Detroit, MI high schools ranked

RankGradeSchoolCityDistrictActualProjectedImpactStudents
#1B+Renaissance High SchoolDetroitDetroit Public Schools Community District46%20%Greatly Exceeds Expectations1,146
#2B+Cass Technical High SchoolDetroitDetroit Public Schools Community District44%37%Meets Expectations2,395
#3BThe School At Marygrove (K-12)DetroitDetroit Public Schools Community District39%18%Greatly Exceeds Expectations482
#4C+Detroit International Academy For Young Women (K-12)DetroitDetroit Public Schools Community District32%17%Exceeds Expectations225
#5C+Joy Preparatory Academy (Charter, K-12)DetroitJoy Preparatory Academy32%10%Greatly Exceeds Expectations179
#6CNew Paradigm College Prep (Charter, K-12)DetroitNew Paradigm College Prep30%11%Greatly Exceeds Expectations196
#7C-David Ellis Academy (Charter, K-12)DetroitDavid Ellis Academy27%8%Greatly Exceeds Expectations200
#8D+Davis Aerospace Technical High School At GolightlyDetroitDetroit Public Schools Community District26%23%Meets Expectations134
#9D+Detroit Edison Public School Academy High School (Charter)DetroitDetroit Edison Public School Academy25%14%Exceeds Expectations405
#10D+Frederick Douglass Academy For Young MenDetroitDetroit Public Schools Community District24%21%Meets Expectations76
#11DCesar Chavez High School (Charter)DetroitCesar Chavez Academy20%15%Meets Expectations705
#12DDetroit School Of ArtsDetroitDetroit Public Schools Community District20%12%Exceeds Expectations432
#13D-Frontier International Academy (Charter, K-12)DetroitFrontier International Academy19%37%Underperforms Expectations648
#14D-Martin Luther King JR Senior High SchoolDetroitDetroit Public Schools Community District18%19%Doesn't Meet Expectations821
#15D-University Preparatory Academy Psad High School (Magnet, Charter)DetroitUniversity Preparatory Academy (PSAD)18%10%Exceeds Expectations571
#16D-University Preparatory Art Design Middlehigh (Charter)DetroitUniversity Preparatory Art & Design18%11%Meets Expectations843
#17D-University Preparatory Science And Math Psad High School (Magnet, Charter)DetroitUniversity Preparatory Science and Math (PSAD)16%10%Meets Expectations468
#18D-Communication And Media Arts High SchoolDetroitDetroit Public Schools Community District15%25%Underperforms Expectations306
#19D-Jalen Rose Leadership Academy (Charter)DetroitJalen Rose Leadership Academy15%13%Meets Expectations411
#20D-University Yes Academy (Charter, K-12)DetroitUniversity Yes Academy15%7%Meets Expectations365
#21FCrockett Midtown High School Of Science And MedicineDetroitDetroit Public Schools Community District14%16%Doesn't Meet Expectations206
#22FCornerstone Jeffersondouglass Academy (Charter, K-12)DetroitCornerstone Jefferson-Douglass Academy13%8%Meets Expectations530
#23FDetroit Public Safety Academy (Charter)DetroitDetroit Public Safety Academy13%9%Meets Expectations159
#24FHope Of Detroit Academy Middlehigh (Magnet, Charter, K-12)DetroitHope of Detroit Academy13%10%Meets Expectations645
#25FLincolnking Adams Young School Grove Campus (Charter)DetroitLincoln-King Adams-Young Academy13%20%Doesn't Meet Expectations539
#26FDetroit Community Schools High School (Charter)DetroitDetroit Community Schools11%9%Meets Expectations266
#27FNorthwestern High SchoolDetroitDetroit Public Schools Community District11%12%Doesn't Meet Expectations358
#28FUniversal Academy (Charter, K-12)DetroitUniversal Academy11%27%Underperforms Expectations700
#29FCody High SchoolDetroitDetroit Public Schools Community District10%23%Underperforms Expectations466
#30FMumford High School (Magnet)DetroitDetroit Public Schools Community District10%20%Underperforms Expectations889
#31FSoutheastern High School (Magnet)DetroitDetroit Public Schools Community District10%11%Doesn't Meet Expectations644
#32FWestern International High SchoolDetroitDetroit Public Schools Community District10%22%Underperforms Expectations2,151
#33FDetroit Leadership Academy High School (Charter)DetroitDetroit Leadership Academy9%9%Doesn't Meet Expectations289
#34FEast English Village Preparatory Academy At FinneyDetroitDetroit Public Schools Community District9%12%Doesn't Meet Expectations697
#35FOld Redford Academy High (Charter)DetroitOld Redford Academy9%9%Doesn't Meet Expectations381
#36FVoyageur College Prep (Charter)DetroitVoyageur Academy9%8%Meets Expectations474
#37FWest Side Academy Of Information Technology And Cyber SecuriDetroitDetroit Public Schools Community District9%18%Doesn't Meet Expectations238
#38FCentral High SchoolDetroitDetroit Public Schools Community District8%12%Doesn't Meet Expectations353
#39FDenby High SchoolDetroitDetroit Public Schools Community District8%25%Underperforms Expectations537
#40FPershing High School (Magnet)DetroitDetroit Public Schools Community District8%14%Doesn't Meet Expectations408
#41FHenry Ford High SchoolDetroitDetroit Public Schools Community District6%25%Underperforms Expectations712
#42FOsborn High SchoolDetroitDetroit Public Schools Community District5%9%Doesn't Meet Expectations407

