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The first round of deadlines to apply for the Detroit district’s examination and application schools is fast approaching, and here’s what parents and students need to know about which schools could be the best fit and how to apply.
The Detroit Public Schools Community District’s competitive examination schools offer rigorous courses, specialized learning programs, and college dual enrollment. The district’s application schools, which focus more on career pathways and hands-on learning, have their own admissions requirements.
While some families automatically think of Cass Technical, Renaissance, or Martin Luther King Jr. Senior high schools as their top choices, parent and DPSCD board member Monique Bryant said they should consider all of the district’s schools based on their child’s interests.
Bryant, an alumni of Cass Tech, has a daughter who is a senior at the school as well as a son who attended Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men and later Communication and Media Arts High School, both application schools.
Other Detroit application high schools are Davis Aerospace Technical High School, Academy of the Americas, Crockett Midtown High School of Science & Medicine, Detroit International Academy for Young Women, and Detroit School of Arts.
Cass, Renaissance, King, Southeastern High School, and The School at Marygrove are DPSCD’s exam schools.
The exam school testing window for this round of application closes Nov. 14. Applications are due Nov. 16. There will be another chance to apply for the next school year. The second application window begins Feb. 24 and ends May 1.
There will not be a third application window this year, according to the district.
What should I consider when choosing a school?
The most important consideration parents should make in selecting the best fit for their kids is transportation, Bryant said.
The district does not provide yellow bus service for most high school students. Some students have to travel hours on city buses to get to school.
“If you live 15 miles from the school your child wants to go to, what does that look like if you don’t have a car?” said Bryant.
The district has specific attendance requirements for students who want to attend schools outside of their neighborhood. Students must sign an acknowledgement that if they miss too many days, they will be required to attend their neighborhood school instead.
Students are considered chronically absent if they miss 10% or more of the days in a school year.
Parents and students should also consider post-graduation goals.
“Are they going to go to a four-year or two-year college, or are they going to learn a trade?” Bryant said. “If the experience doesn’t match what you have planned for post-secondary, you’re under a lot of pressure at an exam school when you could have gotten the same thing at a CTE program, a neighborhood school, or an application school and been way more career-ready.”
Bryant said parents should contact the district’s Family and Community Engagement department to learn more about the schools they are interested in and visit them.
Talking with parent engagement groups, attending open houses, going to an athletic game, or watching a choir performance are good ways to experience the school’s community and culture, she said.
How can my child apply to an exam school?
Five DPSCD high schools require students to take an admissions examination. The schools focus on college and career preparation.
Here are the district’s exam school options:
- Cass Technical High School has 15 curricular pathways, five college dual enrollment partnerships, and more than 15 advanced placement courses.
- Renaissance High School offers more than 20 AP courses and dual enrollment classes on college campuses.
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Senior High School has specialized career pathway programs in math, science, and technology, computer information systems and commerce, sports marketing, management, medicine, and college preparatory liberal arts.
- Southeastern High School has career pathways in business, information technology, advanced manufacturing and welding, and capstone projects for all grade levels.
- The School at Marygrove is centered around social justice and offers service learning, a focus on engineering, and cooperative learning.
Eighth graders who want to enroll for ninth grade and current high schoolers in grades nine through 11 who want to transfer can apply.
Students’ applications are scored on a number of factors, including exam results, grade point average, and a writing sample. Acceptance also depends on available seats in each grade level.
Students’ performance on the High School Placement Test holds the most weight in scoring. The exam, which takes about two and a half hours, covers English language arts, reading comprehension, math, and science. Students can only take the test once per school year.
Grade point average is worth up to 35% of applicants’ total scores.
For current high schoolers who want to transfer to an exam school, students must be on track to graduate on time. Cass applicants must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5. For other exam schools, the cumulative GPA generally should be at least 2.8.
Students are required to write an essay about their goals, their strengths, and why they should be accepted.
Three references are also required. They may be teachers, coaches, principals, or other mentors.
Bonus points are given on the application score for current DPSCD students. Those applying for the School at Marygrove get extra points if they live within a certain distance from the school.
Students and parents can make appointments for one-on-one help with district staff to assist with applications. There are also webinars that help explain the process.
How can my child get into an application school?
Several of DPSCD’s specialty schools have separate application processes and admission requirements. The application high schools do not require students to take an entrance exam, and most do not have GPA requirements.
Most of the application high schools require two years of transcripts or report cards, recent standardized test scores, and references. Some require a recommendation letter and student interviews. Parents can learn more by visiting the district’s website.
The application deadline for the 2026-27 school year is Dec. 19.
- Academy of the Americas is a dual language immersion school with a bilingual program in Spanish and English.
- Crockett Midtown High School of Science & Medicine offers work-based learning and externship opportunities in science and medicine.
- Communication and Media Arts High School has dual enrollment classes, AP courses, and lets students explore media opportunities such as podcasting.
- Davis Aerospace Technical High School prepares students to test for their remote pilot’s license, has a competitive robotics team, and will soon start aviation classes at the Detroit City Airport.
- Detroit International Academy for Young Women is the only all-girls public school in Michigan. It has career pathways in biomedical science and veterinary medicine with a focus on multicultural experiences.
- Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men is DPSCD’s only all-boy school. It focuses on teaching leadership and offers AP and honors courses.
- Detroit School of Arts offers classes in dance, instrumental music, literary arts, multimedia production, visual arts, and vocal music.
The Detroit School of Arts requires in-person auditions as well as portfolios of prior work for some areas of study. The school requires a 2.5 GPA for students entering ninth grade, and a 3.0 is preferred for transfer students.
Academy of the Americas and Frederick Douglass only accept on-paper applications, which can be downloaded from the district’s website.
Hannah Dellinger covers Detroit schools for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.
