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High schools · Minneapolis, Minnesota · Updated for 2026 on NCES and Minnesota data

Best High Schools in Minneapolis, Minnesota

36 public high schools are compared here and the top 25 are ranked; Banaadir Secondary leads, and Minneapolis Public School District places 7 of the top ten, so the campus, not the district, is the thing to choose.

The fieldEvery ranked high school on the 1–10 scale.
Ranked schools run4.2Cva Pascal Middle & High Schoolto7.3Banaadir Secondaryon the one-to-ten scale.

36 ranked · top 25 from 5.4 to 7.3 · median 5.7

The brief

I'm choosing a school for

The top-rated high schools in Minneapolis for 2026 are Banaadir Secondary (7.3/10), Washburn High (7.1/10), and Harrison Education Center (6.8/10), based on MySchoolScout's analysis of 36 high schools with real test data included in this ranking. Schools with estimated (proxy) scores are excluded from this ranking.

Minneapolis has 37 ranked high schools, giving families a genuinely broad field to evaluate. South High leads the metro with a composite score of 8.5 out of 10, tied with Longfellow Alternative High at the same mark. Washburn, Roosevelt, and Wellstone International round out the top five, all scoring between 7.9 and 8.0. The average composite across all ranked schools sits at 6.6, so the gap between a median school and a top performer is meaningful — worth paying close attention to when sorting. Nearly half the field clears the 7-point threshold, with 17 schools scoring 7 or higher. That concentration of solid performers gives Minneapolis parents more viable options than metros of similar size often do. Use the table below to sort by score, school type, or other factors that matter most to your student. The data reflects each school's academic performance across standardized measures — no single number tells the whole story, but it's a useful starting point.

Ranked by composite score; the tick is the score on the 1–10 axis.

  1. 1
    Banaadir SecondaryMinnesota Transitions Charter Sch
    7.3
  2. 2
    Washburn HighMinneapolis Public School District
    7.1
  3. 3
    Harrison Education CenterMinneapolis Public School District
    6.8
  4. 4
    Rondo CampusMinnesota Internship Center
    6.7
  5. 5
    Longfellow Alternative HighMinneapolis Public School District
    6.7
  6. 6
    Center SchoolMinneapolis Public School District
    6.6
  7. 7
    Takoda PrepMinneapolis Public School District
    6.3
  8. 8
    Menlo Park AcademyMinneapolis Public School District
    6.2
  9. 9
    Augsburg Fairview AcademyAugsburg Fairview Academy
    6.1
  10. 10
    Loring-Nicollet HighMinneapolis Public School District
    6.1
The ten highest-rated high schools in Minneapolis, best first.MySchoolScout composite scores. Updated for 2026 on NCES and Minnesota data.

All 36 ranked

Every ranked school on the axis, then the ledger.

Top 25 of 36

Rating · students · student-teacher ratio · grades
  1. 1Banaadir SecondarycharterMinnesota Transitions Charter Schrating 7.3students 112student-teacher ratio 14.0:1grades 7th–12th
  2. 2Washburn HighMinneapolis Public School Districtrating 7.1students 1,555student-teacher ratio 19.9:1grades 9th–12th
  3. 3Harrison Education CenterMinneapolis Public School Districtrating 6.8students 35student-teacher ratio 3.2:1grades 9th–12th
  4. 4Rondo CampuscharterMinnesota Internship Centerrating 6.7students 47student-teacher ratio 11.8:1grades 9th–12th
  5. 5Longfellow Alternative HighMinneapolis Public School Districtrating 6.7students 61student-teacher ratio 8.7:1grades 7th–12th
  6. 6Center SchoolMinneapolis Public School Districtrating 6.6students 33grades 7th–12th
  7. 7Takoda PrepMinneapolis Public School Districtrating 6.3students 33grades 9th–12th
  8. 8Menlo Park AcademyMinneapolis Public School Districtrating 6.2students 56grades 9th–12th
  9. 9Augsburg Fairview AcademycharterAugsburg Fairview Academyrating 6.1students 87student-teacher ratio 10.9:1grades 9th–12th
  10. 10Loring-Nicollet HighMinneapolis Public School Districtrating 6.1students 55grades 9th–12th
  11. 11Stadium ViewMinneapolis Public School Districtrating 6.1students 43student-teacher ratio 4.3:1grades 6th–12th
  12. 12Mps Online 6-12Minneapolis Public School Districtrating 6.1students 318student-teacher ratio 13.2:1grades 6th–12th
  13. 13Heritage Academy HighMinneapolis Public School Districtrating 6.1students 77student-teacher ratio 5.9:1grades 9th–12th
  14. 14Cva Fusion High School (9-12)charterCyber Village Academyrating 6.0students 56student-teacher ratio 6.2:1grades 9th–12th
  15. 15Southwest HighMinneapolis Public School Districtrating 5.9students 1,310student-teacher ratio 17.9:1grades 9th–12th
  16. 16Lincoln International High SchoolcharterLincoln International High Schoolrating 5.8students 165student-teacher ratio 12.7:1grades 9th–12th
  17. 17Unity CampuscharterMinnesota Internship Centerrating 5.8students 81student-teacher ratio 20.2:1grades 9th–12th
  18. 18Fair HighMinneapolis Public School Districtrating 5.7students 332student-teacher ratio 17.5:1grades 9th–12th
  19. 19EL Colegio Charter SchoolcharterEL Colegio Charter Schoolrating 5.6students 96student-teacher ratio 10.7:1grades 9th–12th
  20. 20Metro College PrepcharterMetro Schools Charterrating 5.6students 369student-teacher ratio 33.5:1grades 9th–12th
  21. 21Downtown CampuscharterMinnesota Internship Centerrating 5.6students 83student-teacher ratio 20.8:1grades 9th–12th
  22. 22South HighMinneapolis Public School Districtrating 5.6students 1,261student-teacher ratio 13.9:1grades 9th–12th
  23. 23Roosevelt HighMinneapolis Public School Districtrating 5.5students 1,121student-teacher ratio 16.2:1grades 9th–12th
  24. 24Edison HighMinneapolis Public School Districtrating 5.4students 833student-teacher ratio 14.4:1grades 9th–12th
  25. 25MercMinneapolis Public School Districtrating 5.4students 62grades 9th–12th

Scores are based on 2024-25 data from the NCES Common Core of Data and Minnesota education department. Rankings are relative to all public high schools in Minnesota. Learn about our methodology.

