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River Rouge High School

Public Grades 9-12

781^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 800 Michigan High Schools

Better than 2% of Michigan high schools

Summary

River Rouge High School in River Rouge, MI, serves 987 students in grades 9-12 and is part of the River Rouge School District of the City of, a community where about 77% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

The most pressing issue at River Rouge High School is a severe attendance crisis. In the 2024-2025 school year, a staggering 85.9% of students were chronically absent—meaning they missed significant portions of the school year. This rate is more than double that of nearby Lincoln Park High School (43.5%) and Melvindale High School (38.2%), and even exceeds Ecorse Community High School's high rate of 75.2%. This attendance problem is likely the biggest factor behind the school's academic struggles. Test scores are critically low, with only 4.21% of 11th graders proficient in Science, 7% in Social Studies, and just 2.22% of 9th graders proficient in Math on the PSAT. These numbers are far below state averages and significantly lower than schools like Lincoln Park, where 33.6% of students are proficient in SAT Reading and Writing.

Despite these challenges, there are some notable bright spots. The school reports a graduation rate of 88.1%, which is above the state average of 84.0% and competitive with better-performing nearby schools. Interestingly, River Rouge High School performs far better than its own district average, which has a graduation rate of just 66.5%. The school also spends a substantial $18,734 per student—more than Cesar Chavez Academy High School ($11,635) and Melvindale ($15,599)—yet outcomes remain low. One historical highlight: in 2022-2023, the school ranked in the 89th percentile for English Language Learner students, earning a 5-star rating, showing that targeted support can yield strong results. However, the combination of high spending, low test scores, and extreme absenteeism suggests that improving attendance and engagement must be the top priority for parents and school leaders to unlock the school's potential.

987

Students ?

23.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,734

Per pupil spending ?

76.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1460 Coolidge Hwy
River Rouge, MI 48218-1118

(313) 297-9600

District: River Rouge School District of the City of

Feeder schools for River Rouge High School:

Elementary:	Ann Visger K5 Preparatory Academy
Middle:	CB Sabbath 68 Preparatory Academy

Racial breakdown:

African American:

87.1%

Hispanic:

7.4%

Two or more races:

3.2%

See top rated Michigan high schools

Compare River Rouge High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 6th percentile in 2013 → 2nd in 2026

Strengths

✓88% graduate in 4 years — above the Michigan average (84%)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (9% vs 43% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (2nd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (86% vs 28% Michigan)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school9%

District avg9%

Michigan avg43%

781^st of 800

Michigan public high schools ?

Bottom 2%▼ down 7 pts since 2016

From bottom 9% (2016) to bottom 2% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

602^nd of 625River Rouge School District of the City of 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	4.0	781 of 800	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	4.6	719 of 739	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	3.0	738 of 743	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.1	727 of 735	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.7	777 of 824	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	6.4	722 of 835	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	6.1	772 of 852	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	18.0	672 of 832	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	8.7	720 of 799	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	7.9	755 of 805	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	7.5	742 of 773	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	4.7	754 of 784	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	3.5	754 of 765	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	12.7	646 of 754	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	10.6	660 of 750	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	13.8	645 of 767	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	11.5	619 of 705	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	12.8	245 of 252	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	16.4	175 of 192	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.5	187 of 188	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.5	168 of 170	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.2	218 of 254	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2023	84.9	4 of 35	88.6%	★★★★★
2018	35.8	56 of 102	45.1%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	2.9	675 of 686	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	2.6	625 of 629	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	2.0	619 of 619	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	1.4	611 of 611	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.7	663 of 710	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	4.7	253 of 259	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.5	196 of 203	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.1	176 of 190	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.8	183 of 201	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	4.2	709 of 719	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	4.9	619 of 635	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	3.6	650 of 654	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.3	609 of 614	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.0	696 of 755	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	2.8	687 of 693	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	4.2	612 of 628	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	2.0	631 of 633	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	2.6	607 of 611	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	3.6	682 of 707	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2023)89th percentile+87 vs school

African American (2026)3rd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)2nd percentile~ school

Female (2026)2nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)1st percentile~ school

Male (2026)1st percentile~ school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts16%-43 vs state

