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Officials at Lincoln Public School celebrated when they announced the district has reached its 2024-2029 LPS Strategic Plan goal of raising the district on-time LPS graduation rate to 87%, with a focus on reducing existing differentials between student groups.
“This is a time for reflection and celebration for our district,” said LPS Superintendent Paul Gausman. “I am impressed by the work being done by this school district, our administrators, our staff, and the continued collaboration and partnership with our families and the community to support our students.”
Associate Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Sarah Salem added, “This was not just because of the work done by our high schools, but because of the dedication and commitment by all of our staff in grades preschool through 12th grade. Each and every staff member at Lincoln Public Schools truly plays a role in this achievement.”
Every fall, the Nebraska Department of Education and LPS releases accountability data to the community, including graduation rates. NDE uses the AQuESTT framework – Accountability for a Quality Education System, Today and Tomorrow.
While several pieces of data are released once a year, there are many opportunities and techniques used by administrators and teachers throughout the school year to check student progress, make adjustments and help students get on track for success.
LPS and NDE use different formulas for evaluating and assessing the high school graduation rate in the school district. For more than 25 years, LPS has followed the general rule of calculating on-time graduation rates for students who start as ninth graders in the school district and graduate in four years on time.
The Nebraska Department of Education calculates the graduation rate using any student who was enrolled in an LPS high school at any point during high school, even if they enrolled for the last semester of their senior year.
Using the LPS formula, the 2024 graduation rate improved from 83.9% to 87.6%, an increase of 3.7%. Using the NDE method, the graduation rate improved from 82.4% to 85.4%, an increase of 3.0%. There were also significant increases across most demographics.
| LPS | EHS | LHS | LNS | LNE | LNW | LSE | LSW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 82.5% | 91.1% | 74.8% | 77.8% | 73.6% | — | 84% | 91.6% |
| 2021 | 81.9% | 90.5% | 74.4% | 81.1% | 70.5% | — | 81.4% | 91.6% |
| 2022 | 83.9% | 91.4% | 77.9% | 81.7% | 74.7% | — | 83.6% | 92.7% |
| 2023 | 83.9% | 95.1% | 80.5% | 80.1% | 74.4% | — | 80.6% | 88.8% |
| 2024 | 87.6% | 92.7% | 83.0% | 87.9% | 80.7% | 78.4% | 89.7% | 93.7% |
| Year | All Students | American Indian or Alaska Native | Asian | Black/ African American | Hispanic/ Latino/ Latina | White | Two or More Races |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 82.5% | 57.1% | 90.5% | 65.5% | 67.3% | 87.3% | 72.5% |
| 2021 | 81.9% | 52.6% | 92.5% | 64.9% | 72.2% | 85.8% | 71.3% |
| 2022 | 83.9% | 41.4% | 90.3% | 70.4% | 72.1% | 88.5% | 76.7% |
| 2023 | 83.9% | 57.1% | 91.6% | 77.1% | 71.9% | 87.6% | 75.5% |
| 2024 | 87.6% | 55.6% | 92.4% | 86.3% | 80.8% | 90.4% | 78.2% |
| Year | All Students | American Indian or Alaska Native | Asian | Black/ African American | Hispanic/ Latino/ Latina | White | Two or More Races |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 80.8% | 57.9% | 89.1% | 64.4% | 65.3% | 85.8% | 71.2% |
| 2021 | 80.5% | 54.6% | 92.2% | 63.0% | 71.1% | 84.6% | 69.2% |
| 2022 | 82.3% | 40.0% | 86.6% | 68.6% | 71.4% | 87.4% | 75.2% |
| 2023 | 82.4% | 60.9% | 92.4% | 73.9% | 70.5% | 86.3% | 74.7% |
| 2024** | 85.4% | 50.0% | 88.6% | 79.7% | 77.1% | 89.3% | 77.2% |
** Note: For the class of 2024, LPS received guidance from NDE that some students who would not have been reflected in our graduation rate due to modified diplomas, are now allowed to be included. For some schools this was a very small number, and for others it could have improved their graduation rate by a few percentage points.
