OT: SE Michigan public and private school recommendations?

Our kids are out of the house but an old pal from college with much younger kids is moving his family to SE Michigan this summer. He's a successful guy and was asking me about the state's schools. I'm hesitant to give advice because I'm probably a bit out of touch. In addition to our kids being done, I assume the landscape has changed since the Great Recession and the population losses over the last 20-25 years when our kids began school. I'm fairly sure Ann Arbor, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Rochester, Northville, Troy, Novi, Grosse Pointe still round out the top public districts, but do they still measure up to the best public districts nationally? I've read the state's schools have been slipping but I don't know if that's hyperbolic, or overall or also includes those top districts. If he decides to go private, you have $35K day schools Cranbrook Kingswood, Detroit Country Day, Greenhills or $17K Catholic schools including Ann Arbor FGR (coed), Detroit CC (m), Brother Rice (m), Marian (f), Mercy (f), UD Jesuit (m), Pontiac Notre Dame (coed)? Are there key differences between CK and DCDS? Catholic school parents generally send their children to the closest one to their home or are there notewothy distinctions? And any additional insights y'all can share would be appreciated.