About Southwest

Southwest High School prepares students to compete in a global market. Continuously ranked among the best high schools in Minnesota, Southwest challenges students to think critically and engage in their learning.

Located in the Linden Hills neighborhood of South Minneapolis, Southwest values the richness that comes from a diversity of ideas, experiences, beliefs, and backgrounds interacting within our community. 

We take pride in providing open access to advanced courses for all students, as well as extensive special education programs. Southwest also offers concurrent enrollment options.

Southwest is an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School with a rigorous academic program that prepares students for college, career and life. We are authorized in the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP), the IB Diploma Programme (DP) and the IB Career-related Programme (CP). The MYP provides a solid foundation of inquiry and critical thinking for all students in grades 9-10. In 11th grade, students may opt to participate in either the CP, which focuses on a career pathway in business, computer science, graphic arts, and music, or the DP, which focuses on rigorous liberal arts coursework.