Marshall School

Marshall School is an independent, coeducational, day school in Duluth, Minnesota for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Marshall School is sometimes referred to as Duluth Marshall at Minnesota State High School League athletic tournaments.

Cathedral Senior High School


Founded in 1904 by the Catholic Diocese of Duluth, Duluth Cathedral was originally a high school for boys. In 1910, the diocese added girls, but it was not until 1942 that the school was fully coeducational. In 1963, the school moved to the newly constructed campus on Rice Lake Road, where it remains to this day.

Marshall School
Marshall School is the Twin Ports flagship independent school and has served the Duluth area for more than a century. Founded in 1904 as Cathedral Senior High School.

Now a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS), Marshall serves students age 4 -12th grade.

Originally located in downtown Duluth on the corner of 4th Street and 2nd Avenue, the school began as a Catholic high school. In the early 1960s, the school moved to its current location in Duluth on Rice Lake Road. It became an all-faith institution in the early 1970s, which led to a name change to Marshall School in 1987.

Marshall School expanded to include grades 7 and 8 in the early 1990s. Recently, Marshall has added grades 4, 5, and 6 in the past two decades, and in the fall of 2022 will be opening the Forest School. The Forest School will serve children ages four through fourth grade. Since 2006, Marshall has also had a robust international program with more than 200 students from nearly 44 countries.

Campus
The campus is on a 40 acre hillside overlooking Lake Superior and downtown Duluth and includes academic and technology centers, athletic fields, cross-country ski trails, tennis courts, a hockey rink, and fine arts and performance areas. In 2016, on-campus housing was added for international students.

Admissions
The admissions office does not select students solely on the basis of academic strength. A willingness to prioritize academics, the desire to be a "person of character", and a desire to be a part of the Marshall School community are essential qualities for a positive admission decision.

On average, 60% of students at Marshall receive need-based financial aid.

Upper school
The average class size is 18. Fine arts opportunities include concert choir, chamber choir, concert band, jazz band, concert orchestra strings ensemble, and drama program.

Nearly 70% of seniors sit for AP exams across 23 subjects, with nearly 75% scoring a 3 or higher. The 2015 ACT average score was 27.

Upon graduation from Marshall, 98% of students attend four-year colleges.

Community Service Learning Program
Students in grades nine through twelve are required to complete a minimum of ten hours of community service each year, with a total of forty hours required for graduation.

Middle school
Marshall School's middle school serves students in grades 5 through 8. Middle School students are able to take a range of diverse classes including music ensembles, daily foreign language courses, and daily physical education.

Forest School at Marshall
The Forest School at Marshall opened in the fall of 2022 and serves students age 4 through fourth grade. 50% of the school day will be spent outside learning on the campus grounds.

Faculty
Marshall School has a student to faculty ratio of 12:1. Of the 44 faculty members, 19 hold advanced degrees and 4 hold doctorates.

Athletics
Marshall School supports 19 athletic teams that compete in the Lake Superior Conference, Section 7A (except Boys Hockey, which competes at Section 7AA), and the Minnesota State High School League. More than 85% of Marshall students participate in at least one sport, often alongside other clubs and activities including cheering on fellow student-athletes at competitions throughout the year. Marshall teams compete at the varsity level in 19 different MSHSL sports. Most sports offer opportunities at junior high and JV levels.

Boys' hockey
Brendan Flaherty, who graduated from Duluth Cathedral in 1982, coached the team for 22 seasons. Coach Flaherty was a three-time Section Coach of the Year, won four Conference Championships and eight Section Championships, and was a three-time State Championship finalist. He coached nine Division I players and nineteen Division III players, among them Jack Connolly, UMD, Hobey Baker recipient 2012. The Hilltoppers have appeared in seven state tournaments, and most recently finished fifth in the state tournament (2013).

In December 2014, Marshall School announced the team would be moving to Class AA, the larger of the two classes, beginning in the 2015–2016 season.

Girls' hockey
Marshall School's girls' hockey team had their inaugural season in 2014–2015, playing with just a junior varsity team. In January 2015, Marshall School announced the team would also have a varsity squad for the following 2015–2016 season.

Dance—Jazz division
With six Class A Jazz state championship titles, Marshall School Dance Team is the most winning team since jazz was added to the MSHSL in 1997. The dance team experienced a five-year win streak from 2006 to 2011 before winning again in 2015.

Notable alumni

 * Maria Bamford - comedian
 * Jack Connolly - member of University of Minnesota Duluth's 2010-2011 Division 1 men's college ice hockey championship team
 * Tyler George - Olympic gold medalist in curling at the 2018 Winter Olympics
 * Hank Harris - actor
 * David Krmpotich - Olympic silver medalist in rowing at the 1988 Summer Olympics
 * Anna Ringsred - Olympic speed skater

In popular culture
Marshall School was prominently featured in the Netflix film Christmas Break-In, starring Cameron Seely and Danny Glover. The school's signage and campus were used as backdrops without major alteration, and some students played extras.