About Us

Welcome to Lincoln Elementary, Home of the Lynx!

Principal Breanna McDonald leaning over to help a student at a desk.

Lincoln Elementary prioritizes family, ensuring every student, staff member, and family feels valued, loved, and respected. We strive to be a welcoming community where diversity is embraced and meaningful connections are fostered.

We maintain high expectations for all, fostering a culture of collaboration and mutual support. Students and staff are encouraged to advocate for each other, navigating both struggles and successes together.

This commitment to a supportive and respectful atmosphere forms the foundation for everything we do at Lincoln Elementary, reflecting our dedication to serving students and families and ensuring every student, every day, a success.

Lincoln at a Glance

K-5 Students: 343

Teachers: 19

Number of classrooms per grade level: 2

CEP School: Meals at no cost

Community School

Title I School

Preschool Satellite Campus

(Information from Nebraska Dept. of Education, 2025)

Lincoln Elementary is dedicated to creating a safe environment that truly feels like home for everyone.Breanna McDonald, principal

Front entrance of the Lincoln Elementary school building and sign.

School History
Title I Overview

School History

In 1911, a two room frame building was erected at Beal and Eighth Street, on property costing $1,000. It was named Lincoln School after the 16th President, Abraham Lincoln.

The School replaced the Evans School, which was moved from the old Dodge site in 1884. Evans School was located in the 1300 block of Tenth Street.

The two room building was built by Henry Falldorf and was completed in 90 days at a cost of $4,578.95.

A two room addition was completed in 1913 and again in 1919.

The second floor was added in 1920 and an auditorium with two classrooms completed the building in 1931.

Mrs. Mae T. Clark served as principal from 1922 until her retirement was announced on March 2, 1964. This retirement marked the conclusion of service and good works unmatched in tenure for an administrator in one school for the district.

During those years, a "Mother's Club" was formed, later to become an organized P.T.A.

A new building was needed to meet the needs of the district. Through the support of the citizens of Grand Island, Lincoln was able to dedicate the new building in 1998.

Principal Brad Wentzlaff opened the building for students the fall of 1998 and remained principal until his retirement in 2015. Maureen Oman became principal, then retired in 2022. Breanna McDonald became principal to start the 2022-2023 school year.

Our school colors are blue and yellow and our mascot is the lynx.

Title I Overview

Link to the Nebraska Education Profile: http://nep.education.ne.gov/

Purpose of Title I

Designated as Title I, our school receives federal funding to provide supplemental financial assistance and services to our students. The goal is to provide high-quality instructional services, opportunities, and activities to meet the needs of disadvantaged children identified as most at risk of not meeting the state’s challenging academic standards. The purpose of these funds is to help our students meet their educational goals, particularly in reading and math and to support their social-emotional learning needs.

Grand Island Public Schools uses a schoolwide Title I model focusing resources toward preschool, elementary, and one designated middle school. Title I goals also emphasize parent and family engagement in school as staff and parents jointly strive for the successful achievement of all students.

Components of a Title I Schoolwide Program

Conduct an annual self-review and comprehensive needs assessment of the entire school.
Provide opportunities through schoolwide reform strategies for all children to meet the state’s challenging academic standards.
Provide frequent and continuous data to help staff make informed decisions to assist students.
Provide instruction by highly qualified staff.
Conduct activities to engage parents and families.
Provide transitional assistance from preschool to elementary, elementary to middle school, and from middle school to high school.
Conduct ongoing professional learning for staff throughout the school year and summer.

Title I Annual Meeting
As a requirement for all Title I schools, we convene an annual Title I meeting for all parents and guardians, to explain the school’s Title I program, share information about staff, funding, curriculum and assessments, and the parents’ right to be involved in their child’s education. Additional opportunities for parents also function as a space to inform parents about their rights to be involved in the school program and to request additional feedback and input. The annual meeting can be the first step in setting the tone and opening the door for positive school-home partnerships.

Parental Engagement
Parental engagement is an integral part of the Title I program. Parents are encouraged to become partners in helping their children achieve and to become actively involved in all aspects of the process of the Title I program, from the writing of the schoolwide plan to its implementation and evaluation of effectiveness. A strong connection between home and school is a key element in student success. Materials, strategies, and assistance from teachers are available to all parents within a Title I school. Opportunities for active parent participation include school open houses, PTO (Parent/Teacher Organizations), parent/teacher conferences, and upholding the implementation of the school/parent compact. Federal legislation requires schools to utilize a portion of their Title I funds to support parent and family engagement and parents are encouraged to contact the school principal with any comments or suggestions regarding the school’s parent engagement opportunities.

Testing Transparency
The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 states that the parents may request, and the agency will provide the parents on request (and in a timely manner), information regarding student participation in any assessments mandated by section 1111 (b)(2) and by the State or local educational agency, which shall include a policy, procedure, or parental right to opt the child out of such assessment, where applicable.

Notification of Teacher Qualifications
The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 gives parents/guardians the right to request information about the professional qualifications of their child's classroom teachers. Upon request (and in a timely manner), the agency will give parents/guardians the following information about their child's teacher:

Whether the teacher has met state qualifications and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher provides instruction.
Whether the teacher is teaching under an emergency or provisional teaching certificate.
Is teaching for four or more consecutive weeks who does not meet applicable State certification or licensure requirements.
Whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications.

Click any of the following items to view the related documents:

Lincoln Elementary Title I Schoolwide Plan - 2024-2025
Lincoln Elementary Title I Parent and Family Engagement Policy: English | Spanish
Lincoln Elementary Title I School-Parent Compact

Logo Image

Logo Title

In This Section