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Cesar Chavez Academy High School

Public, Charter Grades 9-12

602^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 800 Michigan High Schools

Better than 25% of Michigan high schools

Summary

Cesar Chavez Academy High School is a public charter high school in southwest Detroit serving 730 students in grades 9-12, where over 97% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school is part of the Cesar Chavez Academy district.

The most striking strength of this school is its graduation rate. At 88.1% for the 2024-2025 school year, it dramatically outperforms nearby schools like Covenant High School Southwest (12.0%), Covenant High School Central (10.3%), and WAY Academy Vernor Site (37.8%). Even compared to traditional public schools like Western International High School (76.6%), Cesar Chavez holds a substantial advantage. The school also has a much lower chronic absenteeism rate (37.5%) than nearly all comparable schools in the area—Detroit Lions Academy sits at 94.7%, River Rouge High School at 85.9%, and Western International at 80.4%. This suggests a stronger culture of attendance and student engagement.

Academically, the picture is mixed but shows real progress. While math proficiency remains low (9.3% on the SAT), the school has made significant gains in reading and writing, climbing from 22.8% proficiency in 2023-2024 to 29% in 2025-2026. Social Studies proficiency jumped dramatically from 18.7% to 38.5%—nearly matching the state average. These scores far exceed nearby schools serving similar populations: Western International achieves just 16.5% in reading and 16.3% in social studies. The school also operates efficiently, spending about $11,635 per student compared to $27,046 at Detroit Lions Academy and $19,796 at Western International—both with worse outcomes. One caution: the dropout rate rose to 11.3% in 2024-2025, up from 4.6% the prior year, which families may want to monitor. Overall, Cesar Chavez Academy High School offers a supportive environment that keeps students on track to graduate, with improving literacy skills, though math remains a challenge.

730

Students ?

19.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,635

Per pupil spending ?

97.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1761 Waterman St
Detroit, MI 48210-2194

(313) 551-0611

District: Cesar Chavez Academy

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

95.9%

White:

1.8%

African American:

1.8%

See top rated Michigan high schools

Compare Cesar Chavez Academy High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 31st percentile in 2016 → 25th in 2026

Strengths

✓88% graduate in 4 years — above the Michigan average (84%)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (25% vs 43% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (25th percentile)

!Dropout rate above the Michigan average (11% vs 7%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school25%

District avg25%

Michigan avg43%

602^nd of 800

Michigan public high schools ?

Bottom 25%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From bottom 31% (2016) to bottom 25% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

534^th of 625Cesar Chavez Academy among Michigan districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	21.0	602 of 800	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.6	608 of 739	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.7	656 of 743	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.4	554 of 735	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	7.9	525 of 531	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	5.2	548 of 561	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.7	591 of 666	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.2	607 of 824	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	13.1	632 of 835	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	26.6	591 of 852	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	26.1	613 of 832	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	24.3	585 of 799	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	19.3	610 of 805	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	22.4	581 of 773	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	39.3	542 of 784	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	35.0	540 of 765	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	32.0	558 of 754	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	14.9	629 of 750	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	11.4	661 of 767	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	15.4	605 of 705	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	27.2	88 of 119	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.7	32 of 53	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	15.1	40 of 43	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	23.7	27 of 35	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.9	83 of 102	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	19.9	542 of 686	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	9.7	569 of 629	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.1	596 of 619	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.4	511 of 611	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	3.0	458 of 462	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.7	521 of 554	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.3	565 of 710	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	20.8	223 of 259	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	15.6	181 of 203	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.6	188 of 195	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	24.9	151 of 190	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	9.2	80 of 83	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.3	64 of 64	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.7	88 of 97	9.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.5	142 of 201	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	30.4	521 of 719	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.4	494 of 635	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.7	561 of 654	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.8	410 of 614	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	11.2	357 of 369	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	8.1	406 of 417	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	16.3	457 of 532	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.3	493 of 755	34.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	17.4	570 of 693	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.6	511 of 628	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.8	564 of 633	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.7	485 of 611	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	4.6	437 of 440	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	4.6	464 of 472	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.8	495 of 543	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	20.3	538 of 707	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	30.3	215 of 315	31.7%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Special Education (2018)32nd percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)28th percentile+3 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)26th percentile~ school

Female (2026)21st percentile-4 vs school

Male (2026)18th percentile-7 vs school

Hispanic (2026)14th percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts39%-20 vs state

