For over thirty years, students at Northern High have worked hard to achieve and explore their unique potential. In partnership with a supportive community, under the guidance of dedicated educators and staff, our students continue to carry on Forest Hills’ tradition of academic excellence. At Northern, we take pride in our diverse student population and provide opportunities for all students to succeed in a comprehensive academic program, as well as a wide variety of sports and co-curricular activities.

We value the communication we have within our school, with our families and community and hope you find this website useful. The content covers a broad range of school-related topics. For further questions, please feel free to contact us at (616) 493-8600.

Mission Statement

In partnership with our community, Forest Hills Public Schools will provide all learners with opportunities to acquire the knowledge, skills, and experiences necessary to build meaningful and productive lives.

High School Overview

2021-2022 Total Enrollment:  1157

Students Per Grade Level:

• Ninth Grade – 210
• Tenth Grade – 300
• Eleventh Grade – 299
• Twelfth Grade – 288

Athletics:

Team Name: Huskies
Colors: Columbia Blue and Black
Northern High Athletics Website

Annual Education Report

History of Northern High School

Forest Hills Northern High School opened its doors in the fall of 1972 to 504 students grades 9 – 11.  The school was under the direction of Jack Lane, principal and Robert VandenBerg, assistant principal when it first opened.  No senior class existed the first year, allowing the final Forest Hills High School to graduate together.  Forest Hills Northern High School was founded on the principles of family, excellence, and tradition.  It was the hope of the first principal, Jack Lane, that “when this school is finally torn down, it will have donated to the world young men and women who have learned to love all peoples of the world”.  Northern students, parents, and staff have worked hard to live up to that expectation.  During this time, there have been six principals at Northern High:  Jack Lane (1972-1981), Paul Northuis (1981-1985), Robert Olsen (1985-1991), Gloria Graber (1992-2003), Thomas VanderWoude (2003-2006), Jon Gregory (2006-present).  We now have 1,166 students from over 25 different nations, some war refugees, and others who have simply chosen to live in America.  Northern has become a welcoming and unique school.

Our great pride has been the success of our students in academics, extracurricular activities, and giving back to the community. Northern students are learning and succeeding at hundreds of colleges and universities such as Northwestern, Harvard, Dartmouth, MIT, Duke, Oberlin, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Johns Hopkins, Case Western Reserve, Notre Dame, George Washington, and many more.  Husky athletics has earned 24 state championships in Football, Volleyball, Boys’ Swimming and Diving, Boys’ and Girls’ Golf, Boys’ and Girls’ Track and Field, Boys’ and Girls’ Tennis and Boys’ Cross-Country.  Most importantly, we take great pride in the Northern students who have become involved and contributing members of their communities and around the world.  Husky students amass over 10,000 hours of volunteering every year and have done such things as raise the money for and build a house for Habitat for Humanity, dance for 24 hours to raise money for Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, and raise money for a number of other charities annually.