Denfeld High School

Summary:

Denfeld High School is a public high school in Duluth, Minnesota, serving around 940 students in grades 9-12. The school faces some challenges, including lower academic performance, higher dropout rates, and a more diverse and economically disadvantaged student population compared to nearby schools.

Denfeld High School has a relatively diverse student body, with 65.64% White, 8.19% African American, 4.57% Hispanic, 1.28% Asian, and 4.79% Native American students. However, the school's academic performance, as measured by MCA-III test scores, is generally lower than the state and district averages. For example, only 29.66% of Denfeld students were proficient or better in Math, compared to 34.99% statewide and 37.53% in the Duluth Public School District. The school's four-year graduation rate has ranged from 69.7% to 79.6%, which is lower than the state average, and its dropout rate has been higher, ranging from 7.4% to 14.7%.

Interestingly, Denfeld High School's performance varies significantly across different student subgroups. The school's Native American students have performed very well, ranking 4th out of 42 Minnesota high schools in 2023-2024, while the African American and multi-racial students have struggled, ranking in the bottom quartile. Additionally, the nearby Harbor City International Charter school, which is ranked 9th out of 480 Minnesota high schools, significantly outperforms Denfeld High School on academic measures, with 89.13% of Harbor City students proficient or better in reading, compared to only 52.27% at Denfeld. The Hermantown Community Schools district, which includes Hermantown Senior High, also consistently outperforms Denfeld High School on academic measures and has much higher graduation rates.


Detail:

Public 9-12

 401 N 44th Ave W
       Duluth, MN  55807-1494


(218) 336-8830

District: Duluth Public School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
208th of 480 Minnesota High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $17,519 Help


Feeder schools for Denfeld High School:

Elementary:    Laura MacArthur Elementary
    Lowell Elementary
    Myers-Wilkins Elementary
    Piedmont Elementary
    More...
Middle:    Lincoln Park Middle School

Student/teacher ratio:  19.6 Help
Number of students:  940

Racial breakdown:

White:
65.6%
Two or more races:
15.5%
African American:
8.2%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  56.1% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Denfeld High School ranks better than 56.7% of high schools in Minnesota. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 60.15. (See more...)
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The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Denfeld High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.
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The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (65.6%), two or more races (15.5%), African American (8.2%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 56.1% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Denfeld High School is 19.6, which is the 2nd best among 2 high schools in the Duluth Public School District. (See more...)
Help
Compare Denfeld High School employs 47.7 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Denfeld High School is $17,519, which is the highest among 5 high schools in the Duluth Public School District!
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Denfeld High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Denfeld High School 208th of 480 Minnesota public high schools. (See Denfeld High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Multi-racial students:
Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
Hispanic students:
Native American students:
White students:


Duluth Public School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Duluth Public School District 191st of 463 Minnesota school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Your rating for Denfeld High School?

Rank History for Denfeld High School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Denfeld High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 56.82 284th 433 34.4%
2005 52.62 319th 452 29.4%
2006 49.82 295th 450 34.4%
2007 49.32 294th 463 36.5%
2008 54.91 276th 460 40.0%
2010 50.45 332nd 540 38.5%
2012 46.04 350th 539 35.1%
2013 32.03 379th 534 29.0%
2014 33.67 360th 483 25.5%
2015 46.56 309th 504 38.7%
2016 36.05 350th 489 28.4%
2017 48.37 305th 489 37.6%
2018 46.21 318th 494 35.6%
2019 42.53 325th 492 33.9%
2021 41.08 286th 428 33.2%
2022 52.60 247th 472 47.7%
2023 46.09 269th 476 43.5%
2024 60.15 208th 480 56.7%
See the entire list of Minnesota High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Denfeld High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 23.31 49th 59 16.9%
2019 21.44 56th 66 15.2%
2021 23.23 42nd 51 17.6%
2022 28.66 55th 74 25.7%
2023 25.99 52nd 64 18.8%
2024 28.81 52nd 72 27.8%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Denfeld High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 41.73 125th 195 35.9%
2019 53.10 93rd 220 57.7%
2021 49.46 84th 173 51.4%
2022 45.38 124th 214 42.1%
2023 25.49 176th 216 18.5%
2024 62.68 70th 221 68.3%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Denfeld High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 37.79 253rd 374 32.4%
2019 51.90 186th 370 49.7%
2021 35.26 194th 270 28.1%
2022 62.37 107th 312 65.7%
2023 42.04 235th 393 40.2%
2024 59.48 147th 389 62.2%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Denfeld High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 37.50 289th 395 26.8%
2019 31.56 305th 401 23.9%
2021 24.35 290th 339 14.5%
2022 40.80 260th 388 33.0%
2023 32.40 297th 396 25.0%
2024 55.01 198th 403 50.9%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Denfeld High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 38.06 287th 398 27.9%
2019 37.09 291st 411 29.2%
2021 46.37 201st 351 42.7%
2022 51.26 203rd 403 49.6%
2023 47.34 222nd 398 44.2%
2024 52.24 204th 405 49.6%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Denfeld High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 18.50 87th 106 17.9%
2019 23.43 82nd 103 20.4%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Denfeld High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 44.70 76th 145 47.6%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for Native American students at Denfeld High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 61.19 6th 14 57.1%
2019 51.92 7th 15 53.3%
2023 44.58 20th 36 44.4%
2024 80.34 4th 42 90.5%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota High Schools for Native American Students!

