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Communication and Media Arts High School

Public Grades 9-12

612^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 800 Michigan High Schools

Better than 24% of Michigan high schools

Summary

Communication and Media Arts High School (CMA) is a public high school in Detroit, MI, serving 349 students in grades 9-12 within the Detroit Public Schools Community District, where about 76.5% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

The most impressive thing about CMA is its graduation rate. At 95.3%, it dramatically outpaces the district average of 83.1% and the state average of 84.0%. This isn't a fluke—the school has stayed above 90% for four straight years. Compare that to Henry Ford High School, just 1.6 miles away, which has a 67.2% graduation rate and a 20.3% dropout rate. CMA's dropout rate is just 4.6%. The school has also made huge strides in getting kids to show up: chronic absenteeism has fallen from 65.2% in 2021-2022 to 36.5% now, far better than the district's 60.9% rate. In reading, 37.1% of CMA 11th graders are proficient on the SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section—more than triple Henry Ford's 12.3% and competitive with nearby schools serving wealthier populations, like Clarenceville High School (38.5%).

However, math remains a major challenge. Only 5.3% of 11th graders were proficient in SAT Math, and 9th grade PSAT math proficiency sits at just 9.3%—about a quarter of the state average. This suggests the school's communications and media arts focus may boost literacy, but math intervention is clearly needed. On a positive note, CMA's state ranking jumped from the 8th to the 24th percentile in one year, and it earns 3 stars specifically for its African American students (58th percentile statewide). Spending is $20,490 per student, which is higher than some nearby suburban schools but lower than Southfield High School for the Arts and Technology ($30,878). Given its strong graduation and reading outcomes relative to district peers, CMA appears to use its resources effectively and offers a solid option for families in northwest Detroit.

349

Students ?

19.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,490

Per pupil spending ?

76.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

19501 Berg Rd
Detroit, MI 48219-1714

(313) 866-9300

District: Detroit Public Schools Community District

Racial breakdown:

African American:

97.7%

Two or more races:

0.9%

White:

0.6%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 12th percentile in 2019 → 24th in 2026

Strengths

✓95% graduate in 4 years — above the Michigan average (84%)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 12 percentile points since 2019

Worth a look

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

!In the lower quartile statewide (24th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (36% vs 28% Michigan)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school25%

District avg28%

Michigan avg43%

612^th of 800

Michigan public high schools ?

Bottom 24%▲ up 12 pts since 2019

From bottom 12% (2019) to bottom 24% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 20High Schools in the Detroit Public Schools Community District

541^st of 625Detroit Public Schools Community District 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	19.9	612 of 800	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	7.9	677 of 739	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	23.9	569 of 743	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.7	666 of 735	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.1	587 of 666	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	50.3	105 of 252	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	21.9	155 of 192	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	57.3	61 of 188	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	33.4	105 of 170	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.1	87 of 147	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.4	113 of 254	55.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	18.5	554 of 686	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.5	520 of 619	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	7.6	573 of 611	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.5	503 of 554	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.1	562 of 710	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	32.9	496 of 719	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	13.7	564 of 635	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.1	448 of 654	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	15.7	542 of 614	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.7	469 of 532	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.5	532 of 755	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	17.1	573 of 693	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	10.8	566 of 628	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.9	480 of 633	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.3	547 of 611	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	9.4	504 of 543	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	20.8	535 of 707	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)58th percentile+35 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)31st percentile+8 vs school

Female (2026)19th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2026)17th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Evidence-Based Reading and Writing37%-15 vs state

