Original Research by School Decision on Davis Aerospace & Maritime High School
Davis Aerospace & Maritime High School is a small public high school located in Downtown Cleveland that serves grades nine through twelve and focuses on career and technical education in the aerospace and maritime fields. The school has an enrollment of about two hundred thirty students, with a majority share of Black students, a substantial share of Hispanic students, and a smaller share of white students. The grade distribution leans toward ninth grade, with smaller cohorts in each successive year.
The school's most recent state assessment data shows uneven results across subjects. Students are performing above the midpoint in social studies proficiency. In science, results sit around the midpoint. In math and English language arts, proficiency rates are well below the midpoint for the districts in Cuyahoga County. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, especially if college readiness or traditional academic preparation is a primary goal. State testing data do not include a graduation rate, and the school did not report chronic absenteeism or traditional attendance metrics, which is common for career and technical programs where attendance may be tracked differently or where the student cohort and program structure differ from traditional high schools.
The school sits in Downtown Cleveland, which has been the fastest-growing neighborhood in the city in recent years, with substantial new residential and mixed-use development underway as part of the Reimagining Downtown Cleveland initiative. Housing in the Downtown zip code and surrounding urban core is more affordable than state and national benchmarks. The area offers walkable access to civic anchors including Public Square, the Warehouse District, Playhouse Square and the Cleveland Museum of Art, and is served by the Red Line rapid transit connecting to University Circle and the airport. The downtown core has seen steady investment in high-end apartment conversions and infill housing, though most new housing growth in the broader region is occurring in exurban counties.
The Cleveland Metropolitan School District, the school's parent district, approved a major consolidation plan in December 2025 that will reduce the district from eighty-eight schools to fifty-nine by the 2026-27 school year, consolidating thirty-nine schools and closing eighteen buildings. This restructuring will reassign students, create new bus routes, and reshape the neighborhood school footprint across Cleveland. Additionally, voters approved Issue 49 in November 2024, a combined operating levy increase and bond extension that raises property taxes for homeowners in the district. For the 2024-25 school year, the district implemented a cellphone-free policy for students and launched PowerSchool, an online grade book giving parents direct access to student grades.
The aerospace and maritime focus positions the school within the district's broader emphasis on career pathways and technical skill development. A parent considering this school should understand the lower traditional academic proficiency rates alongside the school's specialized industry focus, confirm how the program aligns with a student's educational and career trajectory, and be aware of the district-wide consolidation and levy context affecting all Cleveland schools.
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