Ferndale High School

Reviews

• Submitted by parent on December 05, 2024
  Ferndale high school has a diverse student body from a broad range of income levels, which is both a strength and a weakness. Black students make up a slight majority, white students are a close second, and there is a smaller mix of other races and ethnicities. The school district includes Royal Oak Township (very low income/majority Black), a portion of Oak Park (working class and middle class/majority Black), a large portion of Ferndale (middle class and professional class/majority white), and Pleasant Ridge (professional class and wealthy/majority white). Accordingly, students who are in the district for long periods of time get used to being around kids who don't look like them, have different economic backgrounds, and have different family structures and beliefs. This tends to breed increased tolerance and comfort in diverse groups, and the Ferndale graduates I have interacted with have a level of poise and self-assurance that is uncommon - this ability to integrate into and be comfortable in diverse environments is hard to teach and, in my opinion, a key strength for these graduates in today's world. On the other hand, the large number of lower income students brings down average test scores, as it does in any district. Lower income and single-parent households generally have fewer resources and less time to support children's education, and there are probably more fights and disciplinary incidents than in higher-income districts. (To clarify, I attended a majority white but similarly working-class school, and there were many more fights there than at Ferndale, so I view this as an income issue rather than a racial issue). This can detract from the teachers' ability to keep students focused, and Ferndale doesn't have the resources to pay teachers high salaries. The teachers we have are dedicated and hard workers, and there is a genuine family feel at the school, with many dedicated parent volunteers. The arts programs are very good and the school offers numerous AP classes. It is true that the higher-level classes tend to be more middle/upper class and white, but I have never seen any evidence of discrimination at the school; if anything, substantial resources and time are focused on trying to achieve equity for students. Ultimately, this begins at home, with expectations and accountability from parents. The school can only do so much.Overall, my kids love the district and the school. It's not perfect, but it is a good school.
• Submitted by parent on May 15, 2024
  The school does not prioritize effective communication with families. Families get inundated with mundane information that does not impact the majority of the kids that attend the school, but they do not effectively communicate actual important information they expect families to know.They are TRYING to improve equity, but they are so hyper focused on the optics, they do not take the time to make sure the people they hire are also capable of doing the jobs they are hired for. Lots of turn over at the top in recent years! Many teachers have left this district in recent years, siting wages that lag behind neighboring districts & difficulty with administration that seems to want to make themselves look spectacular, but are not interested in the entire team/school looking spectacular as well. Does not seem like quality education is the focus in this school district.The highschool is in a downward spiral.
• Submitted by parent on December 10, 2019
  While I believe this school has excellent extra and co-curricular options for students such as no pay-to-play sports, robotics, music, theatre, and dance, the school is very economically and racially segregated. Most of the honors/ap classes are a majority white with only 2-3 minority students. These classes are also a majority middle class students. The regular stream of classes is where most of the black students, and low income students are. These students are less prepared and left at the wayside while the school tries to promote itself as a progressive district that cares for the arts. The school and neighborhoods are very lgbqt+ tolerant I have rarely heard of bullying occurring at Ferndale. This school needs to do better at supporting its low income students and not discriminate against students coming in from Detroit by refusing to enroll them in Honors classes.
• Submitted by parent on April 18, 2019
  Wonderful experience. Parent and community envolvement is incredible and the kids are so open minded and accepting
• Submitted by parent on August 07, 2014
  Awesome! They have a wonderful OTC that give the student realistic options for a great future jobs. Great Music program, parent involvement. Also the students are great with teens with disabilities. Really hard working teachers!
• Submitted by teacher on September 26, 2013
  This is a community school with many opportunities for students. The staff, administration and educators are intelligent, caring and diligent.
• Submitted by parent on October 06, 2012
  My children attend Ferndale Public Schools. I have two children within the district. The curriculum that has been exhibited by the school has been amazing. I have been pleased until the school district decided to change an elementary school from multi-age to open classroom as a whole. In my opinion this was not the best decision to move the school forward. It takes the choice away from the parent. The open classroom instruction from my understanding will prohibit grades. I think grades are a tremendous aspect of the vitality in measuring student knowledge and growth. I need to know which percentile my child falls. Is she/he in the 77th; 85th or 92th percentile. GRADES are important and must be recognized. If and when your child arrives at college grades will be measured and used as a qualifying factor not meets expectations. Meets expectations does not tell me if a I have an A or D student.

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