Apple Valley High School (AVHS) is a four-year
public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...
secondary high school
A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...
in the U.S. city of
Apple Valley, Minnesota
Apple Valley is a city in northwestern Dakota County, Minnesota, and a suburb of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities. The population was 56,374 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the 17th most populous city in Minnes ...
.
It is one of the five high schools serving
Independent School District 196 (Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District). The school was completed in 1976 as the second high school added to the district.
It competes in the
South Suburban Conference of the
Minnesota State High School League
The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) is a voluntary, non-profit association for the support and governance of interscholastic activities at high schools in Minnesota, United States.
The association supports interscholastic athletics a ...
(MSHSL).
Curriculum
Through the Minnesota state
Post Secondary Enrollment Options
Post Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) is an academic option open to high school seniors, juniors and sophomores in various US states, such as Minnesota, Ohio, Washington and Florida. The options allow students to take courses at the college lev ...
(PSEO) program, students are eligible to take classes at local community colleges, state colleges and universities.
Awards
Apple Valley High School received an award from the
Blue Ribbon Schools Program
The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...
,
which is considered the highest accolade an American school can receive.
It has also been selected as one of the "140 best high schools" in the United States, and has gained recognition from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Scholastic Coach and Athletic Journal, and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Science.
Athletics
Apple Valley High School competes in the
South Suburban Conference of the
Minnesota State High School League
The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) is a voluntary, non-profit association for the support and governance of interscholastic activities at high schools in Minnesota, United States.
The association supports interscholastic athletics a ...
(MSHSL). Since opening in 1976, the school has accumulated 68 state championships, the second most of any high school in Minnesota.
Forensics

Apple Valley High School hosts the annual MinneApple annual debate tournament, which draws teams from across the Midwest.
In 2019, the school won the Minnesota High School
Mock Trial
A mock trial is an act or imitation trial. It is similar to a moot court, but mock trials simulate lower-court trials, while moot court simulates appellate court hearings. Attorneys preparing for a real trial might use a mock trial consisti ...
Championship.
Fab lab
In 2015, Apple Valley High School opened a
fab lab
A fab lab (''fabrication laboratory'') is a small-scale workshop offering (personal) digital fabrication.
A fab lab is typically equipped with an array of flexible computer-controlled tools that cover several different length scales and variou ...
, the third in Minnesota, to individuals and businesses as part of its
STEM
Stem or STEM most commonly refers to:
* Plant stem, a structural axis of a vascular plant
* Stem group
* Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
Stem or STEM can also refer to:
Language and writing
* Word stem, part of a word respon ...
program.
It was built with a $3 million grant from the
Minnesota Department of Labor and donations from companies such as
Uponor and
UTC Aerospace Systems
UTC Aerospace Systems (UTAS) was one of the world’s largest suppliers of aerospace and defense products, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. The company was formed in August 2012 when parent United Technologies Corporatio ...
.
Notable alumni
*
Brady Beeson, former placekicker for the
Portland Thunder
The Portland Steel were a professional arena football team based in Portland, Oregon and members of the Arena Football League (AFL). The team started as the Portland Thunder, joining the AFL in 2014 as an expansion team along with the Los Ange ...
of the
Arena Football League
The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 Arena Football League season, 1987 season, making it the third longest-runnin ...
(AFL), currently plays for the
Spokane Empire
Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south o ...
of the
Indoor Football League
The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional indoor American football league in the United States. The league comprises 14 teams, divided equally between the Eastern Conference (EC) and Western Conference ...
(IFL), played collegiately at
St. John's University and the
University of St. Thomas.
*
Rebekah Bradford, speed skater, competed for the United States in the
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Vancouver 2010 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held from February 12 to 28, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with ...
*
Brianna Brown
Brianna Lynn Brown (born October 2, 1979) is an American actress and producer. She is known for her television roles as Lisa Niles in the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital'', Taylor Stappord in the Lifetime series ''Devious Maids'' and as Cla ...
, class of 1998, actress
*
Arden Cho
Arden Lim Cho (born August 16, 1985) is an American actress, singer and model known for portraying Kira Yukimura in the 2011 MTV television series ''Teen Wolf'' and Ingrid Yun in the 2022 Netflix television series '' Partner Track''.
