Forest Hills Central High School is located in Ada Township, Michigan, near Grand Rapids."2010 Census - Census Block Map: Ada township, MI (Part 2) (Archive). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on April 6, 2015. See Part 1 of Ada Township (Archive), See Overall (Archive)"Contact Us." Forest Hills Central High School. Retrieved on April 6, 2015. "Central High School 5901 Hall Street SE Grand Rapids, MI 49546" It is one of three high schools in the Forest Hills Public Schools system. The district also includes Forest Hills Eastern High School and Forest Hills Northern High School.
History
Forest Hills Central High School (originally "Forest Hills High School") became the first high school of the newly formed Forest Hills School District in the fall of 1958. The school opened in September with only freshman and sophomore students. The first graduating class was in 1961.
The school was notable for its campus-style construction, which eventually consisted of thirteen separate buildings, including an auditorium added in 1977. The classroom buildings were designed as long hallways connecting five or six individual rooms. However, Michigan winters were not well suited to the open campus design, requiring students to walk outside between buildings. In addition, the student population continued to grow, and the buildings began to deteriorate.
In 1986, Central High was completely rebuilt, with the exception of the auditorium, gymnasium, cafeteria, and art and industrial arts wing, all of which were incorporated into a new building. Since that time, the school has undergone numerous construction and renovation projects.
In 2009, the building underwent a multimillion-dollar construction project that included a new weight room, student and staff parking lots, a renovated main office, an athletic field entrance, an athletic office, additional classrooms, and a new gym entrance and foyer. Heated sidewalks were also installed at the gym entrance. In 2010, the auditorium was remodeled. Beginning in 2025, the school has been under an extensive multi-million dollar renovation project, completely remodeling most of the campus's main building.
Demographics The demographic breakdown of the 1,315 students enrolled in 2015-16 was:
GENDER Male - 49.0% Female - 51.0%
ETHNIC BACKGROUND
Native American/Alaskan - 0.3% Asian - 6.2% Black - 2.5% Hispanic - 1.7% White - 85.6% Multiracial - 3.7% 7.1% of the students were eligible for free or reduced-cost lunch. During the 2026-2027 school year, all students will receive free meals, regardless of federal income requirements.
Athletics Forest Hills Central's athletic teams compete under the "Rangers" mascot. Most teams compete in the Ottawa-Kent Conference White division. Forest Hills Central offers the following varsity sports:
Boys' sports Baseball Basketball Bowling Cross-country Football – 1994, 2022 state runner-up Division 2, 2023 Champions Division 3 Golf – 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2010 state runner-up, 2009, 2011 state champions Hockey Lacrosse – 2007 was the first year of competition separate from Forest Hills Northern. Prior to that, the two schools fielded a combined team. 1990 state champions, 2008 runners-up. 2010 Division II State Champions. 2012 Division II State Champions 2013 Division II state runners-up. 2016 State Champions, 2018 Runner Up State Champions, 2019 State Champions, 2022 State Champions, 2023 State Champions. Skiing – 1996 state champions Rowing — 2022 JV4+ SRAA Nationals 3rd place medalist, 2023 Varsity 4+ SRAA Nationals 3rd place medalist Soccer – 2004, 2015 state champions Swimming and diving Tennis – 1998, 2003, 2014, 2015 state champions; 2001, 2002, 2011, 2012, 2016 runner-up Wrestling
Girls' sports Basketball Bowling Cross-country Competitive cheer Field hockey Golf Gymnastics Lacrosse Rowing – 2022 JV8+ SRAA Nationals 7th place finisher Skiing – 2017 state champions Soccer – 2005, 2007, 2008, 2017, 2022 state champions; 2003 runner-up Softball Swimming and diving – 1993, 1994 state champions, 1995, 2007 runner-up Tennis – 1985, 2023 state runner-up Track and field Volleyball – 1986, 1987 state runner-up Water polo Wrestling – 2020 state champions
Other Sports:
Equestrian Team
Weekend education The Grand Rapids Supplemental School (グランドラピッズ補習授業校 Gurando Rappizu Hoshū Jugyō Kō), a part-time Japanese school, holds its classes at the high school."北米の補習授業校一覧（平成25年4月15日現在）." () MEXT. Retrieved on May 5, 2014. "Forest Hills Central High School 5901 Hall St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 U.S.A."
Notable alumni Adam Grinwis (born 1992, class of 2010), professional soccer player Reed Timmer (born 1980, class of 1998) American meteorologist and storm chaser. Kyle Visser (born 1985, class of 2003), professional basketball playerKyle Visser , Wake Forest. Accessed February 21, 2017. "Forest Hills Central High School in Grand Rapids, Mich., 2003" Gretchen Whitmer (born 1971, class of 1989), 49th Governor of Michigan Annette Ziegler (born 1964, class of 1982), Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court Kim Zimmer (born 1955), actress, Guiding Light and Santa BarbaraSanford, James. "Kim Zimmer talks about portraying Norma Desmond in the Barn Theatre's Sunset Boulevard", The Ann Arbor News, August 21, 2011. Accessed February 21, 2017. "Written in a free-wheeling 'Can-we-talk?' style, the book chronicles her journey from Forest Hills Central High School and Hope College to San Francisco, New York and, naturally, the mythical town of Springfield, where Zimmer ruled the roost for more than 25 years as Reva Shayne, the guiding light of the CBS daytime drama The Guiding Light."
In popular culture In the film American Pie, the "Central Chicks" and "Central" Lacrosse team that East Great Falls High School plays against is an amalgam of Forest Hills Central High School. East Great Falls, in turn, is based on the nearby East Grand Rapids High School.
References