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Central High School

Q: Is Central High School a good school?

Central High School ranks 177 th of 328 Colorado high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

177^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 328 Colorado High Schools

Better than 46% of Colorado high schools

Summary

Central High School is a public high school in Grand Junction, Colorado, serving 1,443 students in grades 9-12. It is part of the Mesa County Valley School District No. 51, which is ranked 40 out of 115 school districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While Central High School has performed consistently below the district and state averages in standardized test scores, particularly in mathematics and science, its reading and writing assessments are closer to the averages. The school also faces significant achievement gaps between different student subgroups, with its performance for Gifted and Talented students ranking relatively low compared to other Colorado high schools. Additionally, Central High School has experienced high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 27.7% to 47.0% in recent years, which is significantly higher than the district and state averages.

Interestingly, nearby schools like Fruita Monument High School and Palisade High School, which are also part of the Mesa County Valley School District, have generally outperformed Central High School in academic measures, graduation rates, and other key metrics. Additionally, Mesa Valley Community School, a public charter high school in the district, has significantly outperformed Central High School and the district as a whole in academic performance, particularly in mathematics and reading/writing assessments.

1,352

Students ?

16.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,100

Per pupil spending ?

58.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3130 E1/2 Road
Grand Junction, CO 81504-6063

(970) 254-6200

District: Mesa County Valley School District No. 51

Feeder schools for Central High School:

Elementary:	Chatfield Elementary School
	Fruitvale Elementary School
	Nisley Elementary School
	Thunder Mountain Elementary School
Middle:	Bookcliff Middle School
	Grand Mesa Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

57.1%

Hispanic:

37.0%

Two or more races:

3.8%

See top rated Colorado high schools

Compare Central High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 36th percentile in 2014 → 46th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2014

Worth a look

!Graduation rate below the Colorado average (80% vs 86%)

!High chronic absenteeism (53% vs 28% Colorado)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school44%

District avg49%

Colorado avg47%

177^th of 328

Colorado public high schools ?

Bottom 46%▲ up 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 42% (2015) to bottom 46% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 5High Schools in the Mesa County Valley School District No. 51

40^th of 115Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 among Colorado 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	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	43.8	177 of 328	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.5	200 of 349	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	14.6	185 of 221	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.4	172 of 210	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.7	266 of 411	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.5	245 of 388	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	22.2	190 of 256	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	23.6	187 of 255	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	35.9	169 of 292	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2014	40.6	235 of 369	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	45.4	208 of 349	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	41.4	208 of 334	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2011	47.4	192 of 337	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	45.9	201 of 327	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	44.2	189 of 310	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2008	45.7	174 of 301	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2007	54.1	154 of 298	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2006	47.6	165 of 286	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2005	47.9	150 of 280	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2004	57.9	120 of 279	57.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	39.9	140 of 247	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.4	155 of 257	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.7	182 of 257	29.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.0	162 of 239	32.2%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2022	24.2	92 of 108	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	74.9	14 of 118	88.1%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	53.8	73 of 187	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.1	88 of 199	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	29.3	144 of 205	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.8	134 of 181	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	63.3	64 of 194	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.5	88 of 211	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.9	115 of 203	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.0	102 of 188	45.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	41.4	137 of 246	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.5	146 of 256	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.0	174 of 253	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.8	163 of 240	32.1%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2022	14.2	50 of 56	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	3.9	48 of 48	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2022	17.6	66 of 77	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	19.8	172 of 209	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.9	195 of 229	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.7	211 of 228	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	16.5	194 of 225	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)67th percentile+21 vs school

Hispanic (2025)61st percentile+15 vs school

Male (2025)44th percentile~ school

Female (2025)43rd percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)18th percentile-28 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2022)15th percentile~ school

Special Education (2022)14th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2022)11th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2024-2025) ?