Rank History for White students at Denfeld High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 39.05 302nd 414 27.1%
2019 32.72 320th 412 22.3%
2021 32.19 276th 364 24.2%
2022 42.73 270th 401 32.7%
2023 39.04 268th 398 32.7%
2024 50.67 211th 402 47.5%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Minnesota Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Denfeld High School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 






Data source: Minnesota Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Denfeld High School

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 992 3 1 4 19 n/a n/a 0 1019
1989 964 3 5 8 14 n/a n/a 0 994
1990 915 2 6 4 13 n/a n/a 0 940
1991 1114 2 8 4 17 n/a n/a 0 1145
1992 1108 7 9 6 33 n/a n/a 0 1163
1993 1091 7 9 3 47 n/a n/a 0 1157
1994 1101 13 8 7 49 n/a n/a 0 1178
1995 1163 12 9 8 55 n/a n/a 0 1247
1996 1163 12 9 8 55 n/a n/a 0 1247
1997 1163 16 7 6 57 n/a n/a 0 1249
1998 1228 19 15 10 55 n/a n/a 0 1327
1999 1215 18 18 13 49 n/a n/a 0 1313
2000 1170 21 20 8 62 n/a n/a 0 1281
2001 1132 24 18 10 59 n/a n/a 0 1243
2002 1106 27 17 7 46 n/a n/a 0 1203
2003 1106 27 17 7 46 n/a n/a 0 1203
2004 1094 31 13 10 49 n/a n/a 0 1197
2005 1067 41 18 9 59 n/a n/a 0 1194
2006 1028 42 12 12 52 n/a n/a 0 1146
2007 1002 44 15 14 65 n/a n/a 0 1140
2008 906 44 17 16 51 n/a n/a 0 1034
2009 812 47 17 9 60 n/a n/a 0 945
2010 794 37 15 15 52 n/a n/a 0 913
2011 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2012 1026 82 19 28 55 2 38 0 1250
2013 870 68 21 29 58 1 44 0 1091
2014 774 65 25 29 60 1 35 0 989
2015 702 65 25 30 59 0 48 0 929
2016 642 63 24 22 55 0 44 0 850
2017 626 67 14 27 50 0 58 0 842
2018 606 51 10 29 39 0 67 0 802
2019 662 71 7 29 41 0 81 0 891
2020 651 68 11 35 44 0 111 0 920
2021 653 77 7 32 43 0 120 0 932
2022 660 74 8 40 50 1 132 0 965
2023 617 77 12 43 45 0 146 0 940

