Summary:
ZIP code 98418 has one listed high school, Lincoln High School, serving grades 9–12 in Tacoma. The school enrolls about 1,556 students and is part of the Tacoma School District. Lincoln serves a community with relatively high economic need: 72.69% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student-teacher ratio is 20.5 to 1, and reported per-student spending was $18,558 in 2023–2024.
Lincoln’s strongest results are its graduation and dropout outcomes. The 2024–2025 graduation rate was 91.6%, nearly identical to the district’s 91.4% and well above Washington’s 82.6%. The dropout rate was 6.4%, slightly better than the district’s 6.5% and substantially below the state’s 9.8%. These figures suggest that most students stay in school and graduate. Academic test results are more concerning, however. In 2025–2026, proficiency was 41.06% in English language arts, 32.65% in science, and just 10.49% in math. Lincoln’s math result was 20.67 percentage points below the district and 32.62 points below the state, making mathematics the clearest improvement priority.
Parents should view Lincoln as a school with encouraging completion outcomes but significant academic challenges. Test proficiency declined slightly in all three subjects from the previous year, with math falling from 14.70% to 10.49%. The school’s statewide ranking has improved—from 410th of 437 schools in 2023–2024 to 339th of 396 in 2025–2026—but Lincoln remains in the lower portion of the rankings and has a one-star rating. Since it is the only high school in the ZIP code, there are no nearby in-ZIP school comparisons; families considering Lincoln may want to ask about math support, tutoring, course options, attendance programs, class sizes, and how the school is maintaining its relatively strong graduation rate while improving academic achievement.
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