 Until then, pupils from the area were bused to Mackie Academy, in near-by Stonehaven.Portlethen Academy opened on 20 April 1987 as a new school for the communities of Portlethen, Newtonhill, Muchalls and Banchory-Devenick.Originally owned by Grampian Regional Council, the school passed to Aberdeenshire Council, when it formed in 1996.