Social Studies38%-5 vs state

Evidence-Based Reading and Writing29%-23 vs state

Mathematics15%-18 vs state

Science14%-21 vs state

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Schools Near Cesar Chavez Academy High School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				PSAT English Language Arts (2026)			PSAT Mathematics (2026)			SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (2026)	SAT Mathematics (2026)	M-Step English Language Arts (2026)		M-Step Math (2026)		M-Step Science (2026)		M-Step Social Studies (2026)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSAT English Language Arts 9th Grade	PSAT English Language Arts 10th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 8th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 9th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 10th Grade	SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 6th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 7th Grade	M-Step Math 6th Grade	M-Step Math 7th Grade	M-Step Science 8th Grade	M-Step Science 11th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 8th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cesar Chavez Academy High School	Public, Charter	9-12	1761 Waterman St	Detroit	48210	Wayne County	Cesar Chavez Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 551-0611	730	37	19.7	97.1%	13 (1.8%)	13 (1.8%)	700 (95.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	21	602^nd of 800 public high schools	24.8%		16.6	608^th of 739 public high schools	17.7%	6		38.3	39.4		18.4	11.0	29.0	9.3						14.3		38.5	$11,635	$1,502	$10,134
WAY Academy Vernor Site	Public, Virtual, Charter	6-12	8701 W Vernor Hwy	Detroit	48209	Wayne County	W-A-Y Academy	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	(313) 444-8082	135	2	88.8	84.4%	8 (5.9%)	2 (1.5%)	125 (92.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)		30.0	349.5		332.5	325.3	341.8	347.6						2069.7		2078.2	$12,785	$2,547	$10,238
Western International High School	Public	9-12	1500 Scotten St	Detroit	48209	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 849-4758	1,959	85	23.0	79.1%	96 (4.9%)	363 (18.5%)	1,489 (76.0%)	4 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.3%)	7.6	732^nd of 800 public high schools	8.5%		5.4	711^th of 739 public high schools	3.8%	21		27.8	22.3		8.2	6.4	16.5	7.8						4.3		16.3	$19,796	$2,161	$17,635
Voyageur College Prep	Public, Charter	9-12	4366 Military St	Detroit	48210	Wayne County	Voyageur Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 361-4180	524	27	19.4	97.9%	7 (1.3%)	414 (79.0%)	93 (17.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	9 (1.7%)	5.1	765^th of 800 public high schools	4.4%		2.7	738^th of 739 public high schools	0.1%	27		20.8	21.2		5.6	2.3	16.2	369.6						6.0		9.5	$00	$00	$00
Covenant High School Southwest	Public, Charter	9-12	1450 25th St	Detroit	48216	Wayne County	Covenant Schools Detroit	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 297-8720	164	6	27.5	97.0%	17 (10.4%)	80 (48.8%)	66 (40.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	6.9	744^th of 800 public high schools	7.0%					(n/a)		22.6	336.8		285.8	304.7	25.0	348.8									$11,908	$333	$11,575
Covenant High School Central	Public, Charter	9-12	2959 Martin Luther King Jr Bl	Detroit	48208	Wayne County	Covenant Schools Detroit	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 899-6900	240	8	30.3	94.6%	4 (1.7%)	230 (95.8%)	5 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)								(n/a)		317.1	353.3		306.4	311.7	379.3	337.1						2058.9		2075.5	$12,925	$945	$11,981
Services YouthBuild Learning Academy Southwest	Public, Charter	9-12	9215 Michigan Ave	Detroit	48210	Wayne County	Services YouthBuild Learning Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(313) 945-5200	109	3	36.3	69.7%	0 (0.0%)	83 (76.1%)	26 (23.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)		20.0			281.5												$11,891	$505	$11,386
Detroit Public Safety Academy	Public, Charter	6-12	1250 Rosa Parks Blvd	Detroit	48216	Wayne County	Detroit Public Safety Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 965-6916	156	8	19.2	82.7%	0 (0.0%)	155 (99.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5.3	761^st of 800 public high schools	4.9%		6.7	696^th of 739 public high schools	5.8%	65		330.4	15.6		321.1	337.8	397.8	356.7						2070.4		15.8	$00	$00	$00
River Rouge High School	Public	9-12	1460 Coolidge Hwy	River Rouge	48218	Wayne County	River Rouge School District of the City of	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 297-9600	987	42	23.6	76.9%	18 (1.8%)	860 (87.1%)	73 (7.4%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	32 (3.2%)	4	781^st of 800 public high schools	2.4%		4.6	719^th of 739 public high schools	2.7%	62		15.6	16.9		2.2	4.9	11.7	365.7						4.2		7.0	$18,734	$2,070	$16,665
AchieveDetroit	Public, Charter	9-12	2001 W Warren Ave	Detroit	48208	Wayne County	Achieve-Detroit	Yes	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(248) 867-4176	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	4.6	773^rd of 800 public high schools	3.4%					(n/a)		12.5	20.0		310.8	348.8	10.4	334.4						2073.2		14.9

Frequently Asked Questions about Cesar Chavez Academy High School

What district is Cesar Chavez Academy High School in?

Cesar Chavez Academy

What is the racial makeup of Cesar Chavez Academy High School?

Students at Cesar Chavez Academy High School are 96% Hispanic, 2% White, 2% African American.

How many students attend Cesar Chavez Academy High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 730 students attended Cesar Chavez Academy High School.

Is Cesar Chavez Academy High School a good school?

Cesar Chavez Academy High School ranks in the bottom 24.8% of Michigan high schools.

Rate Cesar Chavez Academy High School!

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Latest Michigan data All new data »

2025–26 M-Step, PSAT & SAT test scoresSep 4, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataJan 6, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Michigan Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.