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Northwestern High School

Q: How many students attend Northwestern High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 305 students attended Northwestern High School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Northwestern High School?

Students at Northwestern High School are 98% African American.

Q: What schools feed into Northwestern High School?

Northwestern High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Burton International Academy Elementary : SampsonWebber Leadership Academy Elementary : Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School

Public Grades 9-12

Summary

Northwestern High School is a public high school in Detroit, Michigan, serving 358 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Detroit Public Schools Community District, which is ranked 563 out of 610 districts in Michigan and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. The student population is predominantly African American, with over 96% of students identifying as such.

Despite the high per-student spending of $24,036, Northwestern High School has struggled with poor academic performance. The school's 4-year graduation rate is only 56.3%, significantly lower than nearby schools like Cass Technical High School (98.4%) and Detroit School of Arts (92.4%). Correspondingly, Northwestern High School has a high dropout rate of 22.5%, more than double the rates of schools like University Preparatory Academy PSAD High School (4.2%) and Detroit School of Arts (7.5%). The school also struggles with an extremely high chronic absenteeism rate of 82.8%, far exceeding the state average and the rates of nearby schools.

The challenges faced by Northwestern High School are likely exacerbated by the socioeconomic context of the school, with 88.27% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. This suggests that the school serves a predominantly low-income student population, which may contribute to the poor academic performance and high dropout rates. The stark contrast between Northwestern High School and nearby schools like Cass Technical High School and Detroit School of Arts highlights the persistent racial achievement gaps in the education system and the need for targeted interventions to address the systemic barriers faced by students of color in underperforming schools.

305

Students ?

13.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$26,974

Per pupil spending ?

87.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2200 W Grand Blvd
Detroit, MI 48208-1178

(313) 596-0700

District: Detroit Public Schools Community District

Feeder schools for Northwestern High School:

Elementary:	Burton International Academy
	SampsonWebber Leadership Academy
	Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

98.0%

Hispanic:

1.0%

White:

0.7%

See top rated Michigan public schools

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At a glance

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (9% vs 42% meeting standards)

!Graduation rate below the Michigan average (57% vs 83%)

!Dropout rate above the Michigan average (30% vs 8%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school9%

District avg26%

Michigan avg42%

Not ranked this year

Northwestern High School did not have enough recent test-score data to be ranked. Check the trend below for past years.

549^th of 613Detroit 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
2024	6.3	700 of 743	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2024	20.0	157 of 188	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.0	225 of 254	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	1.8	708 of 710	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2024	9.6	605 of 654	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.6	717 of 755	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	3.4	686 of 707	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	22.8	248 of 315	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2018)21st percentile

African American (2024)16th percentile+11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)7th percentile~ school

Male (2018)3rd percentile

Female (2018)<1st percentile

★

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Schools Near Northwestern High School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				PSAT English Language Arts (2025)	SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (2025)	SAT Mathematics (2025)	M-Step English Language Arts (2025)		M-Step Math (2025)		M-Step Science (2025)		M-Step Social Studies (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT English Language Arts 8th 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
Northwestern High School	Public	9-12	2200 W Grand Blvd	Detroit	48208	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 596-0700	305	23	13.2	87.9%	2 (0.7%)	299 (98.0%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)								(n/a)											8.9	$26,974	$2,939	$24,035
Detroit Lions Academy	Public	6-12	2001 W Warren Ave	Detroit	48208	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 852-9677	400	34	11.7	91.3%	5 (1.3%)	384 (96.0%)	8 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)								(n/a)	11.1							7.4		17.9		$25,343	$1,973	$23,370
University Preparatory Academy PSAD High School	Public, Magnet, Charter	9-12	600 Antoinette St	Detroit	48202	Wayne County	University Preparatory Academy (PSAD)	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	(313) 874-4340	559	39	14.3	66.7%	2 (0.4%)	548 (98.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.4%)	17.8	594^th of 739 public high schools	19.6%		14.4	634^th of 743 public high schools	14.7%	40		38.7	11.7						14.8		22.1	$16,012	$3,441	$12,571
University Preparatory Art Design MiddleHigh	Public, Charter	6-12	485 W Milwaukee St	Detroit	48202	Wayne County	University Preparatory Art & Design	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 481-4000	855	37	23.1	73.3%	3 (0.4%)	847 (99.1%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	7	692^nd of 739 public high schools	6.4%		11.9	655^th of 743 public high schools	11.8%	37	48.1	22.1		16.8	15.3	6.5	6.5	30.2	9.3	22.8	13.3	$11,952	$3,252	$8,700
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)												$10,494	$1,965	$8,529
Central High School	Public	9-12	2425 Tuxedo St	Detroit	48206	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 252-3000	403	23	17.5	93.1%	1 (0.2%)	396 (98.3%)	4 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5.5	708^th of 739 public high schools	4.2%		3.3	737^th of 743 public high schools	0.8%	29		14.1	6.4						4.0		14.1	$21,510	$2,289	$19,221
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%)	2.7	738^th of 739 public high schools	0.1%		4.4	725^th of 743 public high schools	2.4%	13		8.7							4.4		6.1	$4,960	$75	$4,885
Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men	Public	9-12	9026 Woodward Ave	Detroit	48202	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 596-3555	68	11	6.1	82.4%	0 (0.0%)	67 (98.5%)	1 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)												$37,742	$4,978	$32,765
Detroit School of Arts	Public	9-12	123 Selden St	Detroit	48201	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 494-6000	523	36	14.6	70.9%	15 (2.9%)	488 (93.3%)	8 (1.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	9 (1.7%)	11.9	647^th of 739 public high schools	12.4%		23.2	573^rd of 743 public high schools	22.9%	74		34.2							8.0		16.1	$23,415	$3,080	$20,335
Cass Technical High School	Public	9-12	2501 2nd Ave	Detroit	48201	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 263-2000	2,493	104	24.0	62.3%	52 (2.1%)	1,829 (73.4%)	353 (14.2%)	229 (9.2%)	1 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (1.2%)	60.8	266^th of 739 public high schools	64.0%		68.8	185^th of 743 public high schools	75.1%	81		76.0	36.2						19.0		44.0	$16,103	$1,646	$14,456

Frequently Asked Questions about Northwestern High School

What schools feed into Northwestern High School?

Northwestern High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Burton International Academy
Elementary : SampsonWebber Leadership Academy
Elementary : Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School

How many students attend Northwestern High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 305 students attended Northwestern High School.

What is the racial makeup of Northwestern High School?

Students at Northwestern High School are 98% African American.

What district is Northwestern High School in?

Detroit Public Schools Community District

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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.