Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Cambridge Alternative High School

Public Grades 9-12

688^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 739 Michigan High Schools

Better than 7% of Michigan high schools

Summary

Cambridge Alternative High School is a public high school located in Garden City, Michigan, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 314 students. The school is part of the Garden City Public Schools district, which is ranked 481 out of 613 districts in Michigan and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Cambridge Alternative High School consistently ranks in the bottom 10-15% of Michigan high schools, with academic performance significantly below the state and district averages across various subjects and grade levels. For example, in 2024-2025, only 12.7% of 11th-grade students were proficient or better in M-Step/Science, compared to 17.1% for the Garden City Public Schools district and 34.9% for the state of Michigan. The school's four-year graduation rates have ranged from 54.2% to 82.8% in recent years, which are much lower than the district and state averages, and its dropout rates have been as high as 20.3%.

Compared to nearby schools, such as Garden City High School, Cambridge Alternative High School performs significantly worse across various metrics, including academic achievement, graduation rates, and chronic absenteeism. The school's high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds and relatively high student-teacher ratio may be contributing factors to its poor performance. While the school has seen an increase in per-student spending over the years, additional resources alone may not be enough to address the school's challenges, and a more comprehensive approach focused on improving teaching and learning, student engagement, and addressing socioeconomic barriers may be necessary.

258

Students ?

23.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,355

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%

See top rated Michigan high schools

Compare Cambridge Alternative High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 14th percentile in 2011 → 7th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (14% vs 44% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (7th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Michigan average (54% vs 83%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school14%

District avg29%

Michigan avg44%

688^th of 739

Michigan public high schools ?

Bottom 7%▼ down 11 pts since 2015

From bottom 18% (2015) to bottom 7% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

481^st of 613Garden 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
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
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
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
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 (2025)5th percentile~ school

White (2025)5th percentile~ school

Male (2025)5th percentile~ school

By subject vs Michigan (2024-2025) ?

Evidence-Based Reading and Writing16%-40 vs state

Social Studies14%-28 vs state

Science13%-22 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

Rate Cambridge Alternative High School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

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

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 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 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%)	7.3	688^th of 739 public high schools	6.9%		7.3	692^nd of 743 public high schools	6.9%	4		15.5		12.7		14.5	$12,355	$821	$11,534
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%)	28.5	516^th of 739 public high schools	30.2%		42.4	405^th of 743 public high schools	45.5%	111		44.8	13.0	18.4		34.7	$17,313	$2,940	$14,374
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%)	50.1	364^th of 739 public high schools	50.7%		56	296^th of 743 public high schools	60.2%	68		56.6	27.3	32.4		34.9	$16,158	$890	$15,268
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%)	54.3	331^st of 739 public high schools	55.2%		41.3	411^th of 743 public high schools	44.7%	80		53.7	23.4	37.1		44.0	$15,962	$2,047	$13,916
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)							$11,845	$479	$11,366
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%)	11.1	655^th of 739 public high schools	11.4%		11.5	658^th of 743 public high schools	11.4%	3	26.7	16.1		22.6	8.9	9.7	$4,961	$2,331	$2,631
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%)	7.3	686^th of 739 public high schools	7.2%		6.3	699^th of 743 public high schools	5.9%	13		22.2				13.6	$9,594	$1,621	$7,973
Westwood North Academy	Public	7-12	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)							$15,188	$1,847	$13,341
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)		16.1					$39,045	$1,328	$37,717
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%)	28.1	519^th of 739 public high schools	29.8%		26.6	533^rd of 743 public high schools	28.3%	14		38.6	5.3	30.5		31.9	$19,102	$1,592	$17,510

Frequently Asked Questions about Cambridge Alternative High School

How many students attend Cambridge Alternative High School?

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

What district is Cambridge Alternative High School in?

Garden City Public Schools

Is Cambridge Alternative High School a good school?

Cambridge Alternative High School ranks in the bottom 6.9% of Michigan high schools.

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.

Rate Cambridge Alternative High School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

MIMichigan High School Rankings

MIMichigan District Rankings

Schools in Garden City, MI

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Cambridge Alternative High School!

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.