Forest Hills Central High School became the first high school of the newly formed Forest Hills School District in the fall of 1958. The doors opened in September with only freshman and sophomore students. The first graduating class was 1961. The school was memorable for its campus style construction consisting eventually of thirteen separate buildings, including an auditorium added in 1977. The classroom buildings were long hallways, which connected five or six individual rooms. Michigan winters were not amenable to the open campus and the constant walks outside from building to building. In addition, the student population continued to grow, and the buildings began to quickly deteriorate. In 1986, Central High was completely rebuilt with the exception of the auditorium, the gymnasium, the cafeteria, and the art/industrial arts wing, all of which were incorporated into one new building. Since that time, the school has undergone numerous building and remodeling projects. In 2009, the building underwent a multimillion-dollar construction project that included a new weight room, student and staff parking lots, main office renovation, athletic field entrance, athletic office, classrooms, and a new gym entrance and foyer. Also added to the new gym entrance were heated sidewalks. In 2010, the auditorium was remodeled.
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.
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 state runner-up
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.
Skiing – 1996 state champions
Soccer – 2004, 2015 state champions
Swimming and diving
Tennis – 1998, 2003 state champions, 2001, 2002, 2011 runner-up, 2014 state champions, 2015 state champions, 2016 state champions
Wrestling
Girls' sports
Basketball
Bowling
Cross-country
Field hockey
Golf
Gymnastics
Lacrosse
Skiing — 2017 state champions
Soccer – 2005, 2007, 2008, 2017 state champions, 2003 runner-up
Softball
Swimming and diving – 1993, 1994 state champions, 1995, 2007 runner-up
