Washburn High School was built in 1925 to meet the demands of the growing South Minneapolis neighborhood.

Construction for the new three-story building began in 1924 after the Minneapolis Board of Education purchased unused land in Washburn Park.

[10] Justice Page Middle School shares this parcel of land, with Washburn taking 2/3 of the space.

Decades ago, students used the tunnel during the winter when overcrowding forced Washburn to hold classes in Ramsey.

It also offers Advanced Placement (AP) and Career and Technical Education (CTE)[15] classes for 9th- through 12th-grade students to earn college credit free of charge.

Social Justice has been a core philosophy with Washburn students, and is seen in the Black Box Theater Program.

Washburn is a member of the Minnesota State High School League[17] and offers Boys and Girls varsity level sports, including: Washburn offers Blackbox theater classes, which give performances of student-created works and after-school productions that are open to all students.

[19][20] These changes were part of a nine-point plan by the Minneapolis school board to alleviate budget problems and prepare 80% of graduates for college.

[19][20] Principal Carol Markham-Cousins returned to lead the school, with the rest of the teaching staff required to apply for rehire or as new to the building.

[22] Additional changes that came to Washburn in 2008-09 included an increase in the number of art classes and the introduction of the International Baccalaureate program.