Forest Hills Central High School is located in Ada Township, Michigan, near Grand Rapids. 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.
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.
The demographic breakdown of the 1,315 students enrolled in 2015-16 was:
GENDER
ETHNIC BACKGROUND
7.1% of the students were eligible for free or reduced-cost lunch.
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:
The Grand Rapids Supplemental School (ã°ã©ã³ãÂÂã©ãÂÂãÂÂãºè£Âç¿ÂæÂÂæ¥Âæ ¡ Gurando Rappizu Hoshà « Jugyà  Kà Â), a part-time Japanese school, holds its classes at the high school.
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.