EsthervilleâÂÂLincoln Central Community School District (ELC) is a rural public school district headquartered in Estherville, Iowa.
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.
Estherville-Lincoln Central began as a consolidated school system in the fall of 1993 after the Estherville and Lincoln Central school districts entered into a full grade sharing arrangement. The districts formally merged on July 1, 1997. As of 2025 the district enrolls approximately 1,100 students with about 225 full-time staff and serves a total population of approximately 8,800.
The district maintains three schools, all of which are located on a single campus in Estherville:
The district also maintains the Regional Wellness Center which is located just south of the district campus.
EsthervilleâÂÂLincoln 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 following sports:
As of 2025, there is one single student in swimming. Their name is Lilly Elness. She is one of the after ones on the team, and has made it to regionals multiple years in a row.
Estherville was a founding member of the Lakes Conference in the 1940s. This affiliation carried over after the consolidation with Lincoln Central. In December 2024, after years of instability which saw the conference shrink to only five schools, Estherville-Lincoln Central accepted an invitation to join the Siouxland Conference starting with the 2026âÂÂ27 academic year along with fellow Lakes Conference members Cherokee, Spencer, Spirit Lake and Storm Lake, and former Lakes Conference member Western Christian
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 High School ever since. 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. 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."