High school (grades 9-12) · Detroit, MI

Pershing High School

Federal NCES profile for Pershing High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 19/100.

2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 260110304813
0/100100/10019/100
👥 S:T ratio
31
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
17
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Pershing High School earns 19/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Michigan schools.

#13 of 16
high schools in Detroit · Resource Index
19
Resource Index · Lower
17.3:1
students per teacher
88.5%
free-lunch eligible

Pershing High School has class sizes near the Michigan median. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Pershing High School ranks #13 of 16 high schools in Detroit, MI.

CCD year-over-year · 2022-23 → 2023-24

-30 students YoY

Pershing High School shrank from 408 students in 2022-23 to 378 in 2023-24 (-7.4%).

Teacher FTE lost 24.5 → 23.5 across the same CCD years.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data public-school universe (2022-23, 2023-24).

Shrinking CCD campus

-30 students YoY 260110304813 · Detroit, MI High · SMALL · TRAD

415 enr · 17.3:1 · 88.5% lunch · RII 19

Nearest enrollment peer: Cass Technical High School (2,493 students)

Pershing High School shrank from 408 students in 2022-23 to 378 in 2023-24 (-7.4%). Teacher FTE lost 24.5 → 23.5 across the same CCD years. Read with this school → · District book → · Michigan schools → · Find another →

Pershing High School in the enrollment neighbourhood

Fall enrollment among this campus and nearest district peers

students

What this shows Pershing High School reports 415 students on the CCD universe file.

Source U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data (Public School Universe) As of 2024-25

How Pershing High School compares

Pershing High School is a shrinking campus on CCD: ratios and free-lunch share vs Michigan and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Michigan Michigan avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 17.3:1 ▼ 1% 17.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 88.5% ▲ 63% 54.3% 51.7%
Enrollment 415 top 39% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

17.3:1
Leaner classes than 29% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
415
Bigger than 50% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators methodology

Economic need
88.5%
free-lunch eligible - 63% above the Michigan average of 54.3%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.3:1
students per teacher - 1% below state mean
Top 56% in Michigan - lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
99.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$22,002
per pupil, district-wide - above Michigan avg of $15,012
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 415 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 132 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 32.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Student demographics

African American 98.3%
Hispanic or Latino 1.2%
Asian 0.5%

Largest group: African American at 98.3% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 3.4/100

Simpson diversity index - at 3.4, Pershing High School is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.

Programs

AP program Not offered

District finance for Detroit Public Schools Community District reports $22,002 per pupil (NCES F-33) - open the district page for the full revenue mix.

How Pershing High School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Cass Technical High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Western International High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Renaissance High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Earhart Elementarymiddle School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Martin Luther King Jr Senior High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Pershing High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Detroit Public Schools Community District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar high schools in Detroit

6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.

Nationwide high schools with similar size or staffing

Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by student-teacher ratio, not the same-city or same-district lists above.

Frequently asked questions about Pershing High School

How many students attend Pershing High School?

Pershing High School has 415 students enrolled. It is a high school in Detroit, MI. CCD year-over-year: 408 (2022-23) → 378 (2023-24), down 30.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Pershing High School?

The student-teacher ratio at Pershing High School is 17.3:1, which is 1% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 10% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pershing High School?

88.5% of students at Pershing High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pershing High School?

The largest demographic group at Pershing High School is African American at 98.3% of enrollment, in Detroit, MI.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Pershing High School?

Pershing High School has a Resource Investment Index of 19/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, counselor availability, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Pershing High School rank among high schools in Detroit?

By Resource Investment Index, Pershing High School ranks #13 of 16 high schools in Detroit, MI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Detroit on the city page.

What other schools are in Detroit Public Schools Community District?

Besides Pershing High School, Detroit Public Schools Community District also operates Cass Technical High School (2,493 students), Western International High School (1,959 students), and Renaissance High School (1,197 students). See the Detroit Public Schools Community District district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2022-23) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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