3 ELA, 28% versus 48% statewide, and grade 5 math, 13% versus 36%. At Sparta High, grade 9 PreACT Secure science was close to the state result—46.8% versus 47.1%—while 11th-grade ACT math was the largest reported shortfall. SchoolDigger ranked Lincoln 1,324th of 1,737 schools (24th percentile) and the high school 505th of 620 (19th percentile) in 2025–2026. Their different grades and tests do not support a direct test-score ranking between the schools.
Recent changes offer some important exceptions to the broader picture. Lincoln’s all-grade ELA and math results rose by 2 and 1 percentage points, respectively, from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, but its gaps from the state widened slightly; grade 8 science improved by 22 points, reaching 59% and moving above the state result. At Sparta High, grade 9 PreACT Secure results rose by 12 points in ELA, 15 in math, and 26 in science, contrasting with the steep 11th-grade ACT declines. Context measures are similar: in 2024–2025, free/reduced lunch eligible students made up 66% at Lincoln and 63% at the high school, and student–teacher ratios were 13.8:1 and 14.0:1. The high school reported higher spending per student, $15,695 versus $12,348; these figures describe the schools but do not explain their results.
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