For decades, thirteen small K-8 districts north of
Lake Macatawa had sent their children to
Holland High School. However, in 1956, a study by
Michigan State University found this area was growing faster than Holland. In response, the Holland school board demanded that the northern areas fully merge into
Holland Public Schools. Instead, in 1957, they voted to cut all ties with Holland Public Schools and merge into a single K-12 district in order to have a high school of their own. High school students held classes at the
Beechwood school from 1958 until Suburban High School, later renamed West Ottawa High School, was completed in fall 1961. The building became Harbor Lights Middle School when a new high school was built. In 1999, a middle school was built at 3600 152nd Avenue. It became West Ottawa High School South when High School North opened on the same site in fall 2005. The middle school program housed there, Harbor Lights Middle School, moved to the former high school. North and South high schools are one high school in two separate buildings on the same campus. High School North's architect was Design Plus/Progressive Architecture and Engineering. In 2024, a 1,200-seat auditorium opened at High School North. ==Schools==