Original Research by School Decision on Randolph Career and Technical Center
Randolph Career and Technical Center sits on Hubbell Street in Detroit, part of the Detroit Public Schools Community District. It is designated as a career and technical school serving grades nine through twelve, which positions it as a specialized vocational pathway rather than a comprehensive neighborhood high school. The enrollment is extremely small, even for a focused program, with no ninth graders currently reported and only a handful of students spread across the upper grades. This scale suggests an intimate, individualized setting where students would likely know every classmate, though it also raises questions about the breadth of course offerings and peer socialization that a parent would want to explore directly with the school.
The student body is predominantly Black, with a small number of White students, and no other racial or ethnic groups currently represented. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic realities of the surrounding community. Information on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not reported, so those populations are not described here. The school is not a charter and has no magnet designation listed.
State assessment results were not available for this school. Given its career and technical designation and very small enrollment, that absence may reflect the specialized nature of the program or a student population too small to produce reportable results. A parent looking for proficiency data should ask the school directly how academic outcomes are tracked and shared. Similarly, no four-year graduation rate was reported, and no chronic absenteeism figure was available. These gaps mean the standard academic measures a family might compare across schools are not present in the data we reviewed. The comparison set against other Wayne County districts could not position Randolph on proficiency, graduation, or attendance for the same reason.
Detroit itself is a major urban center shaped by its automotive heritage and cultural legacy. The Big Three automakers anchor the regional economy, alongside major health systems and financial companies. The city has experienced a modest population resurgence recently, with growth driven by immigration and new housing construction concentrated in Midtown, Corktown, and the East Riverfront. Publicly reported development projects include the Hudson's site downtown, the Gordie Howe International Bridge, and continued riverfront expansion. Walkability varies sharply by neighborhood, with downtown and Midtown more pedestrian-friendly than outer areas where the school is located. The surrounding zip code has housing values well below both the Michigan and national benchmarks, with rents also among the more affordable in the region. The Wayne County housing market shows ample supply and softening demand, meaning families looking to buy or rent near the school would find relatively accessible price points, though property values in the area have been declining modestly.
Detroit Public Schools Community District, Randolph's parent district, has announced a multi-year facilities improvement plan funded through capital projects and grants. This could affect school environments across the district, potentially including Randolph, though specific building-level details were not available. A parent considering enrollment would benefit from asking how this plan touches Randolph's facility.
Because no program offerings, course catalogs, or staffing details were provided, we cannot describe what specific trades or technical pathways Randolph offers, which is a central question for a career and technical school. That information gap is large for a family evaluating fit. The school's own website or a direct conversation with the administration would be the next step. What the data does tell us is that this is a very small, specialized vocational school in an affordable part of a large, complex city, serving a predominantly Black student population from economically varied backgrounds, with standard academic metrics not reported.
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