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Cambridge Alternative High School

Public Grades 9-12

767^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 800 Michigan High Schools

Better than 4% of Michigan high schools

Summary

Cambridge Alternative High School in Garden City, MI, is a small alternative high school serving 258 students in grades 9-12 within the Garden City Public Schools district, located just a short distance from the much larger Garden City High School.

This school serves a student body facing significant economic challenges, with roughly 72-79% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch—nearly double the rate at the district's main high school. Academically, Cambridge has consistently ranked in the bottom 4-7% of high schools statewide over the past decade. The graduation rate is critically low at about 54.5%, compared to 93.7% at Garden City High School and 95.3% at Franklin High School in Livonia. The dropout rate of 23.3% is the highest among nearby peers, far exceeding the district average of 12.0% and the state average of 7.1%. Chronic absenteeism is also extreme, with 77.5% of students missing significant school time—nearly double the rate at Garden City High School (41.0%). On state assessments, only 11.1% of 11th graders were proficient in reading and writing, compared to 47.5% at the nearby traditional high school.

While the challenges are substantial, Cambridge is not alone in this landscape. Other alternative schools like Westwood North Academy (46.4% graduation) and Blended Learning Academies Credit Recovery High School (30.0% graduation) show similarly low outcomes. However, Dearborn Magnet High School demonstrates that different models can yield better engagement, with a much lower chronic absenteeism rate of 35.0%. There are small signs of progress at Cambridge—chronic absenteeism has improved slightly from a peak of 84.9% in 2021-2022 to 77.5% recently. Per-student spending of $14,423 is substantial, though lower than the $16,423 spent at Garden City High School, suggesting the core issues are deeply tied to student engagement and socio-economic barriers rather than funding alone.

258

Students ?

23.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,423

Per pupil spending ?

72.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

28901 Cambridge St
Garden City, MI 48135-2113

(734) 762-8430

District: Garden City Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

57.4%

African American:

32.6%

Hispanic:

5.4%

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Compare Cambridge Alternative High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 19th percentile in 2012 → 4th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (11% vs 43% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (4th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Michigan average (54% vs 84%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school11%

District avg29%

Michigan avg43%

767^th of 800

Michigan public high schools ?

Bottom 4%▼ down 8 pts since 2016

From bottom 12% (2016) to bottom 4% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2High Schools in the Garden City Public Schools

483^rd of 625Garden City 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	4.9	767 of 800	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	7.3	688 of 739	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.3	692 of 743	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.3	706 of 735	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.2	779 of 824	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	8.0	748 of 852	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	16.7	683 of 832	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	8.6	724 of 799	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	7.6	764 of 805	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	15.7	627 of 773	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	12.7	671 of 784	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	7.3	698 of 754	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2024	7.6	577 of 619	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	3.9	673 of 710	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	7.0	682 of 719	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	7.6	602 of 635	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.9	618 of 654	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.2	606 of 614	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	5.4	661 of 693	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	5.7	599 of 628	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.1	616 of 633	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.4	588 of 611	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	3.6	681 of 707	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	12.9	293 of 315	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	5.2	645 of 671	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	5.9	609 of 639	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.3	618 of 638	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	2.7	640 of 647	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	2.8	679 of 708	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)7th percentile~ school

Female (2024)7th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)5th percentile~ school

Male (2026)5th percentile~ school

White (2026)4th percentile~ school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts18%-41 vs state

Science12%-23 vs state

Evidence-Based Reading and Writing11%-41 vs state

Social Studies7%-36 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Friday, May 15, 2009

My brother was not going to graduate because of some childish mistakes he had made. Cambridge center has turned his life around. He works everyday with autistic children and teens and he loves it. He will be graduating on May 29th 2009 and I couldn't be more proud of him! This school has done an amazing job with him. Close Quote