“We are pleased to see growth in several targeted student groups, and we will continue our efforts in reducing disparities between demographic groups,” said Salem. “Our attention and efforts will focus on the action steps outlined in 2024-2029 LPS Strategic Plan under Student Wellbeing and Outcomes.”
In addition to raising the graduation rate, there was also a decrease in the dropout rate to the lowest level in five years. The LPS dropout rate went from 6.3% for the class of 2023 to a 4.20% dropout rate for the class of 2024.
“A common misperception is that students who do not graduate in 4-years are considered dropouts,” said Salem. “This is not the case, and LPS works hard to ensure that students who do not graduate with their four-year cohort remain connected to LPS and work towards a diploma. This may occur through our Graduation Pathways program, or they may return to their home high school and continue their coursework in their fifth, sixth or seventh years.”
LPS also celebrated increases in the junior ACT composite scores. LPS junior ACT scores remained above the state in every subject area, and the LPS composite score increased by 0.3 to 19.4 while the state remained flat at 18.7.
Each spring, every 11th grade student in LPS – and across the state – take the ACT at school. Students who do not participate in the ACT exam at school in April are not reflected in the school’s composite score. However, NDE does count those students as non-proficient when used in the AQuESTT accountability model. AQuESTT does not use the composite score, but instead calculates the percent of students who are considered on track or college and career-ready based on their subject-specific test scores.
| English | Math | Reading | Science | Composite | |
| 2022–2023 | 17.6 | 18.6 | 19.0 | 19.1 | 18.7 |
| 2023–2024 | 17.5 | 18.6 | 19.1 | 19.0 | 18.7 |
| English | Math | Reading | Science | Composite | |
| 2022–2023 | 17.8 | 19.1 | 19.7 | 19.4 | 19.1 |
| 2023–2024 | 18.0 | 19.5 | 20.2 | 19.5 | 19.4 |
| English | Math | Reading | Science | Composite | |
| 2022–2023 | 19.7 | 21.0 | 21.8 | 21.3 | 21.1 |
| 2023–2024 | 20.4 | 21.6 | 23.0 | 21.6 | 21.8 |
| English | Math | Reading | Science | Composite | |
| 2022–2023 | 17.2 | 18.4 | 19.1 | 18.8 | 18.5 |
| 2023–2024 | 17.2 | 18.7 | 19.1 | 18.7 | 18.6 |
| English | Math | Reading | Science | Composite | |
| 2022–2023 | 16.1 | 18.2 | 18.1 | 18.5 | 17.8 |
| 2023–2024 | 16.0 | 18.0 | 18.1 | 17.7 | 17.6 |
| English | Math | Reading | Science | Composite | |
| 2022–2023 | 16.2 | 17.1 | 17.7 | 17.3 | 17.2 |
| 2023–2024 | 15.9 | 17.9 | 18.3 | 17.8 | 17.6 |
| English | Math | Reading | Science | Composite | |
| 2022–2023 | 14.6 | 16.4 | 17.0 | 17.2 | 16.5 |
| 2023–2024 | 14.8 | 16.9 | 17.9 | 17.5 | 16.9 |
| English | Math | Reading | Science | Composite | |
| 2022–2023 | 19.4 | 20.1 | 21.1 | 20.4 | 20.3 |
| 2023–2024 | 19.9 | 20.5 | 21.6 | 20.7 | 20.8 |
| English | Math | Reading | Science | Composite | |
| 2022–2023 | 19.0 | 20.4 | 21.2 | 20.8 | 20.5 |
| 2023–2024 | 19.2 | 20.8 | 21.4 | 20.9 | 20.7 |
ELA | Math | Science | Composite Score | |||||
22-23 | 23-24 | 22-23 | 23-24 | 22-23 | 23-24 | 22-23 | 23-24 | |
State | 46% | 45% | 42% | 42% | 49% | 49% | 18.7 | 18.7 |
LPS | 43% | 47% | 42% | 45% | 48% | 49% | 19.1 | 19.4 |
Note: More information about specific schools can be found on the Nebraska Department of Education’s website.
