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Ferndale High School

Public Grades 9-12
518th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 739 Michigan High Schools
Better than 30% of Michigan high schools
Summary

Ferndale High School is a public high school located in Ferndale, Michigan, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 734 students. The school is part of the Ferndale Public Schools district, which is ranked 493 out of 613 districts in Michigan and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Ferndale High School has consistently underperformed compared to the state average on standardized tests, with only 24.1% of 11th-grade students proficient or better in M-Step/Science, compared to the state average of 34.9%, and only 14.3% of 11th-grade students proficient or better in SAT/Mathematics, compared to the state average of 27.5%. The school's four-year graduation rate of 82.8% is also lower than the state average, and its dropout rate of 7.6% is higher. Additionally, Ferndale High School struggles with high chronic absenteeism, with 29.5% of students chronically absent, significantly higher than the state average.

Despite the school's challenges, its performance is generally better than the nearby Tri County Educational Center and University High School, which are also part of the Ferndale Public Schools district. However, the school still lags behind the state average on most metrics, even though it spends significantly more per student ($17,165 in 2023-2024) compared to the nearby schools. The school's leadership and the Ferndale Public Schools district should focus on addressing these issues to improve the educational outcomes for all students.

739
Students ?
17.3
Student/teacher ratio ?
$17,165
Per pupil spending ?
47.2%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 881 Pinecrest Dr
       Ferndale, MI  48220-2310

(248) 548-8622

District: Ferndale Public Schools


Feeder schools for Ferndale High School:

Elementary:    Ferndale Lower Elementary Campus
    Ferndale Upper Elementary Campus
Middle:    Ferndale Middle School
Racial breakdown:

African American:
62.2%
White:
26.4%
Two or more races:
7.2%
more
 See top rated Michigan high schools

 Compare Ferndale High School to nearby high schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Rebounding — 22nd percentile in 2024 → 30th in 2025
Strengths
94% graduate in 4 years — above the Michigan average (83%)
Ranking is rebounding — up to 30th (2025) from a 22nd-percentile low (2024)
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Michigan average (28% vs 40% meeting standards)
!High chronic absenteeism (55% vs 28% Michigan)
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school28%
District avg18%
Michigan avg40%
518th of 739
Michigan public high schools ?
Bottom 30%▼ down 20 pts since 2015
From top 50% (2015) to bottom 30% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Michigan High Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
1st of 3High Schools in the Ferndale Public Schools
493rd of 613Ferndale Public Schools 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202528.2518 of 73929.9%★★☆☆☆
202421.9583 of 74321.5%★☆☆☆☆
202332.4498 of 73532.2%★★☆☆☆
202232.0411 of 53122.6%★☆☆☆☆
202165.5143 of 56174.5%★★★★☆
201923.8522 of 66621.6%★☆☆☆☆
201839.2498 of 82439.6%★★☆☆☆
201742.8442 of 83547.1%★★☆☆☆
201643.5462 of 85245.8%★★☆☆☆
201552.4416 of 83250.0%★★★☆☆
201450.0438 of 79945.2%★★☆☆☆
201349.9432 of 80546.3%★★☆☆☆
201255.4388 of 77349.8%★★★☆☆
201150.4490 of 78437.5%★★☆☆☆
201044.6506 of 76533.9%★★☆☆☆
200933.6553 of 75426.7%★☆☆☆☆
200842.7510 of 75032.0%★★☆☆☆
200748.3475 of 76738.1%★★☆☆☆
200648.8440 of 70537.6%★★☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202536.4106 of 19244.8%★★☆☆☆
202420.2156 of 18817.0%★☆☆☆☆
202323.7131 of 17022.9%★☆☆☆☆
202222.549 of 513.9%☆☆☆☆☆
201922.2113 of 14723.1%★☆☆☆☆
201832.4155 of 25439.0%★★☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202528.0466 of 62925.9%★☆☆☆☆
202419.0503 of 61918.7%★☆☆☆☆
202324.7469 of 61123.2%★☆☆☆☆
202216.8391 of 4166.0%☆☆☆☆☆
202163.6130 of 46271.9%★★★★☆
201917.4472 of 55414.8%★☆☆☆☆
201832.5477 of 71032.8%★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202525.4481 of 63524.3%★☆☆☆☆
202411.4592 of 6549.5%☆☆☆☆☆
202329.5449 of 61426.9%★☆☆☆☆
20228.6362 of 3691.9%☆☆☆☆☆
201915.6460 of 53213.5%★☆☆☆☆
201824.5549 of 75527.3%★☆☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202518.5520 of 62817.2%★☆☆☆☆
202416.5544 of 63314.1%★☆☆☆☆
202330.0429 of 61129.8%★☆☆☆☆
202238.7292 of 44033.6%★★☆☆☆
202149.9206 of 47256.4%★★★☆☆
201919.5454 of 54316.4%★☆☆☆☆
201837.0447 of 70736.8%★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202428.778 of 10525.7%★☆☆☆☆
201950.516 of 3655.6%★★★☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
201810.1304 of 3153.5%☆☆☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202577.1111 of 63982.6%★★★★☆
202480.290 of 63885.9%★★★★☆
202382.988 of 64786.4%★★★★☆
202288.758 of 49288.2%★★★★☆
201963.1194 of 58266.7%★★★☆☆
201889.159 of 70891.7%★★★★★
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)
White (2025)83rd percentile+53 vs school
African American (2025)45th percentile+15 vs school
Female (2025)26th percentile-4 vs school
Multi-racial (2024)26th percentile+4 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)24th percentile-6 vs school
Male (2025)17th percentile-13 vs school
Special Education (2018)3rd percentile-36 vs school
By subject vs Michigan (2024-2025) ?
Evidence-Based Reading and Writing45%-11 vs state
Social Studies28%-14 vs state
Science24%-11 vs state
Mathematics14%-13 vs state

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Frequently Asked Questions about Ferndale High School

Students at Ferndale High School are 62% African American, 26% White, 7% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

Ferndale High School ranks 518th of 739 Michigan high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Ferndale High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Ferndale Lower Elementary Campus
Elementary : Ferndale Upper Elementary Campus
Middle : Ferndale Middle School

In the 2024-25 school year, 739 students attended Ferndale High School.


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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.





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