
Best high schools in the Detroit metro area
According to the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics, 15.5 million students attend public high school every year, and more than 3.76 million are expected to graduate in 2025. However, those students have a wide variety of experiences over the course of their high school careers.
To start, issues surrounding equal educational access persist throughout the United States. A January 2025 report published in Frontiers found that disparities across socioeconomic status, race, gender, and geography can lead to negative outcomes and the perpetuation of systemic barriers.
Outside of these issues, students also pursue many different paths within high school. Roughly 8.3 million high schoolers attend educational programs to prepare for careers in fields like transportation, landscaping, and culinary arts. Meanwhile, nearly 2.5 million are in dual enrollment programs that offer high school and college credit for the same course, allowing students to get a jump on higher education degrees.
Dual enrollment programs are particularly useful considering that more than 3 in 5 (61%) high school graduates head to college, per a 2024 Bureau of Labor Statistics report. Unfortunately, high school doesn't always guarantee college success. In 2024, the average SAT score declined for the third straight year, and nearly 2 in 5 (39%) test-takers met or exceeded the test's college readiness benchmarks. ACT scores are also on the decline year over year, down to 19.4 out of 36, and just 3 in 10 students met at least three of the ACT's college readiness benchmarks.
With that said, attending a quality high school will typically help prepare students for their next steps in life, whether that's college, technical school, or going straight into the workforce. Stacker compiled a list of the best high schools in the Detroit metro area using data from Niche, which uses seven weighted factors for its rankings. Most of the score is based on academics, but other factors include culture and diversity; sports; clubs and activities; resources; and surveys of parents, teachers, and students.

#25. Southfield Christian School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Southfield, MI
- Enrollment: 623 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#24. Mercy High School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Farmington Hills, MI
- Enrollment: 520 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#23. Notre Dame Preparatory School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Pontiac, MI
- Enrollment: 1,044 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#22. Wylie E. Groves High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Birmingham Public Schools, MI
- Enrollment: 1,110 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#21. University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy
- School type: Private School
- Location: Detroit, MI
- Enrollment: 767 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#20. Skyline High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Ann Arbor Public Schools, MI
- Enrollment: 1,315 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#19. Brother Rice High School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Bloomfield Hills, MI
- Enrollment: 638 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#18. Community High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Ann Arbor Public Schools, MI
- Enrollment: 506 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#17. Rochester Adams High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Rochester Community School District, MI
- Enrollment: 1,534 (23:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#16. Academy of the Sacred Heart
- School type: Private School
- Location: Bloomfield Hills, MI
- Enrollment: 320 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#15. Frankel Jewish Academy of Metro Detroit
- School type: Private School
- Location: West Bloomfield, MI
- Enrollment: 143 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#14. Michigan Islamic Academy
- School type: Private School
- Location: Ann Arbor, MI
- Enrollment: 323 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#13. Northville High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Northville Public Schools, MI
- Enrollment: 2,499 (23:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#12. Huron High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Ann Arbor Public Schools, MI
- Enrollment: 1,635 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#11. Pioneer High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Ann Arbor Public Schools, MI
- Enrollment: 1,700 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#10. Washtenaw International High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Washtenaw Intermediate School District, MI
- Enrollment: 540 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#9. Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor
- School type: Private School
- Location: Ann Arbor, MI
- Enrollment: 80 (2:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#8. Troy High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Troy School District, MI
- Enrollment: 2,094 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#7. University Liggett School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Grosse Pointe Woods, MI
- Enrollment: 638 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#6. Novi High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Novi Community School District, MI
- Enrollment: 2,101 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#5. The Roeper School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Bloomfield Hills, MI
- Enrollment: 463 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#4. Detroit Country Day School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Beverly Hills, MI
- Enrollment: 1,493 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#3. International Academy
- School type: Public School
- Location: Oakland Schools, MI
- Enrollment: 1,351 (not available student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#2. Greenhills School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Ann Arbor, MI
- Enrollment: 714 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#1. Cranbrook Schools
- School type: Private School
- Location: Bloomfield Hills, MI
- Enrollment: 1,659 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
This story features data reporting by Rob Powell, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 97 metros.