GFW High School

Located at 1001 N COTTONWOOD ST, in WINTHROP, Minnesota, GFW High School is an intimate 9-12 campus that caters to 211 students (grades 9 through 12), operated by GFW Public Schools. Enrollment runs roughly 43% smaller than the state mean of about 371.

Within GFW Public Schools, which oversees 3 schools and 572 students, GFW High School is one campus in the system.

Looking at the student body, GFW High School shows that White students make up the majority at 75%. The remainder looks like 18% Hispanic, 3% multiracial. By comparison, Sibley County as a whole is about 88% White, so the school skews considerably less White than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, The school reports having 17 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 12.6:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 16.3:1, putting GFW High School tighter than the state norm the norm. Roughly 37% of students at GFW High School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), On a poverty-adjusted basis, GFW High School sits in the bottom 10% statewide. Predicted proficiency from the FRL regression is roughly 44.9%; actual is 29.6%, a gap of -15.3 points.

In the broader community, census data for Sibley County shows median household income runs about $77,634, 19% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 5%. In all, Sibley County runs 12 public schools (combined enrollment of about 2,034 students), of which GFW High School is one.

GFW Middle School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.0 miles from this campus. Within ten miles, there are 3 other public schools, a sparser pattern than typical urban areas. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts GFW High School at 8th of 8; the average score across the group is 43.4%.

GFW High School operates from a rural location.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at GFW High School has fell 14%, going from 245 students in 2018 to 211 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, the feed for GFW High School typically covers fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.