2024 Best High Schools in Minnesota

What High School Paths Does Minnesota Provide?

Minnesota is a state with considerable educational diversity, with 920 high schools in total, which is 46% more than the average state per capita. In fact, Minnesota ranks 8th in the nation in terms of high schools per capita, so if you are looking for a wide selection of options this is definitely the state for you. The average rating of all schools is a B–, which is right in line with the national average.

Out of the 920 high schools, the majority are public, 752 to be exact, which is 82% of all schools in the state. Of those 752 public high schools, the majority are traditional public schools (660). Approximately 49% of those traditional public schools have a rating higher than the national average, so there are 321 such schools that are considered better than the norm.

Diving deeper into public high school alternatives, there are also 81 charter schools, which places Minnesota in the 9th spot for most charter schools per capita vs the average state. In total, 41% of those charter schools have a rating above the national average. Additionally, 11 magnet high schools are available (with 25th ranking in terms of per capita vs the average state) and 5 of them earned above average marks.

Turning now to private high schools, there are 124 in total to choose from (representing 13% of all schools). Although the figure may seem relatively small, Minnesota actually has 18% fewer private school options than the average state per capita, so this could mean that there aren't many private school options in some parts of the state. With a median rating of A–, approximately 60% of Minnesota's private schools exceed the national average. About 83% of private high schools in Minnesota are religiously affiliated, led primarily by Christian schools which total 71. The state ranks 30th for most religious schools per capita, so it falls slightly below the average in terms of religious influence in its school options. There are also 13 all-boys schools in Minnesota, which is 39% (or 1.39 times) more than the typical state (after normalizing for population size). There are also 7 all-girls schools, which is 37% (or 1.37 times) more than the average state.

Minnesota also has a good selection of online schools, with 24 total (just 3% of all schools). This actually ranks Minnesota in the 12th position in terms of online schools per capita vs. the typical state (it's above the average by 172%).