English Language Arts35%-24 vs state

Social Studies27%-16 vs state

Mathematics16%-17 vs state

Science13%-22 vs state

★

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Schools Near Communication and Media Arts 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
Communication and Media Arts High School	Public	9-12	19501 Berg Rd	Detroit	48219	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 866-9300	349	18	19.3	76.5%	2 (0.6%)	341 (97.7%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	19.9	612^th of 800 public high schools	23.5%		7.9	677^th of 739 public high schools	8.4%	65		35.5	33.9		9.3	22.3	37.1	408.7						13.3		26.7	$20,490	$2,328	$18,162
Henry Ford High School	Public	9-12	20000 Evergreen Rd	Detroit	48219	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 494-7567	607	33	18.3	89.1%	2 (0.3%)	598 (98.5%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	6.7	748^th of 800 public high schools	6.5%		3.4	732^nd of 739 public high schools	0.9%	16		10.9	10.8		315.7	4.6	12.3	6.1						8.3		24.8	$21,320	$2,860	$18,461
Veritas	Public	9-12	18255 Kinloch	Redford	48240	Wayne County	Redford Union Schools District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(313) 242-3250	56	2	23.3	91.1%	2 (3.6%)	48 (85.7%)	2 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (7.1%)								(n/a)							351.0	281.5						2065.3		2079.3	$17,724	$1,517	$16,206
Redford Union Virtual Learning	Public, Virtual	6-12	18255 Kinloch	Redford	48240	Wayne County	Redford Union Schools District No. 1	No	No	Yes	No	(313) 242-3700	67	0		73.1%	9 (13.4%)	48 (71.6%)	4 (6.0%)	1 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (7.5%)								(n/a)																	$28,478	$12,827	$15,651
Redford Union High School	Public	9-12	26365 Curtis	Redford	48240	Wayne County	Redford Union Schools District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 242-4200	510	29	17.7	62.7%	66 (12.9%)	387 (75.9%)	26 (5.1%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (5.5%)	14	666^th of 800 public high schools	16.8%		19.8	584^th of 739 public high schools	21.0%	82			25.8			6.1	20.9	8.2						8.5		37.8	$28,568	$2,045	$26,523
Southfield High School for the Arts and Technology	Public, Magnet	9-12	24675 Lahser Rd	Southfield	48033	Oakland County	Southfield Public School District	No	Yes	No	No	(248) 746-8606	1,049	65	16.2	57.6%	16 (1.5%)	970 (92.5%)	34 (3.2%)	10 (1.0%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	15 (1.4%)	10.7	698^th of 800 public high schools	12.8%		6.6	699^th of 739 public high schools	5.4%	1		32.1	39.0		2.6	3.4	26.8	6.3						7.7		18.1	$30,878	$2,797	$28,081
Old Redford Academy High	Public, Charter	9-12	8001 W Outer Dr	Detroit	48235	Wayne County	Old Redford Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 543-3080	451	15	31.1	80.5%	2 (0.4%)	444 (98.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	4.4	776^th of 800 public high schools	3.0%		3.1	734^th of 739 public high schools	0.7%	42		17.0	26.1		328.8	352.3	9.5	364.0						2068.4		4.9	$15,449	$2,213	$13,236
Clarenceville High School	Public	9-12	20155 Middlebelt Rd	Livonia	48152	Wayne County	Clarenceville School District	No	No	No	No	(248) 919-0408	562	36	15.6	56.9%	215 (38.3%)	258 (45.9%)	29 (5.2%)	14 (2.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	44 (7.8%)	25	573^rd of 800 public high schools	28.4%		14.4	629^th of 739 public high schools	14.9%	56		40.8	47.2		7.7	10.2	38.5	400.3						20.3		36.4	$14,733	$1,452	$13,281
Jalen Rose Leadership Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	15000 Trojan St	Detroit	48235	Wayne County	Jalen Rose Leadership Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 397-3333	420	20	21.0	92.4%	0 (0.0%)	419 (99.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12.3	684^th of 800 public high schools	14.5%		11.8	649^th of 739 public high schools	12.2%	35		24.5	31.2		8.2	3.2	38.5	6.4						13.0		23.4	$13,642	$1,060	$12,582
SOAR Academic Institute	Public	6-12	26141 Schoolcraft	Redford	48239	Wayne County	South Redford School District	No	No	No	No	(313) 535-4000	204	7	30.4	58.3%	41 (20.1%)	151 (74.0%)	4 (2.0%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.9%)	7.2	739^th of 800 public high schools	7.6%		6.6	698^th of 739 public high schools	5.5%	41							13.6	351.2						15.3		10.2	$12,116	$908	$11,207

Frequently Asked Questions about Communication and Media Arts High School

Is Communication and Media Arts High School a good school?

Communication and Media Arts High School ranks in the bottom 23.5% of Michigan high schools.

What is the racial makeup of Communication and Media Arts High School?

Students at Communication and Media Arts High School are 98% African American.

What district is Communication and Media Arts High School in?

Detroit Public Schools Community District

How many students attend Communication and Media Arts High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 349 students attended Communication and Media Arts 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.