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Denfeld High School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 1019 56.1 18.1 25.1
1989 994 54.4 18.2 20.1
1990 940 49.0 19.1 20.1
1991 1145 63.5 18.0 21.7
1992 1163 63.3 18.3 19.3
1993 1157 61.3 18.9 17.9
1994 1178 61.7 19.1 18.3
1995 1247 63.6 19.6 16.4
1996 1247 63.6 19.6 16.4
1997 1249 66.3 18.8 20.8
1998 1327 n/a 0.0 23.1
1999 1313 79.7 16.5 22
2000 1281 68.5 18.7 32.1
2001 1243 62.8 19.8 32.9
2002 1203 59.0 20.4 36.4
2003 1203 59.0 20.4 36.4
2004 1197 47.0 25.5 38.5
2005 1194 54.9 21.7 38.6
2006 1146 52.2 22.0 41.8
2007 1140 53.6 21.3 45.8
2008 1034 53.0 19.5 42.1
2009 945 49.8 19.0 45.3
2010 913 49.5 18.4 43.3
2011 0 n/a n/a n/a
2012 1250 66.9 18.6 51.8
2013 1091 55.6 19.5 52.2
2014 989 51.4 19.2 57.4
2015 929 51.0 18.2 58.9
2016 850 48.0 17.7 55.2
2017 842 44.7 18.8 52.3
2018 802 49.4 16.2 53.1
2019 891 49.8 17.8 49.2
2020 920 40.2 22.8 50.5
2021 932 44.3 21.0 43.9
2022 965 48.3 19.9 45.2
2023 940 47.7 19.6 56.1

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Denfeld High School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 1019 56.1 18.1 25.1
1989 994 54.4 18.2 20.1
1990 940 49.0 19.1 20.1
1991 1145 63.5 18.0 21.7
1992 1163 63.3 18.3 19.3
1993 1157 61.3 18.9 17.9
1994 1178 61.7 19.1 18.3
1995 1247 63.6 19.6 16.4
1996 1247 63.6 19.6 16.4
1997 1249 66.3 18.8 20.8
1998 1327 n/a 0.0 23.1
1999 1313 79.7 16.5 22
2000 1281 68.5 18.7 32.1
2001 1243 62.8 19.8 32.9
2002 1203 59.0 20.4 36.4
2003 1203 59.0 20.4 36.4
2004 1197 47.0 25.5 38.5
2005 1194 54.9 21.7 38.6
2006 1146 52.2 22.0 41.8
2007 1140 53.6 21.3 45.8
2008 1034 53.0 19.5 42.1
2009 945 49.8 19.0 45.3
2010 913 49.5 18.4 43.3
2011 0 n/a n/a n/a
2012 1250 66.9 18.6 51.8
2013 1091 55.6 19.5 52.2
2014 989 51.4 19.2 57.4
2015 929 51.0 18.2 58.9
2016 850 48.0 17.7 55.2
2017 842 44.7 18.8 52.3
2018 802 49.4 16.2 53.1
2019 891 49.8 17.8 49.2
2020 920 40.2 22.8 50.5
2021 932 44.3 21.0 43.9
2022 965 48.3 19.9 45.2
2023 940 47.7 19.6 56.1

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Denfeld High School

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YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2019 $17,519

Data source: Minnesota Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Denfeld High School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 325th of 492 High schoolsRanks 269th of 476 High schools
 9.5%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
10th Grade Reading (Denfeld High School)47.950.9
 3%
   10th Grade Reading (Duluth Public School District)64.258.4
 5.8%
   10th Grade Reading (Minnesota)60.451.7
 8.7%
11th Grade Math (Denfeld High School)2919.2
 9.8%
   11th Grade Math (Duluth Public School District)37.632.7
 4.9%
   11th Grade Math (Minnesota)4536
 9%
End of Course Science (Denfeld High School)44.732.1
 12.6%
   End of Course Science (Duluth Public School District)57.747.1
 10.6%
   End of Course Science (Minnesota)54.441.8
 12.5%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students891940
 5.5%
African American7177
 8.5%
American Indian4145
 9.8%
Asian712
 71.4%
Hispanic2943
 48.3%
Pacific Islander00
White662617
 6.8%
Two or More Races81146
 80.2%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients49.2%56.1%
 6.9%


Schools Near Denfeld High School









Frequently Asked Questions about Denfeld High School

Students at Denfeld High School are 66% White, 16% Two or more races, 8% African American, 5% American Indian, 5% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

Denfeld High School ranks 208th of 480 Minnesota high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Denfeld High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Laura MacArthur Elementary
Elementary : Lowell Elementary
Elementary : Myers-Wilkins Elementary
Elementary : Piedmont Elementary
Elementary : Stowe Elementary
Middle : Lincoln Park Middle School

In the 2022-23 school year, 940 students attended Denfeld High School.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Minnesota Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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