Best High Schools in Zip Code 48221

Zip code 48221 is served by a single public high school, Mumford High School, which enrolls 850 students in grades 9-12 and is part of the Detroit Public Schools Community District.

For parents considering this area, Mumford High School is the only option for public high school education, meaning its performance directly shapes the educational experience for every student in the zip code. The school faces significant challenges, most notably a chronic absenteeism rate of 76.9% for the 2024-2025 school year—nearly three times the state average of 27.9% and well above the district's 60.9%. This high level of absenteeism is a critical factor behind the school's low academic proficiency rates. In the 2025-2026 school year, only 5.1% of 9th graders were proficient in PSAT Mathematics, and just 7.3% of 11th graders were proficient in Science, compared to state averages of 33.5% and 35.2%, respectively. The school does show relative strength in Social Studies (15.2% proficiency for 11th graders) and English Language Arts (14.4% for 9th grade PSAT ELA), but these still lag far behind state benchmarks. The graduation rate of 81.6% is close to the district average of 83.1% but slightly below the state's 84.0%, while the dropout rate of 12.6% is higher than both district and state figures.

Financially, Mumford High School spends a substantial $20,738 per student, yet this investment has not translated into academic success, highlighting a spending-versus-outcome paradox. The student-teacher ratio is 17.7:1, which is reasonable, but the combination of high absenteeism and low proficiency suggests that resources alone are not solving the underlying issues. On a positive note, the school's state ranking has improved slightly from the 1st percentile in 2023-2024 to the 5th percentile in 2025-2026, indicating a marginal upward trend. Parents should be aware that the school serves a high-needs population, with 85.88% of students eligible for free/reduced lunch, and that the severe absenteeism crisis is likely the primary barrier to academic improvement. While there are no other schools in the zip code to compare against, these data points provide a clear picture of the challenges and small signs of progress at this sole high school.