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The Detroit school district’s four-year graduation rate reached a new high and nearly closed the gap between the district and the statewide average last year, newly released data shows.
The Detroit Public Schools Community District’s 2025 graduation rate of more than 83% was the highest since the state began using its current measures in 2007-08. The rate was nearly 5 percentage points higher compared to the previous year and more than 7.3 percentage points higher than in 2019, the last year before the pandemic.
Of the district’s 24 high schools, 13 met or exceeded the state graduation rate average last year and 18 improved their rates from the year before.
The district’s dropout rate was 10.6% last year, about 3.5 percentage points higher than the state average. The numbers don’t include students who took longer than four years to graduate, earned a GED certificate, or aged out of special education.
“This moment is more than a milestone; it is a bold promise of what DPSCD can achieve when we remain aligned, accountable, and courageous in our vision for students,” said board President LaTrice McClendon in a statement from the district.
Of the 24 high school charters in Detroit and the 17 suburban high school charters where Detroit students make up more than half of enrollment, a Detroit Free Press analysis found 2025 graduation rates varied widely by school.
The graduation rate was more than 88% at Cesar Chavez Academy, 93.4% at Voyageur Academy, 95.7% at University Preparatory Academy, and 81.3% at Old Redford Academy.
Around half of the school-age children who live in Detroit attend district schools. The remainder largely attend charter schools in the city, suburban charters and districts, or private schools.
The statewide average graduation rate was more than 84%, up from 82.8% the previous year and also the highest since the state started using its current formula.
The state calculates the four-year graduation rate with a cohort model that tracks the percentage of students who earn a regular diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.
Brian Love, state director for research and advocacy group the Education Trust-Midwest, said in a statement the improvement is promising for the state.
“It shows that the collaboration of our state leaders and educators is working for our state’s students,” he said. “At the same time, our state leaders have more work to do to ensure all students are college and career ready, particularly students with the greatest needs.”
State data suggests many Michigan students are still not prepared for college coursework.
According to the College Board, which produces Advanced Placement courses and exams, as well as the SAT, students who meet the SAT benchmarks have a 75% chance of earning a passing grade or better in first-semester college courses.
More than 72% of students in the state scored below math benchmarks on the SAT in 2024-25. More than 44% scored below reading and writing benchmarks.
SAT scores are not a high school graduation requirement in Michigan and many students don’t enroll in college after graduation.
The most recently available data shows 53.4% of 2024 graduates in the state enrolled in college or university within six months of completing high school. In DPSCD, 45.6% of graduates enrolled in higher education.
In DPSCD, 85% of students scored below benchmarks in math and 63.9% scored below benchmarks in reading and writing. In recent years, the district has improved its college readiness scores and narrowed the gap between DPSCD and state scores.
Among most Detroit charter schools, few students met college readiness benchmarks in at least one subject. At Voyageur Academy, for example, more than 95% of students did not meet the math benchmark and more than 91.3% did not meet the reading and writing benchmark.
Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said in an email the district’s first goal is to graduate students with a high school diploma in four years.
“As you know, we have made strong improvements in that area,” he said. “At the same time, we are working differently and harder to ensure they are ‘college ready.’”
He added the district’s High School Redesign initiative “recognizes the different interests and talents of our students—honors, arts, career—this we believe will better motivate, inspire, and prepare them to be more ‘college’ or ‘career ready.’”
Some Detroit neighborhood high schools saw big gains
Most of DPSCD’s neighborhood high schools improved their graduation rates compared to before the pandemic.
Cody High School’s 72.4% graduation rate in 2025, for example, was an improvement of nearly 11 percentage points from 2019.
At Central High School, the graduation rate was more than 79% in 2025 – an increase of 9 percentage points from the year before. It improved by 14 percentage points compared to 2019.
Principal LaToyia Webb said as a small neighborhood school, the staff know students well and quickly identify their needs.
“We track student performance, attendance and behavior closely, so our staff can intervene quickly when students show signs of falling behind,” she said in an email.
In addition to credit recovery offered during the school day and districtwide initiatives to reduce absenteeism, Webb said community partnerships, after-school programs, and student mentoring contributed to the improvement.
“We create a supportive environment where students feel seen, heard, and valued,” she said. “A strong school climate directly contributes to persistence and academic achievement.”
More funding, wraparound supports appear to pay off for DPSCD
Districts like Detroit have long experienced inequities compared to schools in wealthier Michigan communities, which result in disparities in academic performance and graduation rates.
The pandemic exacerbated systemic problems that affect students’ ability to show up for school and learn, such as poverty, poor health, and homelessness.
At the height of COVID in 2021, DPSCD’s graduation rate was 64.5%. At the time, the district rate was 16 percentage points lower compared to the state’s.
Since then, an influx of $1.27 billion in one-time federal COVID relief dollars allowed the district to address infrastructure needs and ramp up efforts to combat chronic absenteeism, defined as a student missing 10% or more of school days. The district was also allocated more per-pupil and at-risk funding in recent state budgets.
The district has made big strides in reducing chronic absenteeism rates in the subsequent years. In 2024-25 it fell below pre-pandemic rates at 60.9%.
School system officials say the same strategies that have improved attendance – creating health hubs, offering more counseling, and boosting wraparound services – have also contributed to the higher graduation rates.
Those efforts appear to have paid off in particular for vulnerable students. Last year, 75.8% of the district’s students experiencing homelessness graduated in four years. The number improved by 12.8 percentage points compared to 2024.
In addition to increasing wraparound support, the district credits expanded college and career-level courses, a stronger academic intervention model for struggling students, and professional development for school counselors for the higher graduation rate.
In the next school year, DPSCD will launch its “High School Redesign” plan for incoming freshmen. It will introduce four-year diploma pathways, expand advising, and create more career pathway opportunities at neighborhood schools.
Imani Foster, communications director for the educational justice organization 482Forward, said the district has listened to what students want to see in their schools to keep them more engaged.
She also noted financial incentives for students to participate in a tutoring program or to have perfect attendance.
McClendon said strengthening early warning systems for middle schoolers falling behind and creating more flexible schedules for students balancing work or family responsibilities are options the district may consider to improve college readiness.
Foster is hopeful Detroit’s new Mayor Mary Sheffield will follow through on her promises to improve conditions in the city that affect education, including better transportation options, child care, and affordable housing.
“Oftentimes, when we only have the schools addressing these issues, we leave students out,” she said.
Hannah Dellinger covers Detroit schools for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.
Micah Walker is a reporter for BridgeDetroit. You can reach her at mwalker@bridgedetroit.com.
Kristi Tanner is a reporter for the Detroit Free Press. You can reach her at ktanner@freepress.com.
