Burnsville High School (BHS) is a four-year public high school located in Burnsville, Minnesota, United States. Burnsville is a southern suburb about 25 minutes outside of St. Paul. The school is part of Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191, which covers most of Burnsville, as well as parts of the surrounding cities Savage and Eagan, and small parts of Shakopee and Apple Valley. A majority of the incoming freshmen come from Eagle Ridge, Metcalf, or Nicollet Middle Schools. The school mascot is Sparky, a humanoid with a fireball for a head. Burnsville High School athletics are a part of the South Suburban Conference.
As for the school’s location, the school is located at 600 East Highway 13, Burnsville, Minnesota 55337.
For demographics, as of the 2010-11 school year, there were 2,218 students attending Burnsville High School. White students made up 69% of the student population, while black students made up the largest minority, representing 13% of the student population. Asian and Hispanic students made up 10% and 8% of the student population respectively. American Indian students made up less than 1% of the student population.
Students with limited English proficiency made up 5% of the student body. Students with special education need is made up 9% of the student body. Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch made up just over one-quarter (26%) of the student body.
As for some recent history of Burnsville High School (1990-present), in September 2012, the BHS school board started looking towards Burnsville High School becoming a grades nine-twelve school. If this were done, they would have to add on a new portion of the school. The proposed 40,000-square-foot building addition was estimated at $12 million. Randy Clegg (former superintendent of District 191) also recommended closing the Burnsville High School Senior Campus in 2014 and holding all senior classes at the main campus.
In 1997, District 191 bought the Diamondhead Mall and converted the top level into the Senior Campus to handle increasing enrollment. A year later, it was opened for use. Students can drive or take a shuttle bus to move from one campus to the other. Many classes available only to 12th-grade students are offered at the Senior Campus, including many English, math and social studies classes. Most seniors at Burnsville High School spend half their day at this separate campus. The time needed to travel from one campus to the other is only about 10–15 minutes, but many students structure their schedule to consolidate their lunch and travel time. At the end of the 2015-2016 school year, the Burnsville High School Senior Campus closed permanently and is now used for school district offices.
In 2006 the Beautification Committee, a group of volunteer parents, raised $50,000 from donations and proceeds from 50th-anniversary blanket sales to purchase an electronic greeting sign, replacing an old stone one, as part of the school’s 50th anniversary. Burnsville was one of the last not to have an electronic sign, as Lakeville, Bloomington, and Eagan already did. This group has also volunteered their time, energy, and resources to help upkeep the gardens and grounds of the school. There was some controversy among students and community members over the cost of the sign, and many questioned whether people would raise much money for books, new computers, or technology education equipment. The money for the sign, however, was raised by local businesses and private donors, and not taken from the school’s budget.