Early life ...
, model and actress
*
Brad DeFauw
Bradley Russell DeFauw (born November 10, 1977) is an American former professional ice hockey winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Playing career
DeFauw was drafted in the second round, 28th over ...
, former ice hockey
winger for the
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Con ...
of the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
(NHL)
*
Breanne Duren, touring member of the electronica project
Owl City
Owl City is an American electronic music project created in 2007 in Owatonna, Minnesota. It is one of several projects by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Adam Young (American musician), Adam Young, who created the project while exp ...
*
Hudson Fasching
Hudson Fasching (born July 28, 1995) is an Americans, American professional ice hockey winger (ice hockey), winger who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL ...
, ice hockey winger playing for
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...
*
David Fischer, hockey player, first-round pick by the
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...
in 2006
*
Karl Goehring
Karl Goehring (born August 23, 1978, in Apple Valley, Minnesota) is a retired American professional ice hockey goaltender who was most recently an assistant coach with the UND Fighting Hawks of the NCHC. He led Apple Valley High School to a w ...
,
goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as goalie or netminder) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their own team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays ...
for the
Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators (colloquially referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Predators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Divisio ...
*
Mark Hall, 6-time State Champion wrestler, Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award winner (2016), and
2017 NCAA Wrestling Champion at
Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with ca ...
*
John Harvatine IV, co-owner of
Stoopid Buddy Stoodios
Stoopid Buddy Stoodios (formerly known as Stoopid Monkey and stylized as Stoop!d Monkey) is an American production company and animation studio, formed by Seth Green, Matthew Senreich, John Harvatine IV, and Eric Towner. It was established in ...
and executive producer on ''
Robot Chicken
''Robot Chicken'' is an American adult animation, adult stop motion, stop-motion animated sketch comedy television series created by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich for Cartoon Network's nighttime programming block Adult Swim. The twelve-minute ...
''
*
Doug Hutchison
Doug Anthony Hutchison (born May 26, 1960) is an American actor known for his character roles in film and television, often playing disturbed and antagonistic characters. He was nominated for a Satellite Award for his portrayal of the sadistic ...
, an actor, most notable role as Percy Wetmore in ''
The Green Mile''
*
Erik Jensen, film and television actor
*
Tre Jones
Tre Isiah Jones ( ; born January 8, 2000) is an American professional basketball point guard for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Like his older brother, fellow NBA player Tyus Jones, he played college basketball f ...
, point guard for the
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...
, played collegiately for the
Duke Blue Devils
The Duke Blue Devils are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke's athletics department features 27 varsity teams that all compete at the N ...
, younger brother of
Tyus Jones
Tyus Robert Jones (born May 10, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The older brother of NBA player Tre Jones, he previously played for his hometown team, the Mi ...
.
*
Tyus Jones
Tyus Robert Jones (born May 10, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The older brother of NBA player Tre Jones, he previously played for his hometown team, the Mi ...
, point guard for the
Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...
, played collegiately at Duke University.
*
Vincent Kartheiser
Vincent Paul Kartheiser (born May 5, 1979) is an American actor. He gained acclaim for his role as Pete Campbell on the AMC drama series ''Mad Men'' from 2007 to 2015. He had starring roles in films such as ''Alaska'' (1996), '' Masterminds'' ( ...
, class of 1997, actor who played
Pete Campbell
Peter Dyckman Campbell (born February 28, 1934) is a fictional character on AMC's television series '' Mad Men''. He is portrayed by Vincent Kartheiser.
Kartheiser has won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemb ...
on the AMC drama ''
Mad Men
''Mad Men'' is an American historical drama, period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. It ran on cable network AMC (TV channel), AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, with seven seasons ...
''
*
Ann Kim, award-winning chef and owner of Pizzeria Lola, Hello Pizza, and Young Joni
*
Bilhal Kone, college football cornerback for the
Western Michigan Broncos
The Western Michigan Broncos are a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I program representing Western Michigan University (WMU) in college athletics. They compete in the Mid-American Conference in men's coll ...
*
Trevor Laws, drafted by the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL), former Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year and defensive lineman at
Notre Dame
*
Mike Lundin, former NHL defenseman for the
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confer ...
