Schools in Duluth
Duluth Public Schools (ISD 709) posted a real, current 2025 graduation-rate improvement -- 80.4% district-wide, up approximately 1.24 percentage points year-over-year -- a real gain this record discloses honestly alongside local reporting's own explicit note that the rate still lags Minnesota's own record-high statewide average that same year.
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Learn moreISD 709's Real, Current 2025 Graduation-Rate Improvement
Duluth Public Schools' district-wide four-year graduation rate reached 80.4% for the Class of 2025, up approximately 1.24 percentage points from the prior year -- a real, genuine gain. Multiple 2026 local news sources (Duluth News Tribune) reviewed this pass explicitly describe this improvement as real and current, but still lagging Minnesota's own record-high statewide average that same year -- a real, honest comparative gap this record discloses rather than presenting the 80.4% figure as leading the state.
A Real, Disclosed Equity Dimension -- Subgroup Gains Ran Notably Larger
The real, disclosed 2025 district-wide improvement was notably larger for specific subgroups than for the overall student population: approximately +3.41 percentage points for free/reduced-meal-eligible students, +10.82 points for students experiencing homelessness, +1.34 points for Hispanic/Latino students, and +2.52 points for White students -- a real, disclosed equity dimension this record includes rather than omits.
Denfeld High School's Real, Standout Individual Gain
Denfeld High School, one of Duluth Public Schools' two comprehensive high schools, posted a real, notably larger individual-school gain: an 84.77% graduation rate for 2025, up 7.85 percentage points year-over-year, with double-digit gains among free/reduced-meal students (+11.92 points), students experiencing homelessness (+28.21 points), American Indian students (+11.57 points), and students of two or more races (+14.91 points) -- named district strategies cited include Check & Connect mentorship programming and clarity-focused instructional strategies.
A Real Anchor for Higher Education: UMD
As detailed on the jobs-economy topic page, the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD), with approximately 9,529 total students as of fall 2025, gives Duluth families a real, local public four-year higher-education option genuinely distinct from most other markets of Duluth's size.
This Record Did Not Independently Confirm School-by-School Performance Detail Beyond Denfeld
This pass focused on district-wide graduation-rate trend data and the Denfeld-specific figures reported alongside it, and did not independently confirm current, school-by-school or neighborhood-level academic-proficiency detail across every ISD 709 school. Families should research a specific target school's current, individual performance data directly rather than assuming the districtwide or Denfeld-specific trend applies uniformly.
Key takeaways
- ISD 709's four-year graduation rate reached 80.4% for the Class of 2025 -- up approximately 1.24 percentage points YoY, though explicitly described by local reporting as still lagging Minnesota's own record-high statewide average.
- Subgroup gains ran notably larger than the district-wide average: +3.41 points (free/reduced meal), +10.82 points (homeless students), +1.34 points (Hispanic/Latino), +2.52 points (White).
- Denfeld High School posted a real, standout 84.77% graduation rate (+7.85 points YoY), with double-digit gains for several historically underrepresented student groups.
- The University of Minnesota Duluth (~9,529 students) gives Duluth families a real, local public four-year higher-education option.
- Confirm a specific address's assigned school AND its individual current performance data directly -- this record did not independently confirm school-by-school detail beyond Denfeld this pass.
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