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Central High Magnet Career Academy

Public, Magnet Grades 9-12

196^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 254 Kentucky High Schools

Better than 23% of Kentucky high schools

Summary

Central High Magnet Career Academy is a public high school in Louisville, Kentucky, serving 1,239 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Jefferson County school district, which is ranked 140 out of 157 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. Central High Magnet Career Academy has consistently been ranked in the bottom half of Kentucky high schools over the past several years, with a ranking between 194 and 236 out of 254-290 schools.

Academically, Central High Magnet Career Academy underperforms compared to the Jefferson County and Kentucky state averages on standardized tests. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 24% of 10th graders were proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to 30% for Jefferson County and 41% for the state. The school also has a higher dropout rate of 1.1-2.6% compared to the 1.1% rate at the top-performing nearby school, duPont Manual High. Additionally, Central High Magnet Career Academy has a very high chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 25-39.3% in recent years, significantly higher than the 25% rate at the top-performing nearby schools.

Despite its challenges, Central High Magnet Career Academy is located in close proximity to several high-performing magnet schools, such as Atherton High and duPont Manual High, which significantly outperform it across a range of metrics. The school also serves a student population with a very high percentage (69-77%) of free/reduced-price lunch recipients, indicating significant socioeconomic challenges. While Central High Magnet Career Academy spends between $15,156 and $34,580 per student, which is higher than the spending at some nearby schools, this does not seem to translate into improved academic outcomes, suggesting the need to examine how resources are being utilized and allocated.

1,256

Students ?

15.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,514

Per pupil spending ?

67.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1130 West Chestnut Street
Louisville, KY 40203

(502) 485-8226

District: Jefferson County

Racial breakdown:

African American:

73.7%

Hispanic:

14.1%

White:

4.8%

See top rated Kentucky high schools

Compare Central High Magnet Career Academy to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 26th percentile in 2015 → 23rd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Kentucky average (30% vs 39% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (23rd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (39% vs 25% Kentucky)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school30%

District avg30%

Kentucky avg39%

196^th of 254

Kentucky public high schools ?

Bottom 23%▼ down 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 26% (2015) to bottom 23% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Kentucky High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 22High Schools in the Jefferson County

140^th of 157Jefferson County among Kentucky 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	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	25.1	196 of 254	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.1	236 of 290	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.8	214 of 276	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.9	194 of 271	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.9	198 of 267	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.6	228 of 285	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.1	224 of 271	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	35.5	214 of 287	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	38.4	203 of 288	29.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	31.8	217 of 295	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	37.2	200 of 290	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	38.9	201 of 291	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	24.9	193 of 229	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	43.8	132 of 226	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	31.9	166 of 223	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	33.7	152 of 217	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2008	32.9	159 of 217	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	37.9	137 of 217	36.9%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	46.7	37 of 75	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	32.6	62 of 93	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.0	35 of 83	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.6	18 of 89	79.8%	★★★★☆
2021	51.7	24 of 78	69.2%	★★★★☆
2019	51.8	41 of 89	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.1	52 of 94	44.7%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2023	29.1	18 of 26	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	23.8	22 of 28	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.8	17 of 23	26.1%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2021	90.1	4 of 154	97.4%	★★★★★
2018	28.3	128 of 166	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2024	26.0	33 of 48	31.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	62.0	7 of 41	82.9%	★★★★☆
2022	51.0	13 of 37	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.7	6 of 29	79.3%	★★★★☆
2019	49.8	13 of 29	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.7	6 of 30	80.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	17.0	205 of 239	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.2	233 of 261	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.1	226 of 253	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.5	211 of 252	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.4	205 of 236	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.4	220 of 249	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	10.4	212 of 234	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	69.9	24 of 115	79.1%	★★★★☆
2024	49.2	58 of 124	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.8	52 of 116	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.3	62 of 114	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	64.1	23 of 92	75.0%	★★★★☆
2019	15.6	83 of 88	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	25.3	65 of 80	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2022	47.3	18 of 32	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	19.6	23 of 26	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	29.4	186 of 242	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.6	217 of 274	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.6	193 of 272	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	45.1	140 of 266	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.5	147 of 234	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	25.3	201 of 254	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.2	209 of 232	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	25.4	189 of 239	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.5	222 of 262	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.5	182 of 259	29.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.1	192 of 257	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	38.0	135 of 238	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	19.1	211 of 251	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	10.5	214 of 237	9.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	59.5	32 of 89	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.2	40 of 87	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.8	32 of 76	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.6	36 of 77	53.2%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2023	67.5	23 of 162	85.8%	★★★★☆
2019	11.6	201 of 226	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	55.0	95 of 251	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.5	136 of 273	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	69.5	52 of 264	80.3%	★★★★☆
2022	62.3	71 of 260	72.7%	★★★★☆
2021	62.0	46 of 203	77.3%	★★★★☆
2019	47.7	118 of 219	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.5	108 of 198	45.5%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2021)97th percentile+72 vs school

Special Education (2023)86th percentile+63 vs school

Hispanic (2025)79th percentile+56 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)64th percentile+41 vs school

White (2025)62nd percentile+39 vs school

African American (2025)51st percentile+28 vs school

Homeless (2022)44th percentile+15 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)31st percentile+13 vs school

Asian (2023)31st percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)23rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)21st percentile~ school

Female (2025)14th percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs Kentucky (2024-2025) ?

