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Estherville–Lincoln Central Community School District
Estherville–Lincoln Central Community School District
Location
	Estherville, Iowa Emmet and Dickinson counties United States
Coordinates	43.394874, -94.817975
District information
Type	Local school district
Grades	PK–12
Established	1997
Superintendent	Tara Paul
Schools	3
Budget	$20,531,000 (2020-21)
NCES District ID	1911070
Students and staff
Students	1219 (2022-23)
Teachers	98.06 FTE
Staff	101.39 FTE
Student–teacher ratio	12.43
Athletic conference	Lakes Conference
District mascot	Midgets and Midgettes
Colors	Red and white ;
Other information
Website	www.estherville.k12.ia.us

43°23′42″N 94°49′05″W / 43.394874°N 94.817975°W / 43.394874; -94.817975

Estherville–Lincoln Central Community School District (ELC) is a rural public school district headquartered in Estherville, Iowa.^[2]

The district covers most of central and western Emmet County, along with a small part of eastern Dickinson County. In addition to Estherville it serves the communities of Dolliver, Gruver, Wallingford, and most of Superior.^[3]

It was established on July 1, 1997, by the merger of the Estherville and Lincoln Central school districts,^[4] although its predecessor school districts first entered into a full grade sharing arrangement in 1993. The district serves a total population of approximately 8,800.

Schools

The district maintains three traditional schools, all of which are located on a single campus in Estherville:

Demoney Elementary School grades PK–4
Estherville–Lincoln Central Middle School grades 5–8
Estherville–Lincoln Central High School grades 9–12

Besides the traditional schools the district runs Forest Ridge School, which is an alternative high school serving clients of a residential treatment program for troubled adolescents. It is located in Gruver at the former Lincoln Central School campus. The district also maintains the Regional Wellness Center which is located just south of the district campus.^[5]^[6]

Estherville–Lincoln Central High School

Athletics

Estherville–Lincoln Central's athletic program inherited the nickname, colors, traditions and history of Estherville High School. The high school's athletic teams, nicknamed the Midgets compete in the Lakes Conference in the following sports:^[7]

Baseball
Basketball
- Boys' 1987 Class 2A state champions^[8]
- Girls' 1982 6 on 6 state champions^[9]
- Girls' 2022 Class 3A state champions^[10]
Cross country
Football
Golf
- Boys' - two-time state champions (1974, 1981)^[11]
Soccer
Softball
Swimming
Tennis
Track and field
Volleyball
Wrestling

Mascot controversy

In 1927, the Estherville football team was described as "midgets" by a local reporter because of a size difference with the opposing team. It has been the team mascot of Estherville Lincoln High School ever since.^[12] In 2024, advocates affiliated with Little People of America (LMA) started a campaign to rename the mascot, alleging that the word is a pejorative slur and as such it amounts to a violation of federal laws against disability discrimination.^[13] Superintendent Tara Paul stood by the name, adding "there is a real sense of pride behind the Mighty Midget because of what we believe a mascot represents."^[14]