Grosse Pointe South High School

Grosse Pointe South High School is a highly rated public high school in Grosse Pointe Farms, MI, serving 1,123 students in grades 9-12 as part of the Grosse Pointe Public Schools district.

This school is an academic standout, currently ranked 8th in Michigan—placing it in the top 1% of all high schools in the state. Its performance has been remarkably consistent, never ranking lower than 18th over the past decade. Students here significantly outperform state averages: 84.1% are proficient in SAT Reading and Writing (compared to 52.1% statewide) and 64.4% are proficient in SAT Math (versus 26.5% statewide). The graduation rate is an impressive 96.8%, with a dropout rate of just 1.0%. What's particularly noteworthy is that the school achieves strong results across all student groups—including students with low socioeconomic status, who rank 10th in the state—suggesting effective support systems that help close achievement gaps.

For context, Grosse Pointe South dramatically outperforms its sister school, Grosse Pointe North High School, which sits just 3 miles away. South's SAT Math proficiency is nearly double North's (64.4% vs. 33.3%), and its graduation rate is almost 9 points higher—even though North actually spends more per student. The contrast with nearby Detroit schools is even starker: Denby High School, just 3.7 miles away, has a math proficiency rate of only 7.2%. While South's chronic absenteeism rate of 15.6% is its weakest metric (though still better than the state average of 27.9%), this remains an area for improvement. Overall, Grosse Pointe South delivers exceptional, consistent academic results with efficient resource use, making it one of Michigan's premier public high schools.