*
Tara Mack,
Minnesota House of Representatives
The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the U.S. state of Minnesota's Minnesota Legislature, legislature. It operates in conjunction with the Minnesota Senate, the state's upper chamber, to write and pass legislation, whic ...
member
*
Shani Marks
Shani Marks (Johnson) (born August 24, 1980) is an American athlete who competes in the triple jump. Marks finished first at the U.S. Olympic Trials to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Marks was a state champion at Apple Valley High School ...
, triple jumper who competed in the
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...
*
Bob Martin, former center in the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
(NBA) for the
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...
(1993–95)
*
David Maurer, former
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB) pitcher for the
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...
,
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...
, and
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...
*
Leyna Nguyen
Leyna Nguyen (born December 13, 1969)[First Viet-Am wins tw ...](_blank)
, on-air anchor and reporter with
KCAL-TV
KCAL-TV (channel 9) is an independent television station in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is owned by the CBS News and Stations group alongside CBS West Coast flagship KCBS-TV (channel 2). The two stations share studios at the ...
in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
since 1997
*
Trey Pipkins
James Earl “Trey” Pipkins III (born September 5, 1996) is an American professional football guard for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Sioux Falls Cougars.
Professional care ...
, gridiron football player
*
Derek Rackley,
tight end
The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...
and
long snapper
In gridiron football, the long snapper (or deep snapper) is a Center (gridiron football), center on American football positions#Special teams, special teams whose duty is to Snap (gridiron football), snap the football over a longer distance, ty ...
for the
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...
*
Nicholas Sadler
Nicholas Sadler (born 1967) is an American actor.
Early life and career
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he was raised in Apple Valley, Minnesota, where he attended Apple Valley High School. He was accepted into the Juilliard School's Drama Depar ...
, an actor who has appeared in the films ''
Scent of a Woman'', ''
Disclosure
Disclosure may refer to:
Arts and media Film and television
*'' CBC News: Disclosure'', a television newsmagazine series in Canada
* ''Disclosure'' (1994 film), an American erotic thriller film based on the 1994 novel by Michael Crichton
* ''Dis ...
'', ''
Mobsters
A gangster (informally gangsta) is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from '' mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level ...
'', as well as TV shows like ''
The Cosby Show
''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom created by (along with Ed. Weinberger and Michael J. Leeson) and starring Bill Cosby that originally aired on NBC from September 20, 1984, to April 30, 1992, with a total of 201 half-hour e ...
'' and ''
ER''
*
Dan Sexton, right wing for the
Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confere ...
of the NHL
*
Carol Ann Shudlick, 1990 Minnesota Miss Basketball, played collegiately for the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...
, 1994
Wade Trophy
The Wade Trophy is an award presented annually to the best upperclass women's basketball player in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I competition. It is named after three–time national champion Delta State ...
winner and former Gophers' all-time scoring leader.
*
Dan Smith, Class of 1987, former player for the
Texas Rangers
*
Varmah Sonie, 2008
Minnesota Mr. Football.
*
Gable Steveson,
Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler and 2020
Big Ten
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1 ...
Heavyweight Champion and
2021
Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
&
2022
The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
NCAA Division I Heavyweight Champion for the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...
.
*
Gary Trent Jr., (transferred before senior year), played college basketball for
Duke Blue Devils
The Duke Blue Devils are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke's athletics department features 27 varsity teams that all compete at the N ...
, NBA player for
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...
*
Maria Thayer
Maria Christina Thayer (born October 30, 1975) is an American actress and comedian. She first earned public recognition for her portrayal of Tammi Littlenut on the cult series '' Strangers with Candy'' in 1999. Thayer has also had supporting rol ...
, actress and comedian
*
Erik Westrum
Erik Clinton Westrum (born July 26, 1979 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American former professional ice hockey center who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Phoenix Coyotes, Minnesota Wild, and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Playing ca ...
, an NHL center who played for the
Phoenix Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and ...
,
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confer ...
and
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...
Notes
External links
Official website of Apple Valley High School*
EaglEye News Program
{{Coord, 44, 44, 34, N, 93, 13, 50, W, display=title
Public high schools in Minnesota
Educational institutions established in 1976
Schools in Dakota County, Minnesota
1976 establishments in Minnesota