How Detroit, MI's high schools compare

B: 3C: 4D: 13F: 22

7% of the 42 ranked high schools in Detroit, MI earn an A or B (0 A grades, 3 B, 4 C, 13 D, 22 F), against 50% of high schools nationwide. 22 schools meet or beat the proficiency projected from their student context (52% here, 74% nationally), and 9 exceed it. On average 17% of tested students meet the state bar against a projected 16% (national averages: 44% actual, 41% projected).

The biggest overperformers, by actual proficiency above projection: Renaissance High School (46% against 20%, B+), Joy Preparatory Academy (32% against 10%, C+), The School At Marygrove (39% against 18%, B), New Paradigm College Prep (30% against 11%, C), David Ellis Academy (27% against 8%, C-).

Districts with the most schools in the top quarter (the top 11): Detroit Public Schools Community District (6).

The largest ranked high schools: Cass Technical High School (2,395 students, B+, #2), Western International High School (2,151 students, F, #32), Renaissance High School (1,146 students, B+, #1).

Of the top 25, 3 are magnet schools and 15 are charters. Selective and specialised schools tend to post high actual scores; the projection column is the fairer comparison for a neighborhood school.

High schools in Detroit, MI that are not ranked

12 graded high schools are listed here rather than ranked, each for the reason given. Every one has its own page with its full SchoolGrade report.

Special-purpose schools (4)

Alternative, special-education and vocational schools serve a different mission and a different student body, so they are graded but not ranked against regular schools.

Fully online schools (1)

Statewide virtual schools draw students from everywhere, so a place ranking is not a fair comparison.

Not yet graded (7)

Our source data has no school-level proficiency results for these schools, so they carry no SchoolGrade yet.

About this ranking

  • Scope: public high schools in Detroit, MI, as grouped on its schools page; the Michigan ranking covers the whole state.
  • Order: SchoolGrade, then actual proficiency, then name; schools with the same grade and score share a rank.
  • Ranked: regular public schools that NCES lists as open, not fully online, with at least 30 students. Others are listed with the reason.
  • Tags: Magnet and Charter from the NCES school directory; K-12 marks schools serving every grade that are ranked with the high schools.
  • Grades are the 2025-26 SchoolGrade model. How SchoolGrade works

Questions about high schools in Detroit, MI

What is the best high school in Detroit, MI?

Renaissance High School in Detroit ranks first among the 42 ranked high schools in Detroit, MI with a SchoolGrade of B+, 46% of tested students meeting the state bar against a projected 20%.

How are high schools in Detroit, MI ranked?

By SchoolGrade, the 2025-26 model that scores each school's actual test proficiency against the level projected for its student context, then by actual proficiency to break ties. Regular public schools that are open, not fully online and have at least 30 students are ranked; the rest are listed below the table with the reason.

How many high schools does Detroit, MI have?

SchoolGrade grades 54 public high schools in Detroit, MI; 42 are ranked here and 12 are listed as not ranked.