Original Research by School Decision on Communication and Media Arts High School
Communication and Media Arts High School sits on Berg Road in northwest Detroit, serving grades nine through twelve as part of Detroit Public Schools Community District. It is a small high school by Detroit standards, with an enrollment that fills but does not crowd its building. The student body is almost entirely Black, reflecting the surrounding neighborhoods in this part of the city. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is consistent with the economic profile of the zip code and much of the district.
What is publicly available about academic outcomes here is thin. State testing results were not reported in the data we received, and no graduation rate was available either. Multi-year trend data was also absent. This means a parent looking at this school cannot gauge proficiency or attainment from the records we have. A parent may want to look into this further with the school or the district directly, since the absence of reported results in our data does not by itself tell you whether the school performs well or poorly. The comparison set used for this school, which places it relative to districts in Wayne County, could not position it on proficiency, graduation, or chronic absenteeism because the underlying values were missing across the board. Where a high school's results are not reported, it can reflect data reporting gaps rather than any judgment about quality, but the only honest read here is that we do not have the numbers.
The school's name points to a communications and media arts focus, though no specific program or course offerings were included in the data we received. Whether that theme shapes daily instruction, electives, or career pathways is something a family would need to ask the school about directly. We looked for information on Advanced Placement, dual credit, career programs, and staffing but found none reported.
Detroit itself is a major urban center, historically the heart of the American automotive industry, with General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis all anchored in Metro Detroit. The city carries deep cultural weight in music, design, and architecture, and publicly reported information notes it was designated a UNESCO City of Design, the first U.S. city to receive that distinction. After decades of population loss and disinvestment following industrial restructuring, Detroit has seen renewed growth. Publicly reported census estimates show the city's population grew for two consecutive years as of 2025, the first time since the 1950s that Detroit led Michigan in population growth. Major development projects, including the Hudson's site downtown and the Gordie Howe International Bridge, are reshaping parts of the city, and residential development has concentrated in Midtown, Corktown, and along the East Riverfront.
Walkability in Detroit varies sharply by neighborhood. Downtown and Midtown are more walkable, with restaurants, cultural institutions, and transit options like the QLine streetcar and the People Mover. Outer neighborhoods, where this school sits, tend to be more car-dependent. The Detroit Riverwalk and Belle Isle provide recreational space, and the Detroit Institute of Arts and Detroit Public Library main branch anchor a civic corridor in Midtown.
Housing in the school's zip code is among the most affordable in the region. Home values sit well below both the state and national benchmarks, and rents are similarly modest. Wayne County's broader market shows a median listing price below that of many surrounding counties, with active listings rising over the past year and homes sitting on the market for roughly six to seven weeks. For a family considering this area, housing costs would not be a barrier, though the tradeoff is a neighborhood that has experienced decades of disinvestment and is still early in its recovery arc.
At the district level, Detroit Public Schools Community District has announced a multi-year facilities improvement plan to renovate and modernize school buildings, funded through capital projects and grants. Publicly reported financial documents reference continued annual investment in a Capital Projects fund to address ongoing facility issues. For a family at this school, that could mean building improvements in coming years, with possible disruptions during renovation work.
What we can say about Communication and Media Arts High School is limited. It is a small, nearly single-race high school in a working-class corner of northwest Detroit, inside a district undergoing facility investment. Its thematic name suggests a communications and media arts program, but the data we received does not confirm what that program entails. Academic results, graduation rates, staffing levels, discipline data, and course offerings were all absent from the records provided. A parent considering this school should go directly to the administration and ask for current proficiency rates, graduation outcomes, and a description of the media arts curriculum, because the picture we can draw from available data is incomplete.
See more original research from School Decision →