Summary
Washburn High is a 9–12 comprehensive high school in Minneapolis, Minnesota, serving 1,521 students as part of the Minneapolis Public School District. For 2025–2026 it ranks 133rd of 473 Minnesota high schools (72nd percentile, 4 stars), while its district sits at 310th of 458 districts statewide (32nd percentile, 2 stars). The school's history shows a sustained turnaround rather than a one-year spike: it was at the 29th percentile with 1 star in 2015–2016, climbed to the 82nd percentile with 4 stars by 2020–2021, and has stayed in the top third of the state since.
Outcomes are strong. Washburn's 2024–2025 graduation rate was 89.7%, above the district's 72.7% and the state's 84.9%, with a 3.5% dropout rate versus 6.0% districtwide and 4.2% statewide. On the high-school-specific tests that matter most, 11th-grade math (41.4%) and 10th-grade reading (46.6%) are above both district and state averages, and end-of-course science (35.5%) edges the state's 35.0%. All-grade figures can look lower because they also include elementary and middle grades. Among nearby comprehensive high schools, Southwest High posts slightly higher math and reading proficiency (44.7% and 48.7%) and a 91.5% graduation rate, while Richfield Senior High graduates 92.5% of students but has far lower proficiency (20.3% math, 14.1% science). Washburn's student-teacher ratio improved from 27.1 in 2022–2023 to 17.8 in 2024–2025, and 38.33% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch.
The biggest internal concern is uneven effectiveness across student groups. In 2025–2026, effectiveness rankings were high for White students (94th percentile), multiracial students (80th), special education students (77th), and Asian students (73rd), but below median for English language learners (35th), low-income students (22nd), Hispanic students (17th), and African American students (11th). Math, reading, and science proficiency have also drifted down from 2022–2023 peaks, though science rebounded slightly in 2025–2026. Nearby Heritage Academy High, Watershed High School, Augsburg Fairview Academy, and El Colegio High School are very small (57–88 students) alternative or charter settings serving different populations, so they are not direct comparisons.
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