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Pontiac High School

Public Grades 9-12

662^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 739 Michigan High Schools

Better than 10% of Michigan high schools

Summary

Pontiac High School is a public high school in Pontiac, Michigan, serving 942 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Pontiac City School District, which is ranked 586 out of 613 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Pontiac High School has consistently ranked in the bottom quartile of Michigan high schools over the past decade, with its statewide ranking ranging from 662 to 778 out of around 800 high schools. The school significantly underperforms the state averages on standardized tests, with only 13.5% of 11th-grade students proficient or better in M-Step Science, compared to the state average of 34.9%, and only 23.8% proficient or better in SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, compared to the state average of 55.4%. Pontiac High School also struggles with low graduation rates, ranging from 55.8% to 82.8% over the past few years, and high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 29.5% to 65.4%.

Interestingly, nearby schools such as Waterford Durant High School and Avondale High School, which are also in the bottom quartile of Michigan high schools, outperform Pontiac High School on most metrics. Additionally, the Pontiac Academy for Student Success, a small high school within the Pontiac City School District, has similar performance metrics to Pontiac High School, suggesting systemic challenges within the district.

992

Students ?

17.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,461

Per pupil spending ?

67.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1051 Arlene Ave
Pontiac, MI 48340-2904

(248) 451-7424

District: Pontiac City School District

Feeder schools for Pontiac High School:

Elementary:	Alcott School
	Herrington School
	Owen Elementary School
	Rogers School
	More...
	Whitman Elementary School
Middle:	Pontiac Middle School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

54.0%

African American:

35.8%

White:

4.1%

See top rated Michigan high schools

Compare Pontiac High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 11th percentile in 2014 → 10th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (19% vs 44% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (10th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Michigan average (74% vs 83%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school19%

District avg19%

Michigan avg44%

662^nd of 739

Michigan public high schools ?

Bottom 10%▲ up 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 6% (2015) to bottom 10% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

586^th of 613Pontiac City School 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
2025	10.4	662 of 739	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.5	670 of 743	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.2	678 of 735	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	6.3	543 of 561	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.9	652 of 666	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	13.4	663 of 824	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	6.1	734 of 835	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	8.8	739 of 852	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	9.2	778 of 832	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	8.9	714 of 799	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	8.5	739 of 805	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	10.3	691 of 773	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	5.4	744 of 784	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	5.2	732 of 765	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	7.1	702 of 754	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	9.7	665 of 750	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	9.7	675 of 767	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	4.6	659 of 705	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	18.4	172 of 192	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.5	134 of 188	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.7	166 of 170	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.6	136 of 147	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	19.5	207 of 254	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	10.7	78 of 87	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	14.6	49 of 53	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	29.9	20 of 35	42.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	31.6	66 of 102	35.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	9.2	574 of 629	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.6	578 of 619	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.6	592 of 611	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	3.9	456 of 462	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	1.8	547 of 554	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.5	600 of 710	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	11.8	189 of 203	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.2	190 of 195	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.9	177 of 190	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.5	97 of 97	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	20.2	159 of 201	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	15.3	551 of 635	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.8	574 of 654	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.5	571 of 614	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	10.3	400 of 417	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	3.3	523 of 532	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.7	600 of 755	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	6.4	592 of 628	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.6	598 of 633	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.1	574 of 611	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	1.3	539 of 543	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.8	617 of 707	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	10.1	306 of 315	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	16.8	576 of 708	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2018)19th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)13th percentile+3 vs school

African American (2025)10th percentile~ school

Asian (2018)10th percentile-9 vs school

Female (2025)9th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)8th percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)7th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2025)6th percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2018)3rd percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2024-2025) ?

Evidence-Based Reading and Writing24%-32 vs state

Social Studies18%-24 vs state

Science14%-21 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a student
Thursday, August 7, 2014

I know I shouldn't be all negative but there is nothing good about the Pontiac school district. I'm a student and go to Pontiac high, starting off they keep closing down the schools and cramming all the kids in what's left. The building are all run down and not kept up well, which the kids there don't make it any better because they don't care. There is always something wrong with the bus's and there never own time, I can recall a dozen times when I had to wait at the bus stop in the cold for up to or more than an half an hour and once didn't even show up. There are some teacher who care about whether or not you make to the next grade, but for the most part they don't care all they think about is there paycheck and I don't blame them for that because the students treat them like there doing something for the teacher when its the other way around. The student cuss out the teacher and just treat them like trash. There are so many fight, food fights and bullying. Every morning before you can even walk through the door you have to take your coat/sweater and backpack off and put them through a metal detector and walk through one, its like airport security. you cant bring your own food or drinks in so its there food (which I wont even go there right know) or you wait till your 8 hour school day is over. In my opinion the state needs to close down Pontiac school district and just bus the kids to the surrounding schools, but the city thinks it going to get better but its not if anything its staying the same. Close Quote

