For many of the high schools in Detroit — whether they are still running or closed down decades ago — there is a famous person. Some of these celebrities are internationally renowned and have left a lasting impact, while others enjoyed their fame in past decades or have a more niche following like sports or film. Nevertheless, Detroit is a star factory.

Read on for our picks for the most famous people to come from (almost) all of Detroit’s high schools. 

Did we get it wrong or miss your school? If you know of a celeb who graduated there, send us an email so we can add them to our list!

Cass Tech: Diana Ross Detroiters know that Cass Tech births stars, from Big Sean to Jack White to the one and only Diana Ross, and more. The high school has produced many famous alumni, but Ross stands out as a multi-generational icon. As a teenager, she gained early recognition with the Supremes, one of Motown’s premier acts. The group’s chart-topping singles, such as “Where Did Our Love Go” and “Stop! In the Name of Love,” catapulted them to global fame. Ross’s influence extended beyond her music, breaking barriers as one of the first Black women to achieve mainstream success in the entertainment industry. Credit: Raph_PH – DRossLongleat010722 , Wikimedia Creative Commons
Detroit School of Arts: Aaliyah Though born in Brooklyn, New York, the Princess of R&B found her musical roots in Detroit. She soared to stardom with her debut album Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number at 15, later graduating from Detroit High School for the Fine and Performing Arts in 1997, which is now known as Detroit School of Arts. Her smooth R&B tracks, produced by legends Timberland and Missy Elliot, alongside sensual hip-hop choreography, put Aaliyah on the map as one of the most influential artists of the ’90s. On August 25, 2001, the singer tragically lost her life after a fatal plane crash at the age of 22. Credit: Shutterstock
Aretha Franklin Emerging from the gospel scene of Detroit, the Queen of Soul left an undeniable mark on music history with hits like “Respect” and “I Say a Little Prayer.” Beyond her music, she championed civil rights and Indigenous communities’ rights, earning 18 Grammy Awards and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Credit: Mark Reinstein /MediaPunch
J Dilla Renowned as a groundbreaking figure in hip-hop production, J Dilla, born James Dewitt Yancey, spent much of his life in Detroit. His innovative off-kilter beats influenced an entire era of hip-hop, collaborating with icons such as Slum Village, the Pharcyde, Erykah Badu, and Common. Credit: Courtesy photo
Cooley: Black Milk Curtis Cross, also known as Black Milk, has been rapping for almost two decades, collaborating with artists such as Danny Brown, J Dilla, Jack White, and RZA. In his early days, he went to Cooley High School, which ceased operations in 2010. Credit: Courtesy of El Club
Central: Anita Baker With many gold and platinum records as well as Grammy Awards, Anita Baker has won dozens of accolades for her contemporary R&B music. The star attended the city’s oldest public high school, Central High School, which was founded in 1858. Credit: Shutterstock
Southeastern: Dej Loaf Deja Trimble, also known as Dej Loaf, is a rapper hailing from Detroit who rose to stardom after releasing hit singles like “Try Me” and “Back Up” with Big Sean. She attended Southeastern High School, which is now a school that focuses on technology and law. Credit: Courtesy of MOCAD
Northwestern: John Conyers Hailing from Highland Park, John Conyers became the longest-serving Black congressman. A co-founder of the Congressional Black Caucus, Conyers introduced a bill to study reparations for slavery in 1989 which he continued to do every year for three decades, though his legacy was tainted by sexual harassment allegations, resulting in his resignation from the U.S. House in 2017. Conyers is among notable alumni of Northwestern High School, which is now Detroit Collegiate Preparatory Academy. John Witherspoon, known for The Boondocks, also attended Northwestern. Credit: Joseph Sohm / Shutterstock.com
Detroit City: Kash Doll Arkeisha Knight, better known as the Kash Doll, used to perform locally, but then blew up after posting Instagram videos of her rapping. Her popular singles include “Ice Me Out” and “For Everybody.” The rapper attended Detroit City High School, which closed in 2012 and was demolished in 2016. Credit: Kahn Santori Davison
Mumford: Jerry Bruckheimer Film and television producer Jerry Bruckheimer — who is credited for massive films like Bad Boys, Top Gun, Pirates of the Caribbean, Black Hawk Down, and more — grew up in Detroit. He graduated from Mumford High School in 1961. Credit: Shutterstock
Henry Ford: Monica Conyers Monica Conyers, who attended Henry Ford High School, was elected to Detroit City Council in 2005. She also helped troubled teens and was a vice administrator for Detroit Public Schools. In 2009, Conyers went to prison for bribery, and was released in 2013. Credit: Screengrab, YouTube
Frank Cody: Tee Grizzley Detroit rapper Tee Grizzley, born Terry Sanchez Wallace Jr., rose to fame after being released from prison in 2016 and dropping his most popular song, the viral hit “First Day Out.” Credit: Kahn Santori Davison
Southwestern: Ben Carson Ben Carson is a politician, public servant, author, and retired neurosurgeon. After unsuccessfully running for president of the United States, he later joined the administration of his one-time rival Donald Trump, serving as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Carson attended Southwestern High School, which ceased operations in 2012. Credit: Shutterstock
Pershing: Tim Meadows If you have seen the 2004 teen comedy Mean Girls, you probably remember the sarcastic and oddly humorous Principal Duvall portrayed by Tim Meadows, who was also one of the longest tenured cast members on Saturday Night Live. Before the fame though, Meadows was raised in Detroit and went to Pershing High School before studying radio and TV broadcasting at Wayne State. Credit: Courtesy of the Blind Pig
Osborn: Proof Besides being one of Eminem’s good friends and hype man, Proof was also a member of the group D12. In 2006, Proof was gunned down after an altercation over a game of pool. Alongside Proof, rapper Esham also attended Osborn High School. Credit: Timothy M. Moore / Wikimedia Commons
