Schools in Fond du Lac, Duluth, Minnesota
Part of the Fond du Lac neighborhood guide. Back to the full guide.
Fond du Lac is in Duluth Public Schools (ISD 709) on the west-side pathway: Stowe Elementary, then Lincoln Park Middle School, then Denfeld High School.
Distance is the whole story, and it should be the deciding factor for any family considering this address. Stowe Elementary at 715 101st Avenue West is the nearest school of any kind and it is still several miles northeast, serving a large and thinly settled far-west catchment with roughly 245 students in prekindergarten through grade 5 (NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-2025, accessed 2026-08-13). Lincoln Park Middle and Denfeld High are both back in the West Duluth core, about twenty minutes by car and a considerably longer ride by bus.
That means a Fond du Lac student spends more time on a bus than a student anywhere else in this guide, at every grade level, for thirteen years. A family considering this neighborhood should map the actual route, ask the district for the actual pickup time, and imagine it in February before deciding. Denfeld enrolls roughly 951 students (NCES, 2024-2025, accessed 2026-08-13), about two-thirds the size of Duluth East, which means smaller cohorts and easier access to activities against a narrower course catalog.
One geographic curiosity, for orientation rather than advice: Cloquet is about fifteen minutes southwest, closer than Denfeld, and Esko is nearby too. Those are Carlton County districts and this address is not in them. Open enrollment is a separate process with its own rules and transportation implications.
The nearest private option is the Stella Maris Academy St. James campus in West Duluth. MDE report card data does not cover private schools, so this guide does not rate them. Attendance boundaries change between years, so confirm the assignment for a specific address with ISD 709.
The far-west elementary at 715 101st Avenue West, and the nearest school of any kind to Fond du Lac. It is still a substantial bus ride.
The west-side middle school, back toward the West Duluth core and a long ride from here.
The west-side high school at 401 North 44th Avenue West, about twenty minutes northeast.
The west-side Catholic campus at 715 North 57th Avenue West.
Listed for orientation only. Cloquet is roughly the same driving distance as Denfeld from this end of Duluth, but it is a different district and this address is not in it.
Higher education nearby: Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, Lake Superior College, University of Minnesota Duluth, College of St. Scholastica.
District guide: Duluth Public Schools (ISD 709)
Schools next door
The next community northeast along the river, with the nearest gas, convenience, and community facilities.
Morgan ParkNortheast along the river, the 1913 US Steel company town, with level ground and concrete houses.
SmithvilleFurther northeast along the river toward Spirit Valley, with more conventional housing.
Spirit ValleyThe nearest full commercial street in Duluth, about twenty minutes northeast.
CloquetAbout fifteen minutes southwest in Carlton County. For many households here it is the practical shopping town, closer than most of Duluth.