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Portage Central High School

Public Grades 9-12
17th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 739 Michigan High Schools
Better than 98% of Michigan high schools
Summary

Portage Central High School is a public high school serving 1,385 students in grades 9-12 in Portage, Michigan. The school is part of the Portage Public Schools district, which is ranked 95 out of 613 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. Portage Central High School has consistently been ranked among the top high schools in Michigan, with a statewide ranking as high as 17 out of 739 schools in the 2024-2025 school year.

Portage Central High School excels academically, with 65.4% of 11th-grade students proficient or better in M-Step/Science, compared to 52.9% for the Portage Public Schools district and 34.9% for the state of Michigan. The school also demonstrates strong college readiness, with 84.6% of 11th-grade students proficient or better in SAT/Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, significantly higher than the district and state averages. Additionally, the school maintains a high 4-year graduation rate of 98.5% and a low dropout rate of 1.1%, both of which are notably better than the district and state.

When compared to other high schools in the Portage Public Schools district, Portage Central High School consistently outperforms its counterparts, Portage Northern High School and Portage Community High School, in academic proficiency, graduation rates, and overall school rankings. This sustained excellence and commitment to providing a well-rounded education make Portage Central High School a standout institution in the state of Michigan.

1,391
Students ?
20.7
Student/teacher ratio ?
$13,629
Per pupil spending ?
10.5%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 8135 S Westnedge Ave
       Portage, MI  49002-5433

(269) 323-5200

District: Portage Public Schools


Feeder schools for Portage Central High School:

Elementary:    Central Elementary School
    Lake Center Elementary School
    Moorsbridge Elementary School
    Woodland Elementary School
Middle:    Portage Central Middle School
Racial breakdown:

White:
75.1%
Asian:
8.6%
Two or more races:
7.2%
more
 See top rated Michigan high schools

 Compare Portage Central High School to nearby high schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Improving — 90th percentile in 2015 → 98th in 2025
Strengths
Test scores above the Michigan average (69% vs 40% meeting standards)
Ranks in the top 2% of Michigan high schools
98% graduate in 4 years — above the Michigan average (83%)
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school69%
District avg58%
Michigan avg40%
17th of 739
Michigan public high schools ?
Top 2%▲ up 7 pts since 2015
From top 10% (2015) to top 2% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Michigan High Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
1st of 2High Schools in the Portage Public Schools
95th of 613Portage Public Schools among Michigan districts
Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202596.617 of 73997.7%★★★★★
202492.945 of 74393.9%★★★★★
202371.4176 of 73576.1%★★★★☆
202293.141 of 53192.3%★★★★★
202193.431 of 56194.5%★★★★★
201988.468 of 66689.8%★★★★☆
201888.571 of 82491.4%★★★★★
201789.066 of 83592.1%★★★★★
201686.887 of 85289.8%★★★★☆
201586.980 of 83290.4%★★★★★
201491.448 of 79994.0%★★★★★
201386.889 of 80588.9%★★★★☆
201293.833 of 77395.7%★★★★★
201184.973 of 78490.7%★★★★★
201089.836 of 76595.3%★★★★★
200990.641 of 75494.6%★★★★★
200889.253 of 75092.9%★★★★★
200789.739 of 76794.9%★★★★★
200689.642 of 70594.0%★★★★★

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202590.66 of 6991.3%★★★★★
202484.710 of 7085.7%★★★★☆
202347.434 of 6346.0%★★☆☆☆
202262.815 of 3151.6%★★★☆☆
201867.837 of 8757.5%★★★☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202596.713 of 62997.9%★★★★★
202490.045 of 61992.7%★★★★★
202372.9123 of 61179.9%★★★★☆
202287.451 of 41687.7%★★★★☆
202191.130 of 46293.5%★★★★★
201985.861 of 55489.0%★★★★☆
201875.9147 of 71079.3%★★★★☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202594.59 of 20395.6%★★★★★
202496.15 of 19597.4%★★★★★
202357.766 of 19065.3%★★★☆☆
201987.58 of 9791.8%★★★★★
201882.328 of 20186.1%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202586.158 of 63590.9%★★★★★
202463.6193 of 65470.5%★★★★☆
202344.1342 of 61444.3%★★☆☆☆
202288.334 of 36990.8%★★★★★
201955.2223 of 53258.1%★★★☆☆
201885.764 of 75591.5%★★★★★

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202594.524 of 62896.2%★★★★★
202492.736 of 63394.3%★★★★★
202361.0207 of 61166.1%★★★☆☆
202295.030 of 44093.2%★★★★★
202192.131 of 47293.4%★★★★★
201986.261 of 54388.8%★★★★☆
201891.744 of 70793.8%★★★★★

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202599.11 of 12799.2%★★★★★
202466.529 of 10572.4%★★★★☆
202372.324 of 11078.2%★★★★☆
202247.717 of 3246.9%★★★☆☆
202157.711 of 2454.2%★★★☆☆
201872.330 of 9367.7%★★★★☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202433.687 of 13033.1%★★☆☆☆
201895.55 of 31598.4%★★★★★

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202593.328 of 63995.6%★★★★★
202488.058 of 63890.9%★★★★★
202360.1224 of 64765.4%★★★☆☆
202291.349 of 49290.0%★★★★★
202191.041 of 51692.1%★★★★★
201984.378 of 58286.6%★★★★☆
201884.684 of 70888.1%★★★★☆
How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)
Multi-racial (2025)99th percentile~ school
Female (2025)98th percentile~ school
Male (2025)96th percentile~ school
White (2025)96th percentile~ school
Hispanic (2025)96th percentile~ school
Asian (2025)91st percentile-6 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)91st percentile-7 vs school
Special Education (2024)33rd percentile-61 vs school
By subject vs Michigan (2024-2025) ?
Evidence-Based Reading and Writing85%+29 vs state
Social Studies69%+27 vs state
Science65%+30 vs state
Mathematics55%+28 vs state

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Frequently Asked Questions about Portage Central High School

Yes! Portage Central High School is one of the best high schools in the state. It ranks 17th of 739 Michigan high schools.

Students at Portage Central High School are 75% White, 9% Asian, 7% Two or more races, 6% Hispanic, 3% African American.

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,391 students attended Portage Central High School.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Michigan Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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