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Portage Northern High School

Q: Is Portage Northern High School a good school?

Portage Northern High School ranks 133 rd of 800 Michigan high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

133^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 800 Michigan High Schools

Better than 83% of Michigan high schools

Summary

Portage Northern High School is a large public high school in Portage, MI, serving 1,194 students in grades 9-12 within the high-performing Portage Public Schools district.

Portage Northern is a consistently strong school, earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger for five consecutive years and ranking in the top 25% of Michigan high schools. Students here significantly outperform state averages in every core subject—for example, 66.7% are proficient in SAT Reading and Writing versus 52.1% statewide, and 37.6% are proficient in SAT Math versus 26.5% statewide. The school also boasts an impressive 94.8% graduation rate and a very low 1.6% dropout rate. When you compare it to nearby Loy Norrix High School in Kalamazoo Public Schools, the difference is stark—Loy Norrix has a 52.1% reading proficiency rate and an 83.9% graduation rate. Portage Northern clearly provides a high-quality education that prepares students well for life after high school.

However, there are a few areas worth noting. While the school excels with its general student population, its support for Special Education and low-income students has declined sharply in recent years, with rankings dropping from the 74th to 22nd percentile for Special Education students. Chronic absenteeism is also a persistent concern, hovering around 24-26%—meaning roughly a quarter of students miss 10% or more of the school year. Additionally, its sister school, Portage Central High School, just 2.6 miles away, currently outperforms it on nearly every metric, including a 97.8% graduation rate and higher test scores. Still, Portage Northern remains an excellent choice, offering strong academics, high graduation rates, and a stable learning environment that stands out favorably against most schools in the Kalamazoo area.

1,194

Students ?

18.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,291

Per pupil spending ?

22.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1000 Idaho Ave
Portage, MI 49024-1233

(616) 323-5400

District: Portage Public Schools

Feeder schools for Portage Northern High School:

Elementary:	Angling Road Elementary School
	Haverhill Elementary School
Middle:	Portage North Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

63.1%

Two or more races:

11.0%

African American:

10.2%

See top rated Michigan high schools

Compare Portage Northern High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 93rd percentile in 2016 → 83rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Michigan average (53% vs 43% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 17% of Michigan high schools

✓95% graduate in 4 years — above the Michigan average (84%)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2016

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school53%

District avg59%

Michigan avg43%

133^rd of 800

Michigan public high schools ?

Top 17%▼ down 9 pts since 2016

From top 7% (2016) to top 17% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3High Schools in the Portage Public Schools

