Portage Northern High School is a high school in Portage, Michigan. Northern High School serves 1,420 students from ninth through twelfth grades. In addition to meeting the regular education needs of students living in the PNHS attendance area, the school also houses several special education programs that address the needs of students throughout the Portage district. In addition, Northern is one of nine Michigan high schools currently authorized to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, a rigorous curriculum for grades 11 and 12 that focuses on globalism and interdisciplinary study.HistoryPortage Northern was built in 1965 to accommodate overcrowding at Portage Central High School, the school's crosstown rival. In 2007, Portage voters approved a bond issue that funded major renovations at Portage Northern as well as an entirely new Central High School. The renovations concluded in 2011.AcademicsThe school currently employs 136 faculty and staff, including 89 teachers. The school most recently earned a composite grade of B from the Michigan Department of Education based on standardized test achievement. Portage Northern High School's Media Center has been voted as the best Media program in Michigan. It holds a place as one of the nations top 35 by the American Association for School Librarians.Portage Northern also offers students a variety of both EFE (Education for Employment), and EFA (Education for the Arts). These programs include Furniture and Cabinetry, Animal Technology, Teaching, and Visual Design; all of these programs will give students the ability to personally learn and work hands on and discover what they would like to choose as a career, as well as fill in any academic requirements for those who would like to graduate.
