Marshall School celebrates more than 60 graduates at intimate ceremony

Marshall School sent off more than 60 graduates in Fregeau Auditorium, a setting that kept the Class of 2026 ceremony close to the students, families, teachers and staff who had watched them grow up. The auditorium seats 725, but the night’s scale felt far smaller than the big arena commencements that often define the end of the school year in larger districts.

That intimacy is part of Marshall’s identity. The Duluth school says it was founded in 1904, making it the oldest high school in the city and the only independent, non-parochial, non-public school north of Minneapolis and St. Paul. It serves students from kindergarten through 12th grade as a private independent college-preparatory school, a model that appeals to families looking for continuity from one stage of school to the next.

The size of the graduating class also points to a broader question about family choice and enrollment in the Duluth area. Marshall’s Class of 2024 had 75 graduates at Fregeau Auditorium, so the 2026 class was somewhat smaller. That does not change the milestone for the students who crossed the stage, but it does place the ceremony in the context of a school that operates on a smaller scale than many local public options.

Marshall says it serves students from throughout the region and also runs an international boarding program. The school enrolls around 30 diploma-seeking international and domestic boarding students in grades 8 through 12 each year, a sign that its reach extends beyond Rice Lake Road and the Duluth neighborhood surrounding the campus. For families, that mix can mean a more personal environment and a broader student body than the school’s size might suggest.

The ceremony came near the end of Marshall’s 2025-2026 school year, with the last day of school listed as June 3. By the time the graduates were recognized, the academic calendar was already closing, and the school had moved into the familiar season of cap-and-gown goodbyes that marks June across Duluth.

For Marshall, the Class of 2026 was not just a count of diplomas handed out in a campus auditorium. It was another public measure of a school that has built its brand around small numbers, close relationships and a long-standing place in Duluth’s educational landscape.