Central High School

This school is alright. Most of the times students do not wear their uniforms. Almost all the students are disrespectful to their teachers. This school needs more discipline like Catholic Central High School.
—Submitted by a parent

My son enjoys good friends, small centered classrooms, a unique Montessori setting and plays sports with a strong ethic of fairness and good sportsmanship. I appreciate the opportunity to live in the city and have access to this school.
—Submitted by a parent

i am a senior at central high school and really enjoyed my years at this school. An there are some really nice an smart teachers at central that were always there to help.The only problems i had at central were security it should be better, an that parents need to get more involved with the school an support central athletics.
—Submitted by a student

I am a parent this is my daughters second year at Central. I truely believe if the parents were more involved in their kids life seeing what they do in school, keeping in touch with the teachers the kids would do much better. I am very involved and I make sure the teachers are just as involved ensuring them that I am serious about her education. When teachers know you are involved they tend too be more willing to help them in a time of need. I think everyone at the school is doing their part its the parents who don't have a clue.
—Submitted by a parent

I graduated from Central High School along with my two brothers and one sister. It was great experience all the way through and wouldn't tell anyone any different. During my last two years, my technology classes traveled to Seattle and New Orleans for technology conferences. Our school was the only school in MI selected for the nationwide conference! For anyone to down a great school like Central, they must remember that most ideas, behavoirs, and discriminations begin at home! Overall my four years at Central will be remembered forever...Mr. Grandy was the best principal the school will ever see, any school.
—Submitted by Molly (2004 Prom Queen) Stoliecki, a former student

Amazing to experience Central as a student, then read the perspective of the parents in these reviews. I graduated from Central High School. And although I wished there were more artistic and cultural programs(obviously lacking because of funding) I think the staff and Administration were doing what they could with the limited resources. In the end, it all breaks down to the individual student, and what they want for themselves. By the time kids attend high school they should already have a sense of what they want to accomplish even if they are still discovering what that may be. As far as racism, there's racism everywhere. I understand that makes school unpleasant but if they aren't exposed to it and then learn how to grow from it(not run away from) It's going to far more unpleasant when they face the less compassionate world after high school. Good Luck.
—Submitted by Any, a former student

I had taken my oldest daughter out of creston high in the middle of her sophomore because the teachers just didn't care enough to give kids a good education. From the time my daughter first walked into central, the staff made her feel good. The teachers and staff really cared about her education she went from a 2.3 to a 4.0 by her senior year. I have another daughter that is in the tenth grade this year and is doing just as well. I really feel good about the education my daughters received and continue to receive from central. The only thing I didn't like was the graduation. I did not care for the way it was run at all. I felt it was rushed and poorly organized. Our kids spent 13 years working for this and I thought it could of been a better night for them.
—Submitted by a parent

My dad and several of my friends graduated from CHS. I went there for a Calculus/Physics class back in the late 70's. It was a proud school and you felt safe back then. My son has gone there for four years and as a family we couldn't be more disappointed. Reverse discrimination, lack of classroom discipline, and fear are apart of every day. The environment to learn doesn't exist for the most part. Much of this can be blamed on parents that don't participate in their children's lives, but a good percent of the problem is the school, it's teachers and it's management. We enrolled our daughter in Catholic Central, an although costly, it's worth it to never have her exposed to what our son has had to endure!
—Submitted by a parent

Personally, I thought Central high school was the best thing that ever happened to me. The diversity helped me with my growth as a person. Yes, the curriculum was lacking but don't blame that on the school. If someone is a good student, they will go above and beyond the curriculum to learn. There were many opportunities to get involved with various clubs and organizations. If you want to send your child to a school that is recognized for its 'sports', then dont send them there. School is more then sports though. Sure, we didnt have much spirit when it came to sports but maybe it was because we were not suported by the city enough to get decent funding for the proper necesities for our sports. For example, why is Central the only public school in Grand Rapids without a pool? I asked myself that several times.
—Submitted by Erin Veldman, a former student

I attended and graduated from central highschool and i received an excellent education. I am now a current student of grand valley state university and with less than a year before i graduate i have been on the dean list semester after semester. Central never showed any signs of reverse discrimination, perheps the person who thought that is a racist themselves therefore ignorant to facts about students using there resources ie teachers, books, and facitlities to enhance their knowledge and succeed in life. More than the school, i had excellent parents who motivated me in education and maybe the person with the low opinion of gr central high school had absolutley no motivation from her/his parents and therefore blames the school instead of them for his/her lack of education. In a nutshell grow up...Highschool is what is, learn and move on.
—Submitted by Lisa Snider, a former student

I thought this school was quite lacking. Reverse discrimination runs rampant. There was no encouragement to take personal responsibility for your actions, just blame them all on society. The only reason I can read and write is because I attended private school before attending Central. Of course, I will be called all sorts of names for my opinions but let the test scores and the percentage of freshmen who actually graduate speak for themselves.
—Submitted by a former student

Central, I will admit, is a very diverse school. I've learned things about other people and other cultures that I would have never had been able to learn if I had gone to a 'click' or private school. I learned more than what was in the books; I was able to learn some street smarts and values for the real world. For these reasons, I'm glad that I attended Central and feel I'm a more well-rounded person. On the other hand, though I was in AP classes and always a grade ahead in sciences, I wasn't given as many opportunities as some other schools. We were offered Spanish, for example, but forget French, German, or Latin .
—Submitted by a former student