Best High Schools in Zip Code 54220

ZIP code 54220 contains exactly one high school: Lincoln High, a grades 9–12 campus in Manitowoc, Wisconsin with 1,385 students. It belongs to the Manitowoc School District, which is rated low statewide at 385th of 432 districts, 11th percentile, 1 star. Because there are no other high schools in the ZIP code, parents have no local peer school to compare against; the useful benchmarks are the district, the state, and Lincoln High's own year-over-year record. The school has a 14.4:1 student–teacher ratio, spends $15,800 per student, and 43.39% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Outcomes are a mixed picture. Lincoln High graduates 88.6% of students — above the district's 86.7% but below Wisconsin's 92.0%. Its dropout rate of 2.4% is higher than the district's 1.8% and more than double the state's 1.1%. Chronic absenteeism is the biggest engagement concern at 25.2%, meaning roughly 1 in 4 students is chronically absent, compared with 20.8% in the district and 17.3% statewide. On 2025–2026 tests, the school is essentially level with its district in every subject but trails the state across the board: English Language Arts 37.11% vs. 48.47%, Mathematics 28.67% vs. 42.93%, Science 34.86% vs. 43.20%, and Social Studies 35.74% vs. 48.25%. The widest gap is Mathematics, at 14.26 percentage points below the state; Science has the narrowest gap at 8.34 points.

Trends offer both encouragement and warning. Math proficiency fell from 30.84% to 28.67%, a 2.17-point decline, while the state average rose — widening the math gap by 2.37 points. English Language Arts improved 0.80 points and Science improved 0.95 points, narrowing their gaps to the state, though both remain below state averages. Social Studies slipped slightly. The school's latest SchoolDigger rank is 386th of 533, a 28th percentile rating with 1 star, up from the 14th and 22nd percentiles in the prior two years. For parents, the priorities are clear: math support, attendance, and dropout prevention.

Key insights: Only one high school serves this ZIP code, so all comparisons are to the district, state, or prior years. Lincoln High matches or slightly exceeds its district in most subjects and in graduation rate, but trails the state in every reported test subject and in graduation while carrying higher dropout and chronic absenteeism rates. The most urgent academic issue is mathematics, which declined and widened its gap to the state; ELA and Science showed gains. Despite above-average spending per student and a moderate student–teacher ratio, state-level gaps persist, suggesting attendance and dropout prevention are as important as resources. The school's ranking percentile has improved over three years, yet it remains in the lower tier with a 1-star rating.