Evidence-Based Reading and Writing12%-40 vs state

Social Studies7%-36 vs state

Science4%-31 vs state

Mathematics4%-29 vs state

★

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Schools Near River Rouge 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 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
River Rouge High School	Public	9-12	1460 Coolidge Hwy	River Rouge	48218	Wayne County	River Rouge School District of the City of	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 297-9600	987	42	23.6	76.9%	18 (1.8%)	860 (87.1%)	73 (7.4%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	32 (3.2%)	4	781^st of 800 public high schools	2.4%		4.6	719^th of 739 public high schools	2.7%	62		15.6	16.9		2.2	4.9	11.7	365.7						4.2		7.0	$18,734	$2,070	$16,665
Ecorse Community High School	Public	9-12	27385 W Outer Dr	Ecorse	48229	Wayne County	Ecorse Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(313) 294-4700	340	15	22.6	80.3%	28 (8.2%)	255 (75.0%)	50 (14.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.8%)	4.8	770^th of 800 public high schools	3.8%		3.8	728^th of 739 public high schools	1.5%	42		27.3	12.2		5.1	340.0	15.6	360.2						5.7		8.0	$20,368	$979	$19,388
Vincent G Parks Alternative Education Center	Public, Virtual, Magnet	9-12	27225 W Outer Dr	Ecorse	48229	Wayne County	Ecorse Public Schools	No	Yes	Yes	No	(313) 294-4750	47	2	23.5	80.9%	5 (10.6%)	38 (80.9%)	4 (8.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																	$14,950	$3,102	$11,847
WAY Academy Vernor Site	Public, Virtual, Charter	6-12	8701 W Vernor Hwy	Detroit	48209	Wayne County	W-A-Y Academy	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	(313) 444-8082	135	2	88.8	84.4%	8 (5.9%)	2 (1.5%)	125 (92.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)		30.0	349.5		332.5	325.3	341.8	347.6						2069.7		2078.2	$12,785	$2,547	$10,238
Cesar Chavez Academy High School	Public, Charter	9-12	1761 Waterman St	Detroit	48210	Wayne County	Cesar Chavez Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 551-0611	730	37	19.7	97.1%	13 (1.8%)	13 (1.8%)	700 (95.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	21	602^nd of 800 public high schools	24.8%		16.6	608^th of 739 public high schools	17.7%	6		38.3	39.4		18.4	11.0	29.0	9.3						14.3		38.5	$11,635	$1,502	$10,134
Academy for Business and Technology High School	Public, Charter	6-12	19625 Wood St	Melvindale	48122	Wayne County	Academy for Business and Technology	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 382-3422	231	20	11.7	98.7%	4 (1.7%)	210 (90.9%)	11 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.2%)	5.8	756^th of 800 public high schools	5.5%		3.6	730^th of 739 public high schools	1.2%	26	17.1	21.9	13.8	328.8	326.9	355.5	394.3	355.7	20.0	10.0	1560.7	1659.5	1769.6	2073.2	14.6	19.1	$00	$00	$00
Mixter School	Public	12	3301 Electric Ave	Lincoln Park	48146	Wayne County	Lincoln Park School District of the City of	No	No	No	No	(313) 389-0210	35	22	1.6	57.1%	22 (62.9%)	7 (20.0%)	4 (11.4%)	1 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.9%)								(n/a)																	$63,630	$1,317	$62,313
Lincoln Park High School	Public	9-12	1701 Champaign Rd	Lincoln Park	48146	Wayne County	Lincoln Park School District of the City of	No	No	No	No	(313) 389-0234	1,384	70	19.6	78.5%	391 (28.3%)	208 (15.0%)	695 (50.2%)	15 (1.1%)	9 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	65 (4.7%)	19.8	613^th of 800 public high schools	23.4%		15.8	615^th of 739 public high schools	16.8%	2		42.6	43.2		15.9	11.1	33.6	6.9						15.0		26.6	$27,341	$2,979	$24,363
Melvindale High School	Public	9-12	4500 Enterprise Dr	Allen Park	48101	Wayne County	Melvindale-Northern Allen Park Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 457-8300	982	42	23.3	79.2%	585 (59.6%)	100 (10.2%)	279 (28.4%)	9 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.3%)	6 (0.6%)	15.1	655^th of 800 public high schools	18.1%		15.4	618^th of 739 public high schools	16.4%	37		31.4	42.9		10.8	16.5	25.1	9.7						17.0		17.0	$15,599	$1,789	$13,810
Services YouthBuild Learning Academy Southwest	Public, Charter	9-12	9215 Michigan Ave	Detroit	48210	Wayne County	Services YouthBuild Learning Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(313) 945-5200	109	3	36.3	69.7%	0 (0.0%)	83 (76.1%)	26 (23.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)		20.0			281.5												$11,891	$505	$11,386

Frequently Asked Questions about River Rouge High School

What is the racial makeup of River Rouge High School?

Students at River Rouge High School are 87% African American, 7% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 2% White.

What district is River Rouge High School in?

River Rouge School District of the City of

How many students attend River Rouge High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 987 students attended River Rouge High School.

What schools feed into River Rouge High School?

River Rouge High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Ann Visger K5 Preparatory Academy
Middle : CB Sabbath 68 Preparatory Academy

Is River Rouge High School a good school?

River Rouge High School ranks in the bottom 2.4% of Michigan high schools.

Rate River Rouge 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.