Quick Facts State:  MI City:  Detroit Name:  Northern High School Nickname:  Jayhawks Color1:  Scarlet Color2:  Royal Blue School District:  Detroit Public Schools County:  Wayne Year Opened:  ???? Year Closed:  2008

Detroit Northern High School

Northern High School was closed in 2008 as part of a major city-wide realignment plan. The reason for the closure was stated as "...significant underutilization of the building. Northern is less than 60% occupied." The building is now being used for grades 7-12 of the Detroit International Academy for Young Women. Northern High School students were reassigned to the new Cleveland 7-12 learning opportunity, Central or Northwestern High School.

In 1966, several Northern students succeeded in bringing attention to the differences in educational opportunities between schools with predominantly African-American student bodies and their white counterparts. They organized a series of demonstrations and walkouts, at one point even opening their own school in a nearby church with sympathetic university professors volunteering to teach. After being joined by Eastern High School students, the Northern students voted to return to class, one day before a scheduled citywide boycott was to take place.

Former Students:
 - Professional boxer, Cornelius "K-9" Bundrage
 - Singer, Smokey Robinson
 - Four Tops, Lawerence Payton and Renaldo "Obie" Benson
 - Choreographer, Roberto Warren
 - NBA player, Derrick Coleman
 - Singer, Bettye LaVette
 - Singer, Aretha Franklin
 - Jazz Pianist, Tommy Flanagan

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