Northeastern: Berry Gordy Jr. Born in Detroit, Berry Gordy Jr. was the founder of Motown Records, one of the most successful and influential record labels in the history of American music. Gordy’s contributions to the music industry revolutionized popular music and helped to promote Black artists on a global scale. The producer, who is currently 94 years old and living in Los Angeles, went to Northeastern High School, which closed in 1982. Credit: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com
Denby: 42 Dugg Detroit rapper 42 Dugg, born Dion Marquise Hayes, is known for his work with Lil Baby and Yo Gotti. He attended Denby High School, but later dropped out. Credit: Kahn Santori Davison
U of D Jesuit: Sam Richardson American actor and comedian Sam Richardson is known for his roles in Veep and Ted Lasso. He also co-created and co-starred in the Comedy Central series Detroiters alongside Tim Robinson. Richardson went to the University of Detroit Jesuit all-boys high school, which was founded in 1877. (Robinson went to Clarkston High School.) Credit: Shutterstock
Mackenzie: Tom Skerritt Tom Skerritt has starred in 40 films and over 200 television episodes. The Detroit Mackenzie High School graduate and Wayne State University attendee’s career has included memorable roles in M*A*S*H, Alien, Top Gun, and more. Mackenzie High School ceased operations in 2007. Credit: Shutterstock
Martin Luther King Jr. Senior: George Gervin George Gervin, nicknamed “the Iceman,” is a former basketball player who became one of the NBA’s greatest scoring guards of all time and a five-time All-NBA first team selection. He went to Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School in Detroit before heading to Eastern Michigan University for college. He went on to play for the San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls. Credit: Wikimedia Commons, lam_chihang
Renaissance: Andrew Keenan-Bolger Andrew Keenan-Bolger is an American actor and filmmaker best known for originating the roles of Crutchie in Newsies and Jesse Tuck in Tuck Everlasting on Broadway. His other Broadway credits include playing Robertson Ay in Mary Poppins, Jojo in Seussical, and Chip in Beauty and the Beast. People from Renaissance can have almost as much pride about their high school as people from Cass, but where are the notable alumni? There’s some, but this is the best we could find. Credit: IMDb
Finney: Maria Ewing You may only know of this one if you’re a fan of opera. Born in Detroit in 1950, some regarded Maria Ewing as one of the most compelling singing actresses of her generation. She went to Finney High School on the city’s east side, which is now the site of East English Village Preparatory Academy. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
East English Village Prep: Desmond King Newly built in 2012 on the site of Finney, EEV Prep has its own set of somewhat famous alumni. NFL player Desmond King set a Michigan high school record with 29 interceptions. Since being drafted in 2017, he has played for the Los Angeles Chargers, Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans, and Pittsburgh Steelers. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Redford: Michael Dunn In the 1960s, Michael Dunn was an actor and singer with dwarfism best known for his role as the recurring antagonist in the television series The Wild Wild West. He moved to Dearborn at the age of 4 and attended Redford High School in Detroit. Redford was demolished in 2012 and became the site of Meijer in 2015. Credit: Wikimedia Commons, CBS Television
Crockett: Brandon Graham NFL player Brandon Graham started his football journey in Detroit. He attended Crockett Vocational Tech, which didn’t start participating in Michigan’s athletics or have a proper locker room until after 1996. Since the football field at Crockett had no lights, parents had to shine their car lights on the field during late practices. Still, Graham flourished in his early football career, becoming a Super Bowl champion with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Western International: Ken Doherty Ken Doherty, born John Kenneth Dohertym, was a star athlete, college track and field coach, author, and longtime director of the Penn Relays. He attended Detroit’s Western High School, where he did not initially earn a letter, later joking that he received one at the end of high school for “long and faithful service.” While studying at the University of Michigan, Doherty won the American decathlon championship in 1928 and 1929 and earned a bronze medal at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Murray-Wright: Rosalind Ashford Born in 1943, Rosalind “Roz” Ashford-Holmes is an American soprano R&B and soul singer. She gained fame as an original member of the Motown group Martha and the Vandellas. It was during her time at Wilbur Wright High School where she developed a strong passion for music, participating in the glee club and mixed choruses. The all-girls school later merged with the all-boys Phillip Murray High School to form Murray-Wright. Credit: Wikimedia Commons, Gordy Records
Kettering: Eric Money Retired American professional basketball player Eric Money attended Kettering High School in Detroit, where he played alongside future NBA players Lindsay Hairston and Coniel Norman. He helped Kettering win the 1971 Detroit Public School League title. Money was drafted by the Detroit Pistons in the second round of the 1974 NBA draft and began his NBA career at the age of 19. Credit: National Basketball Retired Players Association
Chadsey: Renaldo Hill NFL player Renaldo Hill attended Chadsey High School, where he was a four-year starting defensive back before going on to play in the pros from 2001-2010 with the Arizona Cardinals, Oakland Raiders, Miami Dolphins, and Denver Broncos. Chadsey was demolished in 2011. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Holy Redeemer: Tom Boisture Another NFL player and beloved football coach, Tom Boisture began his journey at Detroit’s Holy Redeemer High School, before moving on to a career in professional football. He played for several NFL teams including the Detroit Lions, New York Giants, and Cincinnati Bengals before becoming a high school and college coach. He died in 2011. Credit: Volk Leber Funeral Home
Detroit’s Cass Technical High School has produced many famous alumni. Credit: Albert duce, Wikimedia Creative Commons

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Layla McMurtrie is the digital editor of Detroit Metro Times. She's passionate about art, music, food, and Detroit's culture and community. Her work has been featured in the Detroit Free Press, Between...