NSCAS Growth is used as part of AQuESTT reporting framework by NDE. Students take the assessment in third through eighth grades for English Language Arts (ELA) and math, and science in fifth and eighth grades.
Salem added, “It is important to remember that the data provided in these reports are just a snapshot and do not tell the whole story of the teaching and learning happening in our classrooms. We use several tools to assess student learning and make adjustments throughout the school year.”
NDE adjusted NSCAS cut scores for proficiency on ELA and Math in the summer of 2024. This in addition to standards changes and local curriculum changes makes it difficult to compare proficiency rates from year-to-year.
Like many other Nebraska school districts, LPS uses Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) Growth tests in reading and math during the fall and winter, and the mandatory statewide NSCAS Growth tests at the end of the school year. The MAP Growth tests provide information about LPS student achievement in reading and math compared to the national norm group. It also gives schools information about individual students and their individual growth between the two MAP testing events.
While LPS students outscore the national average on MAP reading assessments at the elementary level, they are slightly (within one to two percentage points) lower than the state average on NSCAS reading assessments in grades 3-5.
| LPS MAP Fall 2024 | LPS MAP ELA Percentile Rank | LPS MAP Math Percentile Rank |
| Grade 4 | 64 | 62 |
| Grade 5 | 51 | 45 |
| Grade 6 | 58 | 59 |
| Grade 7 | 55 | 63 |
| Grade 8 | 53 | 67 |
MAP percentile rank represents the national average based on national norms, therefore the national norm is always 50.
ELA | Math | Science | |||||
Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 | Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 | Grade 5 | |
State | 59% | 59% | 57% | 61% | 60% | 61% | 83% |
LPS | 58% | 57% | 56% | 58% | 55% | 60% | 81% |
ELA | Math | Science | |||||
Grade 6 | Grade 7 | Grade 8 | Grade 6 | Grade 7 | Grade 8 | Grade 8 | |
State | 58% | 58% | 63% | 57% | 55% | 57% | 66% |
LPS | 57% | 59% | 63% | 55% | 56% | 56% | 63% |
“We anticipate improvements in reading scores in future years as these scores represent the first year of implementation with our new CKLA reading implementation,” said Salem. “For the 25-26 school year and beyond, LPS is working with the NDE on the Nebraska Literacy Project as one of our priorities to raise literacy scores across our district.”
The NDE AQuESTT framework is based on several indicators for which districts and schools are classified as Excellent, Great, Good, or Needs Support to Improve.
The determination of state classifications is based on the following data:
Additionally, 2024 is the first time that the AQuESTT report includes the percentage of students who received an out-of-school suspension. Although it is not currently factored into the AQuESTT formula, NDE is currently working to determine how the data will be used in future years.
This year, NDE adjusted the percentage levels for each designation. Even with LPS’s overall percent proficiency staying within less than half of a percent, the ACT scores increasing in every subject area, and the graduation rate increasing significantly, the LPS AQuESTT rating went from Great to Good in 2024.
“LPS continues to share our concerns with NDE that tenet indicators and adjustments unfairly disadvantage schools with greater percentages of students who qualify for free or reduced lunch,” said Salem. “As a district, LPS does not rely heavily on AQuESTT ratings to evaluate teaching and learning. Instead, we use a combination of more sensitive academic measures such as DIBELS, MAP, classroom assessments, screeners, ACT, and other district assessments to measure student progress.”
2020-2021 | Great |
2021-2022 | Good |
2022-2023 | Great |
2023-2024 | Good |
There were 12 schools that received the classification of Excellent, 14 received Great, 30 received Good, and four schools received Needs Support to Improve. More information about specific schools can be found on the Nebraska Department of Education’s website.
Lincoln Public Schools is the second largest public school district in Nebraska, located in the heart of the plains, renowned for its long-standing legacy of educational excellence and tradition of rigorous academic achievement. The school district is growing and thriving, serving over 42,000 students in more than 60 schools and programs.
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