130^th of 625Portage 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	76.8	133 of 800	83.4%	★★★★☆
2025	72.0	172 of 739	76.7%	★★★★☆
2024	77.4	132 of 743	82.2%	★★★★☆
2023	82.1	104 of 735	85.9%	★★★★☆
2022	83.4	86 of 531	83.8%	★★★★☆
2021	84.0	68 of 561	87.9%	★★★★☆
2019	90.6	55 of 666	91.7%	★★★★★
2018	83.3	114 of 824	86.2%	★★★★☆
2017	87.1	78 of 835	90.7%	★★★★★
2016	89.4	61 of 852	92.8%	★★★★★
2015	92.8	36 of 832	95.7%	★★★★★
2014	87.9	68 of 799	91.5%	★★★★★
2013	87.5	84 of 805	89.6%	★★★★☆
2012	87.7	78 of 773	89.9%	★★★★★
2011	83.1	97 of 784	87.6%	★★★★☆
2010	88.0	48 of 765	93.7%	★★★★★
2009	89.2	55 of 754	92.7%	★★★★★
2008	85.3	91 of 750	87.9%	★★★★☆
2007	88.2	53 of 767	93.1%	★★★★★
2006	84.4	82 of 705	88.4%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	57.1	82 of 252	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	54.3	71 of 192	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.8	39 of 188	79.3%	★★★★☆
2023	57.6	56 of 170	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.6	51 of 147	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.8	66 of 254	74.0%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	60.9	30 of 74	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.7	31 of 69	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	68.4	26 of 70	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.6	33 of 63	47.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.2	57 of 87	34.5%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	53.0	48 of 119	59.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	68.0	163 of 686	76.2%	★★★★☆
2025	68.6	167 of 629	73.4%	★★★★☆
2024	75.7	116 of 619	81.3%	★★★★☆
2023	76.5	102 of 611	83.3%	★★★★☆
2022	77.1	96 of 416	76.9%	★★★★☆
2021	81.3	65 of 462	85.9%	★★★★☆
2019	81.5	82 of 554	85.2%	★★★★☆
2018	80.7	109 of 710	84.6%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	53.9	99 of 259	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	50.0	96 of 203	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	82.3	24 of 195	87.7%	★★★★☆
2023	43.2	102 of 190	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.4	43 of 83	48.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	87.2	9 of 97	90.7%	★★★★★
2018	62.6	62 of 201	69.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	52.6	312 of 719	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	28.1	460 of 635	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	65.5	181 of 654	72.3%	★★★★☆
2023	67.4	164 of 614	73.3%	★★★★☆
2022	68.4	112 of 369	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.9	125 of 417	70.0%	★★★★☆
2019	66.4	140 of 532	73.7%	★★★★☆
2018	66.9	204 of 755	73.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	77.8	107 of 693	84.6%	★★★★☆
2025	66.1	183 of 628	70.9%	★★★★☆
2024	71.8	150 of 633	76.3%	★★★★☆
2023	80.6	99 of 611	83.8%	★★★★☆
2022	83.8	72 of 440	83.6%	★★★★☆
2021	77.8	74 of 472	84.3%	★★★★☆
2019	92.6	33 of 543	93.9%	★★★★★
2018	79.9	114 of 707	83.9%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	53.6	70 of 179	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	40.3	75 of 127	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.5	48 of 105	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	72.1	26 of 110	76.4%	★★★★☆
2022	35.9	21 of 32	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	65.1	8 of 24	66.7%	★★★★☆
2019	72.5	10 of 36	72.2%	★★★★☆
2018	50.7	41 of 93	55.9%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	24.9	171 of 220	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	36.7	79 of 125	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	64.5	34 of 130	73.8%	★★★★☆
2023	59.7	46 of 116	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	70.8	36 of 315	88.6%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	76.2	119 of 671	82.3%	★★★★☆
2025	75.4	126 of 639	80.3%	★★★★☆
2024	72.0	140 of 638	78.1%	★★★★☆
2023	82.2	91 of 647	85.9%	★★★★☆
2022	84.0	75 of 492	84.8%	★★★★☆
2021	83.0	71 of 516	86.2%	★★★★☆
2019	91.0	44 of 582	92.4%	★★★★★
2018	83.0	94 of 708	86.7%	★★★★☆

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)

Male (2026)85th percentile~ school

White (2026)82nd percentile~ school

Female (2026)76th percentile-7 vs school

African American (2026)67th percentile-16 vs school

Hispanic (2026)62nd percentile-22 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)61st percentile-22 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)60th percentile-24 vs school

Asian (2026)59th percentile-24 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)57th percentile-27 vs school

Special Education (2026)22nd percentile-61 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts69%+10 vs state

Evidence-Based Reading and Writing67%+15 vs state

Social Studies52%+8 vs state

Mathematics43%+11 vs state

Science43%+8 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, December 14, 2017

Great !

