Prior to the opening of the school, students attended the nearby Miller School.
Henry Ford contributed most of the money that was used to build the school. Fordson was named as such since the community of Fordson was originally separate from Dearborn, prior to the year the school opened. The cost to construct the campus was $2,500,000. Ground was broken for the original school building in 1926, with representatives from each of the four entering grades participating. The senior class president was George E. Sarkozy, who participated in the ceremony. The school was designed by architect Everett Lane Williams of the
Detroit architectural firm Van Leyen, Schilling & Keough. The school building, designed in the
Collegiate Gothic style, was inspired in part by the buildings of the
University of Michigan Law School in
Ann Arbor, Michigan as well as the
Rushton and
Apethore halls in
Northamptonshire, England.
Henry Ford Community College began operations at Fordson High. The college initially held classes in the Fordson basement. and the architects of the addition, TMP architecture. In 2007, the athletic facilities underwent an extensive renovation. The natural turf varsity football field and the practice field on the eastern side of the athletic campus were replaced by
AstroTurf surfaces. The track and tennis courts were also renovated. Beyond the tennis courts on the northern side of the campus, trees were planted when a seldom used sidewalk was demolished. Sarkozy field, the prior soccer field for the school was sold to the city of
Dearborn for $800,000. The total cost before the sale was $1.6 million.
2000s onward School administration: The current principal of Fordson (2025-2026) is alumnus Chadi Farhat. In 2009 the
Wayne County Regional Education Service Agency issued a report strongly asking Fordson High's administration to only use Arabic when absolutely necessary to communicate to students and parents. The school district administration stated they disagreed with the decision and would not enact it. Fordson is located in
Dearborn, the largest Arab community outside the Middle East, where more than 40% of the residents are of Arab ancestry. This is reflected at Fordson, where approximately, as of 2006, 95% of the 2,700 student body is
of Arab ancestry. According to SchoolMatters, in 2006, 91.6% of students passed the Michigan reading test while 80.4% passed the math portion. Of the students taking the
ACT, the average score was 19.7 out of a possible 36. According to the 2015 Mackinac Center Report, Fordson High School was ranked the 13th Best Non-Charter Public High School in the State of Michigan due to gains over the last five years of all subgroups. In 2011, North Shore Films produced
Fordson- Faith, Fasting, Football and the American Dream, highlighting the Fordson football tradition and its deep roots within the Dearborn community. ==Campus==