Ever since Lincoln High School first took in the 9th-grade students in September of 2019, the school had to make more room for the students. The school decided to open the JFK balcony for lunch, then the school decided to let freshmen leave the school grounds for open lunch which never happened before, and now, in 2022, the library has become a new spot for lunch. The school did not have enough room for students, and with such a small lunchroom and over 1,400 students, this is a sign that the school needs more space.

From the school’s perspective, The staff is looking for a spot to hold all students, 

“We continue to advocate for a common area that would be able to house all of our students in one location” stated Lainey Longmeyer the dean of students. The cafeteria is too small to hold all 1,411 students. Expanding the cafeteria is difficult due to Lake Michigan. “We are a little landlocked thanks to good ol Lake Michigan,” said Longmeyer. As of now, the school has enough spaces to hold all of the students, but the school wants to keep all students in one area if possible. 

A survey was put out to show where all students go to lunch and it was found that most students go to the cafeteria. 

“It's absolute chaos. This school needs to come up with something else but I'm glad we have the library, it's very peaceful, it can get a bit noisy sometimes but it’s NOTHING like the cafeteria,” stated one student. The student survey suggests making a larger cafeteria or opening a larger cafeteria elsewhere is the best way to stop the overcrowding.

Overall the school cafeteria is too small for the number of students and the school is still finding a place to hold all students.