Reading and Writing62%~ state avg

Mathematics24%-8 vs state

Science22%-3 vs state

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Schools Near Central High School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				PSAT10 Reading and Writing (2025)	PSAT10 Mathematics (2025)	PSAT9 Reading and Writing (2025)	PSAT9 Mathematics (2025)	SAT Reading and Writing (2025)	SAT Mathematics (2025)	CMAS English Language Arts (2025)	CMAS Math (2025)		CMAS Science (2025)	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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT10 Reading and Writing 10th Grade	PSAT10 Mathematics 10th Grade	PSAT9 Reading and Writing 9th Grade	PSAT9 Mathematics 9th Grade	SAT Reading and Writing 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 7th Grade	CMAS Math 7th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 11th Grade	Total
Central High School	Public	9-12	3130 E1/2 Road	Grand Junction	81504	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	No	(970) 254-6200	1,352	80	16.9	58.3%	772 (57.1%)	6 (0.4%)	500 (37.0%)	11 (0.8%)	6 (0.4%)	5 (0.4%)	52 (3.8%)	43.8	177^th of 328 public high schools	46.0%		40.5	200^th of 349 public high schools	42.7%	23	65.0	28.0	64.0	36.0	62.0	24.0				21.6	$16,100
Grand Mesa Youth Services Center	Public	5-12	360 28 Rd	Grand Junction	81501	Mesa County	Division of Youth Services	No	No	No	No	(970) 242-1521																			(n/a)											$00
R-5 High School	Public	9-12	455 N. 22nd St.Ste. B	Grand Junction	81501	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 254-6880	207	17	12.4	66.2%	107 (51.7%)	2 (1.0%)	84 (40.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.3%)								(n/a)											$20,172
Grand Mesa Youth Services Center	Public	5-12	360 28 Road	Grand Junction	81501	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	No	(970) 242-8445	18	2	10.2		12 (66.7%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (33.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)											$00
Grand Junction High School	Public	9-12	1400 N 5th St	Grand Junction	81501	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	No	(970) 254-6900	1,832	91	20.0	43.1%	1,268 (69.2%)	19 (1.0%)	427 (23.3%)	24 (1.3%)	11 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	83 (4.5%)	50.9	148^th of 328 public high schools	54.9%		53.8	147^th of 349 public high schools	57.9%	1	73.0	34.0	68.0	39.0	61.0	22.0				24.7	$15,015
Palisade High School	Public	9-12	3679 G Road	Palisade	81526	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	No	(970) 254-4800	1,073	59	18.3	50.9%	709 (66.1%)	9 (0.8%)	301 (28.1%)	7 (0.7%)	6 (0.6%)	4 (0.4%)	37 (3.4%)	48.3	158^th of 328 public high schools	51.8%		54.9	142^nd of 349 public high schools	59.3%	16	61.0	35.0	62.0	31.0	59.0	38.0				35.6	$16,462
Mesa Valley Community School	Public, Charter	6-12	609 25 Road	Grand Junction	81505	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	Yes	No	No	No	(970) 254-7202	178	12	14.8	29.8%	138 (77.5%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (11.8%)	4 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	14 (7.9%)	95.4	8^th of 328 public high schools	97.6%		81.8	53^rd of 349 public high schools	84.8%	45		65.0			100.0		55.0	40.0	26.8		$10,427
Fruita Monument High School	Public	9-12	1102 Wildcat Ave	Fruita	81521	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	No	(970) 254-6600	1,427	74	19.3	30.1%	1,161 (81.4%)	3 (0.2%)	182 (12.8%)	19 (1.3%)	5 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	56 (3.9%)	67.1	111^th of 328 public high schools	66.2%		64.8	116^th of 349 public high schools	66.8%	5	68.0	45.0	76.0	50.0	72.0	36.0				35.6	$15,637

Frequently Asked Questions about Central High School

What district is Central High School in?

Mesa County Valley School District No. 51

Is Central High School a good school?

Central High School ranks 177^th of 328 Colorado high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Central High School?

Students at Central High School are 57% White, 37% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.

What schools feed into Central High School?

Central High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Chatfield Elementary School
Elementary : Fruitvale Elementary School
Elementary : Nisley Elementary School
Elementary : Thunder Mountain Elementary School
Middle : Bookcliff Middle School
Middle : Grand Mesa Middle School

How many students attend Central High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,352 students attended Central High School.

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Schools in Grand Junction, CO

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Colorado 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.