Welcome!

Detroit Public Schools Community District welcomes you to apply for admission to its exam high schools for the 2027-28 school year. Please review the following instructions carefully before starting your application. 

This application is for students who are currently in 8th grade and will enter 9th grade for the first time in Fall 2027. Incorrect applications will not be processed or receive a decision.

There are two other exam high school applications. Please select the appropriate application for your circumstance. 

• For students who currently attend a non-exam high school
• For students who were admitted under the exam program, currently attend an exam high school and want to transfer to a different exam high school. 

Essay Question Update

The essay questions were updated for the last admission cycle (2025-2026). Please review the updated essay prompt carefully, as the scoring rubric has also changed.

Application Guidelines

• This application must be completed by a parent or guardian, using their email address. Do not apply using a school email account or a student's personal email address. All communications will be sent to the email address used to create the account. You may update the email address in your account profile.
• Applicants are required to take the High School Placement Test for admission consideration. The application will not be complete without an exam score on file. We do not accept outside scores.
• You may save the application in progress and return to make as many changes as necessary prior to submitting it. Please review the application carefully before submitting. 
• All deadlines are firm and final.
• Do not submit more than one application for the same student. Duplicate applications will be withdrawn. You may email exam.schools@detroitk12.org or use Submittable to send a message to the Admissions Team to request the opportunity to edit or update your application. To allow time for us to respond, change requests must be received no later than November 10, and changes must be made prior to the November 15 application deadline.