Established as an alternative school for middle school and early high school students with dropout tendencies, Detroit City High School focuses on three areas: improvement in learning skills, reinforcement of proper behavior in groups and acquisition of a vocation upon graduation. A fast-track transition program allows students ages 17 to 20 years to return to high school to earn a diploma. Enrollment is by application, and all students are expected to graduate.
Detroit City High offers its students programs to assist their education needs, such as weekend school, tutoring, conflict resolution classes and mentoring family groups. Art, vocal music and dance provide other opportunities for its students. The fast-track program offers the pupils incentives.
In February 2011, a total of 415 students attended Detroit City High School, 220 female and 195 male students. All students at the school were African American. The breakdown per grade was: ninth grade, 47 students; 10th grade, 100; 11th grade: 74; and 12th grade, 182. The school listed 12 students in 13th grade. Participation in the free lunch program totaled 284 students, while five students were in the reduced lunch program for a total of 69.6 percent of the student body.
For the 2008 to 2009 school year, Detroit City High School's graduation rate was 64.5 percent. The graduation rate for Detroit Public Schools for the same time period was 59.7 percent. Michigan's high school graduation rate for the same school year was 75.2 percent. During that same school year, Detroit City High School experienced a drop-out rate of 11.2 percent compared to Detroit Public Schools' 21.1 percent and Michigan's 11.3 percent.