[4] Lincoln was ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the "Top 100 High Schools" in the United States in 2012 and 2015.

[6][7] The first school in Lincoln College Prep's lineage was founded in Kansas City, Missouri in 1865.

The school moved into an expanded facility at 2111 Woodland Avenue in 1936 under the leadership of Principal Hugh O. Cook.

In 1978, the student body was integrated and the institution obtained a magnet school designation operating under the name Lincoln Academy for Accelerated Study.

High achievement has been consistent, as the 115 graduates in 2002 received scholarships and financial aid in excess of $3 million.