Kalamazoo Central High School is a four-year

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan are ...

serving students from ninth through twelfth grades. It was the first public high school in Michigan. It began operating in 1858 and graduated its first class of five men and three women in 1859. It moved to its current location in 1972. It is rated Class A by the

Michigan High School Athletic Association The Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) is a service organization for high school sports in Michigan and is headquartered in East Lansing, Michigan, East Lansing. It is a member of the National Federation of State High School Assoc ...

(MHSAA). On May 4, 2010, the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

announced that Central High had won the first annual

Race to the Top Race to the Top (R2T, RTTT or RTT) was a $4.35 billion United States Department of Education competitive grant created to spur and reward innovation and reforms in state and local district K–12 education. Funded as part of the American Reco ...

High School Commencement Challenge and that President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

would deliver the school’s 2010 commencement address. Kalamazoo Central students are eligible for the

Kalamazoo Promise The Kalamazoo Promise is a pledge by a group of anonymous donors to pay up to 100 percent of tuition at many Michigan colleges and universities for graduates of the Kalamazoo Public Schools school district of Kalamazoo, Michigan. The Kalamazoo Prom ...

, which provides reduced or free college tuition for students attending public colleges in Michigan.

History

The first legal public high-school in Kalamazoo and in the state of Michigan began operating in 1858. The first class, consisting of five men and three women graduated in 1859.Kalamazoo Central High School History 1885-1898

Charles E. Stuart Charles Edward Stuart (November 25, 1810May 19, 1887) was a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from the state of Michigan. Biography Stuart was born in New York, either near Waterloo, New York, or in Columbia County. He studied law, was adm ...

sued the Kalamazoo School Board in 1874 alleging that the school-board's use of taxpayer money to fund secondary education was unconstitutional (up until that point taxpayers money was only for elementary schools). The School Board prevailed, setting a precedent allowing publicly funded secondary education throughout the country. In 1925 the school moved to the building currently known as Old Central High School at 714 South Westnedge. Old Central High School currently houses the Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center, or KAMSC. Following the largest graduating class of 799 students in 1960, some Central High School students transferred to the newly opened

Loy Norrix High School Loy Norrix High School is a high school located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serving students from grades nine through twelve. It is one of two high schools in the Kalamazoo Public Schools district. The student body totals at approximately 1,550. Th ...

in 1961. Central High School moved to its current location in 1972. After the introduction of the

scholarship program, the school along with the

Kalamazoo Public Schools Kalamazoo Public Schools is a school district headquartered in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Graduates of the district are eligible to receive scholarships through the Kalamazoo Promise, a program launched in 2005 and funded by anonymous donors. The dis ...

system was placed into the national spotlight highlighted with a

Katie Couric Katherine Anne Couric ( ; born January 7, 1957) is an American journalist and presenter. She is founder of Katie Couric Media, a multimedia news and production company. She also publishes a daily newsletter, ''Wake Up Call''. Since 2016, she ha ...

visit. Enrollment in KPS has risen significantly, and the surrounding area has begun to find economic benefits. Buddy Holly and the Crickets played a show in the Old Central High School Auditorium on April 28, 1958.

Demographics

The demographic breakdown of the 1,595 students enrolled in 2013-14 was: *Male - 48.7% *Female - 51.3% *Native American/Alaskan - 0.6% *Asian/Pacific islanders - 2.4% *Black - 49.1% *Hispanic - 8.7% *White - 33.7% *Multiracial - 5.5% 64.6% of the students were eligible for free or reduced lunch.

Student activities

The Choir program competes in the MSVMA (Michigan State Vocal Music Association). The

Mock Trial A mock trial is an act or imitation trial. It is similar to a moot court, but mock trials simulate lower-court trials, while moot court simulates appellate court hearings. Attorneys preparing for a real trial might use a mock trial consisti ...

team took first place at Nationals in 1996.

Athletics

Kalamazoo Central's Maroon Giants compete in the

Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference The Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference (also known as the SMAC or the Big 16) is a high school athletic conference in Southwestern Michigan. It is composed of Class A schools from the MHSAA in Berrien, Calhoun, Kalamazoo, and Van Buren c ...