Schools Near Pontiac 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)	PSAT Mathematics (2025)	SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (2025)	SAT Mathematics (2025)	M-Step English Language Arts (2025)		M-Step Math (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	PSAT Mathematics 8th 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
Pontiac High School	Public	9-12	1051 Arlene Ave	Pontiac	48340	Oakland County	Pontiac City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(248) 451-7424	992	58	17.1	67.3%	41 (4.1%)	355 (35.8%)	536 (54.0%)	27 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	31 (3.1%)	10.4	662^nd of 739 public high schools	10.4%		9.5	670^th of 743 public high schools	9.8%	8			23.8							13.5		18.3	$25,461	$5,434	$20,027
Pontiac Academy for Student Success	Public	9-12	1051 Arlene Ave	Pontiac	48340	Oakland County	Pontiac City School District	No	No	No	No	(248) 451-7323	7	1	7.7		1 (14.3%)	2 (28.6%)	3 (42.9%)	1 (14.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)													$10,842	$3,624	$7,219
Bethune Adult Education	Public	12	1051 Arlene Ave	Pontiac	48340	Oakland County	Pontiac City School District	No	No	No	No	(248) 451-7970	0	1	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Oakland Schools Technical CampusNE	Public	9-12	1371 N Perry St	Pontiac	48340	Oakland County	Oakland Schools	No	No	No	No	(248) 451-2700	0	18	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Flex High School of Pontiac	Public, Charter	9-12	142 Auburn Ave	Pontiac	48342	Oakland County	Flex High School of Pontiac	Yes	No	No	Yes	(248) 206-4316	104	6	16.7	80.8%	6 (5.8%)	84 (80.8%)	10 (9.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.8%)								(n/a)													$14,565	$683	$13,882
Avondale High School	Public	9-12	2800 Waukegan St	Auburn Hills	48326	Oakland County	Avondale School District	No	No	No	No	(248) 537-6100	911	52	17.5	39.8%	342 (37.5%)	377 (41.4%)	129 (14.2%)	51 (5.6%)	6 (0.7%)	6 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	44.6	409^th of 739 public high schools	44.7%		37.5	450^th of 743 public high schools	39.4%	41			52.4	24.1						31.9		33.0	$14,607	$1,916	$12,691
Avondale Learning Center	Public	12	220 S Squirrel Rd	Auburn Hills	48326	Oakland County	Avondale School District	No	No	No	No	(248) 537-6440	8	3	2.5		4 (50.0%)	4 (50.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)													$34,881	$676	$34,204
Rochester Adams High School	Public	7-12	3200 W Tienken Rd	Rochester Hills	48306	Oakland County	Rochester Community School District	No	No	No	No	(248) 726-5200	1,521	70	21.7	4.8%	1,065 (70.0%)	47 (3.1%)	90 (5.9%)	269 (17.7%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	47 (3.1%)	97.5	11^th of 739 public high schools	98.5%		95.2	27^th of 743 public high schools	96.4%	16			88.4	65.4						62.3		69.8	$13,752	$636	$13,116
Waterford Mott High School	Public	9-12	1151 Scott Lake Rd	Waterford	48328	Oakland County	Waterford School District	No	No	No	No	(248) 674-4134	963	56	17.1	53.6%	483 (50.2%)	138 (14.3%)	248 (25.8%)	34 (3.5%)	5 (0.5%)	2 (0.2%)	53 (5.5%)	21.6	569^th of 739 public high schools	23.0%		31	505^th of 743 public high schools	32.0%	64			36.5	10.3						24.6		24.6	$18,300	$2,162	$16,138
Van Hoosen Middle School	Public	6-12	1339 N Adams Rd	Rochester Hills	48306	Oakland County	Rochester Community School District	No	No	No	No	(248) 726-4900	906	44	20.6	3.1%	560 (61.8%)	22 (2.4%)	58 (6.4%)	229 (25.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (4.0%)								(n/a)	92.7	66.7			67.6	75.5	68.7	70.1	72.1		77.0		$13,996	$1,153	$12,843

Frequently Asked Questions about Pontiac High School

What schools feed into Pontiac High School?

Pontiac High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Alcott School
Elementary : Herrington School
Elementary : Owen Elementary School
Elementary : Rogers School
Elementary : Whitman Elementary School
Middle : Pontiac Middle School

What district is Pontiac High School in?

Pontiac City School District

How many students attend Pontiac High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 992 students attended Pontiac High School.

Is Pontiac High School a good school?

Pontiac High School ranks in the bottom 10.4% of Michigan high schools.

What is the racial makeup of Pontiac High School?

Students at Pontiac High School are 54% Hispanic, 36% African American, 4% White, 3% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

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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.