Hibbing Public School District

Hibbing Public Schools (Independent School District 701) is a public K–12 school district located in Hibbing, Minnesota. The district serves the city of Hibbing and adjacent unorganized territories in St. Louis County. Founded in 1893, it is one of the oldest public school districts on the Mesabi Iron Range.

The superintendent is Richard B. Aldrich, appointed by the Hibbing School Board.^[1][2] The district is governed by a six-member elected school board, with board policies, regular meetings, and annual notifications published on the district website.^[3]

Hibbing Public Schools currently operates the following:

• Hibbing High School (grades 7–12) – The main campus includes the historic high school building, opened in 1922 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[4] Facilities include a theater/auditorium, natatorium, industrial-arts area, and planetarium.
• Lincoln Elementary School (Pre‑K–2) – This school provides early childhood programming including full‑day kindergarten and special education screening.
• Washington Elementary School (grades 3–6) – Located near the high school; offers foundational instruction in literacy, mathematics, and STEM–focused project work.

Supplementary programs housed on campus include:

• Hibbing Alternative Learning Program (HALP) – Also known as Night School, this program serves grades 9–12 through a flexible, credit-recovery model.^[5]
• Adult Basic Education (ABE) – GED preparation, adult diploma, and English as a Second Language (ESL) courses for adult learners.
• Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) – State-sponsored family education for children birth through kindergarten-age, with parent/child classes held at the Hibbing Early Learning Center.^[6]

Hibbing High School serves students in grades 7 through 12. The current high school building was constructed between 1920 and 1922 with funding from the Oliver Mining Company. Designed in Collegiate Gothic style, it includes an 1,800-seat auditorium modeled after the Capitol Theatre in New York City.^[7] The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

As of 2024, Hibbing High School enrolls approximately 1,100 students. The school offers a wide range of academic programs including AP courses, concurrent enrollment with Hibbing Community College, vocational-technical education, and music and fine arts programs.

The auditorium remains a centerpiece of the school, with a 1,900-pipe Barton organ still in use for concerts and public events.^[8] The school also features a marble lobby, brass chandeliers, and imported Italian ceiling murals.

Hibbing High School athletics compete in the Iron Range Conference and are part of the Minnesota State High School League. Sports include football, basketball, hockey, cross country, track and field, golf, tennis, baseball, and softball. The boys’ hockey team has appeared in the state tournament 16 times, winning championships in 1952 and 1973.^[9]

Other activities include band, choir, Knowledge Bowl, speech, drama, robotics, and student government.

Washington Elementary School serves students in grades 3 through 6. The school emphasizes STEM learning and literacy development. It includes media center access, computer labs, and project-based science curriculum.

Lincoln Elementary School serves students from preschool through grade 2. It provides early childhood screening, special education services, and full-day kindergarten.

The Hibbing district previously operated several neighborhood elementary schools, including:

• **Greenhaven Elementary** – closed 2005
• **Brooklyn Elementary** – closed 1990s
• **Lincoln Junior High** – consolidated into HHS
• **Central High School** – predecessor to current HHS, demolished

As of the 2023–2024 school year:

• White – 88.4%
• American Indian – 5.2%
• Hispanic – 2.3%
• Black – 1.4%
• Two or more races – 2.7%
• Students eligible for free/reduced-price lunch – ~41%^[10]

Hibbing Public Schools offers Advanced Placement (AP), Career and Technical Education (CTE), and concurrent enrollment through Hibbing Community College.

As of the 2023–24 school year:

• The high school’s four-year graduation rate was 92.4%.^[11]
• Approximately 50% of graduates complete at least one college-level course via AP or dual enrollment.^[12]
• MCA (Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments) performance for 2023 shows student proficiency at or above state averages in reading and mathematics.^[13]
• Hibbing won the Bellamy Award in 1968, presented annually by the National Education Association to an outstanding high school civics program.^[14]

Academic programming also includes welding, automotive technology, CAD labs, special education, English Language Learner support, Title I reading interventions, and gifted/talented enrichment.

• Bob Dylan (Class of 1959), singer-songwriter and recipient of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature.^[15][16]
• Marie Myung-Ok Lee, novelist and professor at Columbia University; author of The Evening Hero and Finding My Voice.^[16]
• Bethany McLean, journalist and author known for her reporting on the Enron scandal.^[16]

• Rudy Perpich (Class of 1946), 34th and 36th Governor of Minnesota and former state senator.^[16]
• Carly Melin, member of the Minnesota House of Representatives (2011–2017).^[17][16]
• Julie Sandstede, member of the Minnesota House of Representatives (2017–2023).^[18]
• Delores J. Knaak, educator and member of the Minnesota House of Representatives (1975–1982).^[19]
• John J. Spanish, mechanic, miner, and state legislator.^[16]

• Kevin McHale (basketball) (Class of 1976), NBA Hall of Fame player and former executive with the Minnesota Timberwolves.^[20][16]
• Dick Garmaker, former NBA All-Star (1955–1961) for the Minneapolis Lakers and New York Knicks.^[21]
• Scott Perunovich, defenseman for the St. Louis Blues; winner of the 2020 Hobey Baker Award.^[22]
• Adam Johnson (ice hockey), NHL forward who played for the Pittsburgh Penguins.^[23]
• John Petroske, member of the silver-medal-winning U.S. men's ice hockey team at the 1956 Winter Olympics.^[24]
• Rudy Sikich, NFL tackle for the Cleveland Rams, drafted in 1944.^[25]

• Jeno Paulucci (Class of 1935), food industry entrepreneur who founded Chun King and Michelina’s.^[16]

• Roger Maris, Major League Baseball player and former single-season home run record holder; born in Hibbing but raised in Fargo.^[16]
• Vincent Bugliosi, prosecutor in the Charles Manson trial and co-author of Helter Skelter; born in Hibbing.^[16]
• Gary Puckett, lead singer of Gary Puckett & The Union Gap; born in Hibbing.^[16]