Schools Near Portage Northern High School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				PSAT English Language Arts (2026)		PSAT Mathematics (2026)		SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (2026)	SAT Mathematics (2026)	M-Step Science (2026)	M-Step Social Studies (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT English Language Arts 9th Grade	PSAT English Language Arts 10th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 9th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 10th Grade	SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	M-Step Science 11th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Portage Northern High School	Public	9-12	1000 Idaho Ave	Portage	49024	Kalamazoo County	Portage Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 323-5400	1,194	64	18.7	22.4%	754 (63.1%)	122 (10.2%)	108 (9.0%)	76 (6.4%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	131 (11.0%)	76.8	133^rd of 800 public high schools	83.4%		72	172^nd of 739 public high schools	76.7%	39	71.0	66.5	45.8	40.6	66.7	37.6	42.9	51.6	$14,291	$643	$13,647
Portage Community High School	Public	9-12	1010 W Milham Ave	Portage	49024	Kalamazoo County	Portage Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 323-6700	137	11	12.4	59.9%	83 (60.6%)	22 (16.1%)	10 (7.3%)	4 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (13.1%)	13.1	676^th of 800 public high schools	15.5%					(n/a)		367.5		321.3	418.7	373.0	13.0	21.7	$26,447	$813	$25,635
Loy Norrix High School	Public	9-12	606 E Kilgore Rd	Kalamazoo	49001	Kalamazoo County	Kalamazoo Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 337-0200	1,785	80	22.3	53.4%	727 (40.7%)	495 (27.7%)	297 (16.6%)	29 (1.6%)	20 (1.1%)	1 (0.1%)	216 (12.1%)	54.6	318^th of 800 public high schools	60.3%		60.7	268^th of 739 public high schools	63.7%	50	53.1	54.9	27.0	29.1	52.1	26.9	43.6	48.3	$15,714	$1,412	$14,302
Kalamazoo Innovative Learning Program	Public	9-12	600 W Vine St	Kalamazoo	49008	Kalamazoo County	Kalamazoo Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 548-0190	137	4	34.2	84.7%	31 (22.6%)	69 (50.4%)	11 (8.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (18.2%)	25.9	565^th of 800 public high schools	29.4%		26.6	524^th of 739 public high schools	29.1%	41	357.9	26.9	292.9	351.9	27.8	327.2	2078.4	44.4	$12,805	$999	$11,806
Portage Central High School	Public	9-12	8135 S Westnedge Ave	Portage	49002	Kalamazoo County	Portage Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 323-5200	1,391	67	20.7	10.5%	1,045 (75.1%)	45 (3.2%)	82 (5.9%)	119 (8.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	100 (7.2%)	93.2	37^th of 800 public high schools	95.4%		96.6	17^th of 739 public high schools	97.7%	20	78.5	83.7	53.4	56.1	76.0	53.5	62.6	69.0	$13,565	$517	$13,048
Kalamazoo Prep Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	400 W Crosstown Pkwy	Kalamazoo	49001	Kalamazoo County	Kalamazoo Prep Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(734) 358-9775	184	6	30.1	82.1%	42 (22.8%)	106 (57.6%)	18 (9.8%)	4 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (7.6%)								(n/a)	14.3	372.1	308.6	338.4		316.2	2073.8	2081.7	$10,364	$88	$10,276
Phoenix Alternative High School	Public	9-12	1411 Oakland Dr	Kalamazoo	49008	Kalamazoo County	Kalamazoo Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 337-0760	219	14	15.6	78.1%	54 (24.7%)	112 (51.1%)	21 (9.6%)	7 (3.2%)	4 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (9.6%)	2.9	794^th of 800 public high schools	0.7%		4.5	720^th of 739 public high schools	2.6%	74	318.3	323.4	300.8	302.4	5.3	334.4	2066.9	9.4	$20,306	$1,480	$18,826
Transition Services	Public	9-12	1411 Oakland Dr	Kalamazoo	49008	Kalamazoo County	Kalamazoo Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 337-0161	17	0	17.0	58.8%	5 (29.4%)	6 (35.3%)	1 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (29.4%)								(n/a)									$42,096	$3,996	$38,100
Kalamazoo Area Math and Science Center	Public	9-12	600 W Vine St	Kalamazoo	49008	Kalamazoo County	Kalamazoo Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 337-0004	0	10	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Career Connect Campus	Public	9-12	3500 Vanrick Dr	Kalamazoo	49001	Kalamazoo County	Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(269) 443-7517	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Portage Northern High School

What district is Portage Northern High School in?

Portage Public Schools

Is Portage Northern High School a good school?

Portage Northern High School ranks 133^rd of 800 Michigan high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Portage Northern High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,194 students attended Portage Northern High School.

What is the racial makeup of Portage Northern High School?

Students at Portage Northern High School are 63% White, 11% Two or more races, 10% African American, 9% Hispanic, 6% Asian.

What schools feed into Portage Northern High School?

Portage Northern High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Angling Road Elementary School
Elementary : Haverhill Elementary School
Middle : Portage North Middle School

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Latest Michigan data All new data »

2025–26 M-Step, PSAT & SAT test scoresSep 4, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataJan 6, 2026

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.