Detroit Public Schools Community District

The Admission Process for External Transfer Students

Application Requirements

An electronic application is required for ALL applicants seeking admission to any examination high school. Students will not be admitted without an application and exam. Please review the application requirements below.

• Student-Authored Essay 
  The essay will not be scored. Schools review them to learn about the applicant. This is submitted as part of the application. 
• High School Transcript
  Mandatory for all students entering Grades 11 and 12
  Report cards will be accepted for students currently in 9th or 10th grade. At least two school years' worth of grades are required.
• Take the High School Placement Test
  The exam is required unless the student receives a waiver (see details below). You will select your exam date as part of the application.
• IEP/504 Plan/WIDA Scores
  If applicable. Submitted documents will be reviewed to determine whether the student is eligible for accommodations on the exam. 
  All documents must be current. Expired IEPs (older than 1 year) will not be accepted.

Admission Decisions

Each year, exam high schools have a limited number of seats available in grades 9-11. The low supply of seats means schools are looking for the best-qualified applicants to backfill spaces created by attrition and student dismissals.

Students who apply and take the exam (or obtain a waiver) will have their application reviewed by their selected schools ONLY after confirmed receipt of complete academic records. Incomplete applications are not sent to schools for review. 

Decision Points

All transfer applicants must be academically on track for an on-time graduation based on the Michigan Merit Curriculum. Students with F's that have not been remediated will not be considered for admission. 

Strong GPA: Transfer applicants for Cass and Renaissance should have a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.5. Transfer applicants for the other schools should generally have at least a 2.8 GPA. Your GPA should be visible on your transcript and report cards.

Acceptance to all schools is subject to student qualifications and availability of seats at the student's grade level at the school(s) to which they are applying. School decisions are final. 

Entering 12th Grade

Cass and Renaissance do not admit applicants into 12th grade unless one of the following is true:

• They previously attended the school to which they are seeking admission. Re-admission is subject to the applicant's qualifications and available eats. 
• The student recently moved (or will be moving) to the Detroit area from another city that is not in the immediate vicinity of Detroit
• The student's school will be closed during the next school year, when they will graduate (this is rare)

Applicants to Martin Luther King, Southeastern and The School at Marygrove must be on track for on-time graduation. 

Petitions

There is no petition process for students who are already in high school. All applications are directly reviewed by the schools to which they are applying. School decisions are final.

High School Placement Test Waivers

Some students may be eligible for an exam waiver if they previously took the HSPT and were admitted to an exam high school. 

Previously Accepted: Students who took the exam in the 2024-25 admission cycle and were accepted to their first-choice exam high school, but did not attend, may be exempted from taking the test pending a review of their current and previous applications. An application is still required. 

Current Students: Students who currently attend an exam high school and are not at risk of dismissal, regardless of when they took the exam, may apply to transfer to another exam high school without taking the exam. An application is still required, and will be reviewed by the school to which the student wants to transfer. The school's decision is final. Acceptance is subject to availability of seats at the grade level the student is seeking.

Previous Students: Students who previously attended an exam high school, regardless of when they took the exam, may apply for re-entry without taking the exam if there is evidence the student left the school in good standing within the past year. Students in good standing were not academically dismissed or in jeopardy of being academically dismissed, had clean disciplinary records, and would otherwise have maintained their enrollment if they had not left. Students who were not enrolled during the 2024-25 school year must retake the exam. The school to which they are seeking re-entry will determine whether the student left in good standing. Students who were academically or otherwise dismissed from an examination high school are not eligible for an exam waiver. 

The factors outlined above are general. Additional details such as school, year admitted, etc. may impact waiver eligibility. To see if you are eligible, email:  exam.schools@detroitk12.org. Use the subject line: HSPT Waiver. 

Notice of HSPT Waiver Eligibility

All applicants are required to select an exam date as part of their application. If eligible for a waiver, you will be notified via email and will not be required to take the High School Placement Test. Please check your email the week of your scheduled exam. Notices will be sent to the email address of the application submitter (the email address used to set up the Submittable account.)

The Admission Process for Internal Transfer Students

Application Requirements

An electronic application is required for applicants who currently attend an exam high school and want to transfer to another. A new examination will not be required. As with all transfer applications, admission is subject to availability of seats at the desired grade level. 

Eligibility

• Eligible students must have been admitted as an exam high school student and have attended for a full school year. Applications from current 9th grade exam school students will be accepted during Round 1, but will not be reviewed until after the completion of the third quarter of the academic year. 
• Students must be in good standing at their current school. Their GPA should be at least 2.5 and they should not be at risk of dismissal due to attendance or behavior. 
• Students who were previously dismissed must reapply for admission no earlier than a year after they were dismissed.

Application Requirements
Applicants are asked to state why they are interested in transferring. 
Academic records and a new exam are required.