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Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men

Q: Is Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men a good school?

Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men ranks 511 th of 800 Michigan high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

511^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 800 Michigan High Schools

Better than 36% of Michigan high schools

Summary

Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men is a small, all-male public high school in Detroit, MI, serving just 68 students in grades 9-12 within the Detroit Public Schools Community District. This school stands out for its remarkable turnaround story, achieving a perfect 100% graduation rate with a 0% dropout rate for the 2024-2025 school year—a dramatic improvement from just 69.5% five years earlier. This performance far exceeds nearby schools like Northwestern High School (66.6% graduation) and Central High School (79.0%), and even outpaces the highly-regarded University Preparatory High School (95.7%).

The school excels in specific academic areas, particularly Social Studies, where 52.6% of 11th graders scored proficient on the M-Step—well above the state average of 43.2% and more than double the rates at nearby Hamtramck High School (19.9%) and University Preparatory Art Design High School (23.1%). The school also earns high marks for its work with students from low-income backgrounds, ranking in the 66th percentile statewide for this group—a massive jump from the 10th percentile just a few years ago. However, the school faces challenges in Science (16.67% proficiency vs. 35.2% statewide) and 10th-grade English Language Arts (26.67% vs. 58% statewide), suggesting strengths in humanities that haven't yet translated to other subjects.

What makes this school unique is its intensive investment model: spending $43,070 per student (nearly double what Central High School spends) and maintaining an exceptionally low 6.1:1 student-teacher ratio. This small-school approach serves a population where 82% qualify for free/reduced lunch. One concern is chronic absenteeism at 67.1%—higher than the district average—yet the school still achieves perfect graduation rates, suggesting effective credit recovery programs. While the model may be costly to replicate, the consistent upward trajectory across multiple metrics makes this a promising example for urban education reform.

Students ?

6.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$43,070

Per pupil spending ?

82.4%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Michigan receive free school meals.

9026 Woodward Ave
Detroit, MI 48202-1823

(313) 596-3555

District: Detroit Public Schools Community District

Racial breakdown:

African American:

98.5%

Hispanic:

1.5%

See top rated Michigan high schools

Compare Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 19th percentile in 2023 → 36th in 2026

Strengths

✓100% graduate in 4 years — above the Michigan average (84%)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 17 percentile points since 2023

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Detroit Public Schools Community District

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (34% vs 43% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (67% vs 28% Michigan)

!English Language Arts scores 32 pts below the Michigan average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school34%

District avg28%

Michigan avg43%

511^th of 800

Michigan public high schools ?

Bottom 36%▲ up 17 pts since 2023

From bottom 19% (2023) to bottom 36% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd 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	33.8	511 of 800	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	19.8	592 of 735	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	62.0	71 of 252	71.8%	★★★★☆
2023	51.8	67 of 170	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	21.9	192 of 254	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	59.4	245 of 719	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	8.3	678 of 755	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	30.2	492 of 693	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.8	528 of 611	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	5.3	661 of 707	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)72nd percentile+36 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)66th percentile+30 vs school

Male (2026)29th percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies53%+9 vs state

Evidence-Based Reading and Writing37%-15 vs state

English Language Arts27%-32 vs state

Science17%-19 vs state

★

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Schools Near Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men

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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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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
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%)	33.8	511^th of 800 public high schools	36.1%					(n/a)		338.2	26.7		300.0	363.3	36.8	417.4						16.7		52.6	$43,070	$4,966	$38,104
University Preparatory Art Design High School	Public, Charter	9-12	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%)	12.8	681^st of 800 public high schools	14.9%		7	692^nd of 739 public high schools	6.4%	11		36.2	33.6		3.5	3.6	24.8	373.8						17.1		23.1	$12,967	$1,273	$11,693
Oakland International Academy 912	Public, Charter	9-12	2619 Florian St	Hamtramck	48212	Wayne County	Oakland International Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 285-8990	614	16	39.2	88.4%	402 (65.5%)	62 (10.1%)	4 (0.7%)	142 (23.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.7%)	20.6	605^th of 800 public high schools	24.4%		28.6	515^th of 739 public high schools	30.3%	90		37.6	30.8		18.8	9.3	27.2	11.9						19.9		40.4	$10,938	$912	$10,025
University Preparatory 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%)	9.5	709^th of 800 public high schools	11.4%		17.8	594^th of 739 public high schools	19.6%	115		30.7	26.7		2.1	364.4	25.2	407.2						11.0		18.9	$00	$00	$00
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%)	8.4	722^nd of 800 public high schools	9.8%		5.5	708^th of 739 public high schools	4.2%	14		20.2	17.9		6.7	8.3	20.8	11.1						10.2		19.4	$22,764	$2,719	$20,044
Covenant School Spectrum	Public, Charter	7-12	1961 Lincoln St	Highland Park	48203	Wayne County	Covenant Schools Detroit	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(313) 558-9022	93	7	14.1	80.6%	22 (23.7%)	65 (69.9%)	3 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.2%)								(n/a)		9.4	343.0		292.2	333.0	352.7	328.0						2063.0		2072.6	$22,198	$800	$21,398
Horizon High School	Public	9-12	3225 Caniff St	Hamtramck	48212	Wayne County	Hamtramck School District of the City of	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 591-7404	125	11	11.6	76.0%	34 (27.2%)	48 (38.4%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (32.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.4%)								(n/a)			317.5			302.9	319.0	305.0						2062.7		2074.2	$00	$00	$00
Hamtramck High School	Public	9-12	11410 Charest St	Hamtramck	48212	Wayne County	Hamtramck School District of the City of	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 591-7401	926	51	18.1	80.8%	428 (46.2%)	123 (13.3%)	1 (0.1%)	367 (39.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (0.8%)	10.7	697^th of 800 public high schools	12.9%		21.3	573^rd of 739 public high schools	22.5%	124		33.2	27.2		8.6	8.8	21.8	10.2						9.5		19.9	$00	$00	$00
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%)	4.8	768^th of 800 public high schools	4.0%					(n/a)		15.8	16.5		4.0	5.1	14.9	361.4						2063.1		12.0	$26,459	$3,099	$23,360
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%)	7.4	736^th of 800 public high schools	8.0%					(n/a)	14.0	21.7	14.3	276.0	13.0	342.9	356.8	305.3	1553.2	10.0	1539.1	7.1	1760.7	2070.2	6.6	2079.2	$27,046	$2,827	$24,220

Frequently Asked Questions about Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men

Is Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men a good school?

Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men ranks 511^th of 800 Michigan high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men?

In the 2024-25 school year, 68 students attended Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men.

What district is Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men in?

Detroit Public Schools Community District

What is the racial makeup of Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men?

Students at Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men are 99% African American, 1% Hispanic.

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Latest Michigan data All new data »

2021–22 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

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

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.