. The school colors are maroon and white. The following MHSAA sanctioned sports are offered: *Bowling (boys & girls) *Football (boys) *Baseball (boys) *Basketball (boys & girls) **Boys state champion - 1932, 1938, 1949, 1950, 1951, 2010, 2011 *Softball (girls) *Soccer (boys & girls) *Track (boys & girls) **Boys state champion - 1933, 1942, 1965, 2024 *Tennis (boys & girls) **Boys state champion - 1937 **Girls state champion - 1972 *Wrestling (boys) *Swimming and Diving (boys & girls) *Lacrosse (boys & girls) ** *Ice hockey (boys) ** *Volleyball (girls) **State champion - 1996 *Golf (boys & girls) **Boys state champion - 1939, 1940 **Girls state champion - 1994, 1995, 1996 *Cross-Country (boys & girls) **Boys state champion - 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1930(tied), 1931, 1935, 1943, 1946, 1950, 1954 *Skiing (boys & girls) *Competitive cheer (girls) **Kalamazoo United teams with

Notable alumni

* Neil Berry, former

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

player (

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

) *

Don Boven Donald E. Boven (March 6, 1925 – March 10, 2011) was an American basketball player, coach, and university instructor. He was a World War II veteran who was a standout athlete at Western Michigan University. After playing professional basketball ...

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

basketball player * Jerome Harrison, former NFL running back (Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions) * Ron Jackson, former MLB player (

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

) *

Greg Jennings Gregory Jennings Jr. (born September 21, 1983) is an American sports television personality and former professional American football, football player who was a wide receiver for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with ...

, former NFL wide receiver (

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

)

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player,

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...

champion *

Derek Jeter Derek Sanderson Jeter ( ; born June 26, 1974), nicknamed "the Captain", is an American former professional baseball shortstop, businessman, and baseball executive. As a player, Jeter spent his entire 20-year Major League Baseball (MLB) caree ...

(1992), Captain of the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

(2003–2014), five-time

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...

champion and fourteen time All-Star, member High School Athletic Hall of Fame *

Jordan Klepper Jordan Klepper (born March 9, 1979) is an American comedian. He began his career as a member of The Second City and Upright Citizens Brigade. From 2014 to 2017, he was a correspondent on ''The Daily Show''. He started his own satirical program, ...

, comedian * Danny Lewis (born 1970), American-English basketball player *

Isaiah Livers Isaiah Maurice Livers ( ; born July 28, 1998) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and is currently a free agent. He played college basketball for the ...

, NBA player for the

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James McDivitt James Alton McDivitt Jr. (June 10, 1929 – October 13, 2022) was an American test pilot, United States Air Force (USAF) pilot, aeronautical engineer, and NASA astronaut in the Project Gemini, Gemini and Apollo programs. He joined the USAF in ...

(1947),

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a List of human spaceflight programs, human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member of a spa ...

* Charles A. Pratt (1928), first Black judge in Kalamazoo County *

Scott Rehberg Scott Joseph Rehberg (born November 17, 1973) is an American former professional football guard who played seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the New England Patriots, the Cleveland Browns, and the Cincinnati Bengals Th ...

(1992), former NFL player (New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns, and Cincinnati Bengals) *

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Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

player * Frederick S. Strong, US Army major general * Kurt Thoroughman, professor of biomedical engineering at Washington University in St. Louis *

Dorothy B. Waage Dorothy Boylan Waage (January 8, 1905 - December 11, 1997) was an American numismatist, who published the catalogue of 14,000 Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Crusader coins excavated by Princeton University in the 1930s. This has been described as "th ...

, numismatist *

Duane Young Curtis Duane Young Sr. (born May 29, 1968) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans. Young was selected by the San ...

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

player

References

External links

Kalamazoo Central High School official site
{{authority control Public high schools in Michigan Educational institutions established in 1858 Schools in Kalamazoo, Michigan 1858 establishments in Michigan