Best High Schools in Zip Code 48219

Zip code 48219 in Detroit, MI, is home to two public high schools—Henry Ford High School and Communication and Media Arts High School—both serving grades 9-12 within the Detroit Public Schools Community District, an area where the vast majority of students come from low-income households.

There is a stark contrast between these two schools. Communication and Media Arts High School (CMA) is the clear standout, with a 95.3% graduation rate that beats both the district (83.1%) and state (84.0%) averages, while Henry Ford High School graduates only 67.2% of its students. CMA also has a much lower dropout rate (4.6% vs. 20.3%) and less than half the chronic absenteeism (36.5% vs. 82.5%). Academically, CMA outperforms Henry Ford across the board—for example, 37.1% of CMA students are proficient in SAT Reading and Writing versus just 12.3% at Henry Ford. CMA ranks in the 24th percentile statewide, while Henry Ford sits in the 6th percentile.

However, even CMA has significant weaknesses. Its math proficiency is very low, with only 5.3% of 11th graders proficient on the SAT, and its chronic absenteeism, while better than Henry Ford's, is still above the state average. Both schools spend over $20,000 per student, yet results remain poor, suggesting that money alone isn't solving deep-rooted challenges. On a positive note, CMA has shown strong improvement, jumping from the 8th to the 24th percentile in one year. For parents, CMA is clearly the stronger choice in this zip code, but both schools face serious hurdles that require careful consideration.