Schools Near Cambridge Alternative 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 7th 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
Cambridge Alternative High School	Public	9-12	28901 Cambridge St	Garden City	48135	Wayne County	Garden City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(734) 762-8430	258	11	23.8	72.1%	148 (57.4%)	84 (32.6%)	14 (5.4%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.5%)	4.9	767^th of 800 public high schools	4.1%		7.3	688^th of 739 public high schools	6.9%	79		23.1	15.0		306.9	316.5	11.1	345.6				12.1		6.8	$14,423	$907	$13,516
Garden City High School	Public	9-12	6500 Middlebelt Rd	Garden City	48135	Wayne County	Garden City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(734) 762-8350	896	50	18.1	39.2%	671 (74.9%)	114 (12.7%)	58 (6.5%)	15 (1.7%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (4.0%)	34.6	503^rd of 800 public high schools	37.1%		28.5	516^th of 739 public high schools	30.2%	13		49.6	55.7		17.3	22.9	47.5	14.1				20.2		33.8	$16,423	$1,830	$14,592
Franklin High School	Public	9-12	31000 Joy Rd	Livonia	48150	Wayne County	Livonia Public Schools School District	No	No	No	No	(734) 744-2655	1,272	65	19.5	29.8%	941 (74.0%)	148 (11.6%)	96 (7.5%)	20 (1.6%)	3 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (5.0%)	53.1	332^nd of 800 public high schools	58.5%		50.1	364^th of 739 public high schools	50.7%	32		61.8	60.6		27.4	23.3	50.4	22.0				38.3		47.2	$15,759	$621	$15,139
Crestwood High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	1501 N Beech Daly Rd	Dearborn Heights	48127	Wayne County	Crestwood School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(313) 278-7475	1,272	62	20.4	66.8%	1,162 (91.4%)	67 (5.3%)	20 (1.6%)	11 (0.9%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (0.8%)	45.9	414^th of 800 public high schools	48.3%		54.3	331^st of 739 public high schools	55.2%	83		52.2	57.3		20.7	29.1	44.1	24.4				36.6		38.6	$16,407	$1,533	$14,875
Blended Learning Academies Credit Recovery High School Liv	Public, Charter	9-12	30218 Plymouth Rd	Livonia	48150	Wayne County	Blended Learning Academies Credit Recovery High School	Yes	No	No	No	(248) 425-5868	28	1	28.0	50.0%	24 (85.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (14.3%)								(n/a)															$11,808	$18	$11,790
American International Academy High SchoolMiddle Schooll	Public, Charter	7-12	28955 Rosewood St	Inkster	48141	Wayne County	American International Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(734) 713-5525	240	14	16.6	92.5%	2 (0.8%)	229 (95.4%)	2 (0.8%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.8%)	3 (1.3%)	5.9	755^th of 800 public high schools	5.6%		11.1	655^th of 739 public high schools	11.4%	100	47.8	22.9	23.3	338.9	337.7	358.3	396.8	355.9	10.4	6.3	13.0	2068.9	15.2	2077.0	$00	$00	$00
Westwood Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual	9-12	25824 Michigan Ave	Inkster	48141	Wayne County	Westwood Community School District	No	No	Yes	No	(313) 565-0400	174	1	153.9	78.2%	82 (47.1%)	80 (46.0%)	7 (4.0%)	3 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1.7	799^th of 800 public high schools	0.1%		7.3	686^th of 739 public high schools	7.2%	113		15.6	8.8		310.3	310.0	376.9	331.4				2065.0		2076.6	$9,807	$1,286	$8,521
Westwood North Academy	Public	9-12	25824 Michigan Ave	Inkster	48141	Wayne County	Westwood Community School District	No	No	No	No	(313) 565-0400	52	2	30.4	100.0%	4 (7.7%)	46 (88.5%)	1 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.9%)								(n/a)		306.3	356.7		268.1	312.8	370.9	294.5				2068.5		2081.4	$13,659	$1,286	$12,372
Dearborn Magnet High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	22586 Ann Arbor Trl	Dearborn Heights	48127	Wayne County	Dearborn City School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(313) 827-4800	113	2	51.3	77.9%	101 (89.4%)	9 (8.0%)	2 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)			353.3			296.0	352.0	304.6				2064.9		8.6	$28,447	$1,651	$26,795
Lee M Thurston High School	Public	9-12	26255 Schoolcraft	Redford	48239	Wayne County	South Redford School District	No	No	No	No	(313) 242-0600	806	44	18.3	56.1%	71 (8.8%)	647 (80.3%)	26 (3.2%)	5 (0.6%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (6.8%)	15.8	646^th of 800 public high schools	19.3%		28.1	519^th of 739 public high schools	29.8%	127		31.5	35.4		11.8	8.0	33.3	399.8				13.1		27.2	$17,467	$1,541	$15,926

Frequently Asked Questions about Cambridge Alternative High School

What is the racial makeup of Cambridge Alternative High School?

Students at Cambridge Alternative High School are 57% White, 33% African American, 5% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

Is Cambridge Alternative High School a good school?

Cambridge Alternative High School ranks in the bottom 4.1% of Michigan high schools.

What district is Cambridge Alternative High School in?

Garden City Public Schools

How many students attend Cambridge Alternative High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 258 students attended Cambridge Alternative High School.

Rate Cambridge Alternative 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.