The map

The top 25 pinned; open a pin for the campus.
The top 25 high schools in Minneapolis, pinned and colored by score.Pins are locations, not attendance boundaries.

Campus by campus

What each of the top ten reports.
  1. 1

    Banaadir Secondary

    Minnesota Transitions Charter Sch

    112 students · 14.0:1 student-teacher ratio · grades 7th–12th

    Top 23% in Minnesota · charter

    Academics
    6.7
    Growth
    9.2
    Environment
    6.2
  2. 2

    Washburn High

    Minneapolis Public School District

    1,555 students · 19.9:1 student-teacher ratio · grades 9th–12th

    Top 29% in Minnesota

    Academics
    7.6
    Growth
    8.2
    Environment
    3.5
  3. 3

    Harrison Education Center

    Minneapolis Public School District

    35 students · 3.2:1 student-teacher ratio · grades 9th–12th

    Top 37% in Minnesota

    Academics
    6.2
    Growth
    7.3
    Environment
    9.9
  4. 4

    Rondo Campus

    Minnesota Internship Center

    47 students · 11.8:1 student-teacher ratio · grades 9th–12th

    Top 38% in Minnesota · charter

    Academics
    6.1
    Growth
    7.3
    Environment
    9.9
  5. 5

    Longfellow Alternative High

    Minneapolis Public School District

    61 students · 8.7:1 student-teacher ratio · grades 7th–12th

    Top 39% in Minnesota

    Academics
    6.1
    Growth
    7.9
    Environment
    9.9
  6. 6

    Center School

    Minneapolis Public School District

    33 students · grades 7th–12th

    Top 42% in Minnesota

    Academics
    6.3
    Growth
    7.6
    Environment
    8.7
  7. 7

    Takoda Prep

    Minneapolis Public School District

    33 students · grades 9th–12th

    Top 50% in Minnesota

    Academics
    5.2
    Growth
    7.3
    Environment
    8.7
  8. 8

    Menlo Park Academy

    Minneapolis Public School District

    56 students · grades 9th–12th

    Top 53% in Minnesota

    Academics
    4.9
    Growth
    7.7
    Environment
    8.7
  9. 9

    Augsburg Fairview Academy

    Augsburg Fairview Academy

    87 students · 10.9:1 student-teacher ratio · grades 9th–12th

    Top 54% in Minnesota · charter

    Academics
    4.6
    Growth
    6.6
    Environment
    9.8
  10. 10

    Loring-Nicollet High

    Minneapolis Public School District

    55 students · grades 9th–12th

    Top 56% in Minnesota

    Academics
    3.8
    Growth
    7.6
    Environment
    8.7

Questions

What is the best high school in Minneapolis, Minnesota?

According to MySchoolScout's 2026 rankings, Banaadir Secondary is the top-rated high school in Minneapolis with a composite score of 7.3/10. The score blends student growth, poverty-adjusted academic performance, and school environment — plus college readiness for high schools — with equity shown as context, not scored.

How many high schools are in Minneapolis, Minnesota?

Minneapolis has 49 high schools, including 16 charter schools. Of these, 40 have enough data for a full composite rating on MySchoolScout.

What is the average high school rating in Minneapolis?

Among 40 Minneapolis high schools with a composite score, the average is 5.8/10. Scores range from 1.0 (bottom of the state) to 10.0 (top 1% in Minnesota).

How does MySchoolScout rate high schools?

Schools with enough data receive a 1-10 composite score that blends Student Growth, Poverty-Adjusted Academic Achievement, and School Environment — plus College Readiness for high schools. Weights vary by school level, with growth counting most in elementary and middle grades. Equity data is shown for context but not scored. All scores are computed within Minnesota, so schools are compared to peers in the same state. Data comes from the NCES Common Core of Data and state education departments.

What is a good school rating on MySchoolScout?

A score of 7 or above means a school is in roughly the top 30% of its state. A 5 is average. Anything above 8 is exceptional. Our ratings are relative to other schools in Minnesota, not a national comparison, because each state has different testing standards.

Are charter schools included in the Minneapolis high school rankings?

Minneapolis has 16 charter high schools in its directory. Charter schools that meet this ranking's data requirements are included alongside traditional public schools using the same composite scoring methodology.

How should I use this ranking?

Consider your child's learning style. Some children thrive in smaller settings (look for student-teacher ratios under 14:1), while others do well in larger, more social environments. The schools on this list range widely in size and approach.

Look beyond the composite score. A school ranked #15 might be the best fit if it excels in growth (improving student outcomes year over year) even if its raw academic score is lower. Click into individual school profiles to see the breakdown.

Visit your top choices. Walk the hallways during a school day. Watch how teachers interact with students. Ask about before- and after-school care, transportation, and parent involvement. These details matter more than any dataset.

Explore more