Writing41%-4 vs state

Reading38%-9 vs state

Editing and Mechanics30%-11 vs state

Social Studies28%-10 vs state

Mathematics24%-17 vs state

Science16%-6 vs state

3.7

3 ratings · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a student
Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Central is a great school. If you put the work into the school you will definately come out college preped. School needs to be more selective about who they choose to enter into the school though. The public and social image is potrayed as a false one, but it could be better. Close Quote

Schools Near Central High Magnet Career Academy

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				KSA Mathematics (2025)	KSA Reading (2025)				KSA Science (2025)	KSA Writing (2025)	KSA Social Studies (2025)	KSA Editing and Mechanics (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	KSA Mathematics 10th Grade	KSA Reading 6th Grade	KSA Reading 7th Grade	KSA Reading 8th Grade	KSA Reading 10th Grade	KSA Science 11th Grade	KSA Writing 11th Grade	KSA Social Studies 11th Grade	KSA Editing and Mechanics 8th Grade	KSA Editing and Mechanics 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
Central High Magnet Career Academy	Public, Magnet	9-12	1130 West Chestnut Street	Louisville	40203	Jefferson County	Jefferson County	No	Yes	No	Yes	(502) 485-8226	1,256	81	15.5	67.4%	60 (4.8%)	926 (73.7%)	177 (14.1%)	37 (2.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (4.4%)	25.1	196^th of 254 public high schools	22.8%		15.1	236^th of 290 public high schools	18.6%	40	24.0				38.0	16.0	41.0	28.0		30.0	$21,514	$1,034	$1,949	$2,983	$14,578	$3,953	$18,531
Ahrens Educational Resource Center	Public	12	546 S First St	Louisville	40202	Jefferson County	Jefferson County	No	No	No	No	(502) 485-8201	38	5	7.4	39.5%	14 (36.8%)	17 (44.7%)	4 (10.5%)	3 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)											$60,206	$11,686	$1,511	$13,197	$43,569	$3,439	$47,008
Ackerly	Public	5-12	200 E Chestnut St	Louisville	40202	Jefferson County	Jefferson County	No	No	No	No	(502) 629-6319	4	2	1.9		1 (25.0%)	2 (50.0%)	1 (25.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)											$36,748	$265	$8,133	$8,398	$18,111	$10,238	$28,349
duPont Manual High	Public, Magnet	9-12	120 W Lee St	Louisville	40208	Jefferson County	Jefferson County	No	Yes	No	No	(502) 485-8241	1,899	113	16.8	23.4%	924 (48.7%)	360 (19.0%)	128 (6.7%)	376 (19.8%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.3%)	105 (5.5%)	99.5	1^st of 254 public high schools	99.6%		96.7	3^rd of 290 public high schools	99.0%	2	83.0				87.0	61.0	76.0	80.0		82.0	$17,738	$542	$1,681	$2,223	$11,846	$3,669	$15,515
Breckinridge Metropolitan High	Public	7-12	1128 East Broadway St	Louisville	40204	Jefferson County	Jefferson County	No	No	No	Yes	(502) 485-6678	84	27	3.0	76.2%	8 (9.5%)	66 (78.6%)	7 (8.3%)	1 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.4%)								(n/a)											$62,798	$3,115	$1,873	$4,987	$53,278	$4,533	$57,811
U of L PACT Program	Public	12	Davidson Hall Room 102	Louisville	40292	Jefferson County	Jefferson County	No	No	No	No	(502) 485-3280	19	2	9.0	47.4%	12 (63.2%)	5 (26.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (5.3%)								(n/a)											$29,774	$265	$1,511	$1,776	$24,694	$3,303	$27,997
The Academy @ Shawnee	Public, Magnet	6-12	4001 Herman Street	Louisville	40212	Jefferson County	Jefferson County	No	Yes	No	Yes	(502) 485-8326	1,051	67	15.6	85.4%	137 (13.0%)	821 (78.1%)	35 (3.3%)	5 (0.5%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (4.7%)	1.3	251^st of 254 public high schools	1.2%		4.2	278^th of 290 public high schools	4.1%	27	5.0	23.0	14.0	3.0	16.0			7.0	8.0	10.0	$27,241	$975	$1,873	$2,848	$17,218	$7,175	$24,393
Butler Traditional High	Public, Magnet	9-12	2222 Crums Lane	Louisville	40216	Jefferson County	Jefferson County	No	Yes	No	Yes	(502) 485-8220	1,290	79	16.3	65.3%	292 (22.6%)	753 (58.4%)	149 (11.6%)	14 (1.1%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	80 (6.2%)	9	236^th of 254 public high schools	7.1%		23	220^th of 290 public high schools	24.1%	16	22.0				25.0		24.0	22.0		20.0	$20,129	$925	$1,659	$2,584	$13,898	$3,647	$17,544
Atherton High	Public, Magnet	9-12	3000 Dundee Road	Louisville	40205	Jefferson County	Jefferson County	No	Yes	No	No	(502) 485-8202	1,466	81	18.1	41.1%	922 (62.9%)	271 (18.5%)	117 (8.0%)	55 (3.8%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.2%)	97 (6.6%)	91.7	8^th of 254 public high schools	96.9%		87	17^th of 290 public high schools	94.1%	9	58.0				72.0	40.0	58.0	61.0		63.0	$18,748	$423	$1,801	$2,224	$12,805	$3,719	$16,524
Louisville Male High	Public, Magnet	9-12	4409 Preston Highway	Louisville	40213	Jefferson County	Jefferson County	No	Yes	No	No	(502) 485-8292	1,763	92	19.1	46.2%	720 (40.8%)	776 (44.0%)	113 (6.4%)	49 (2.8%)	2 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	103 (5.8%)	66.2	63^rd of 254 public high schools	75.2%		76.2	43^rd of 290 public high schools	85.2%	20	45.0				47.0	21.0	60.0	46.0		53.0	$17,182	$457	$1,613	$2,070	$11,624	$3,488	$15,112

Frequently Asked Questions about Central High Magnet Career Academy

How many students attend Central High Magnet Career Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,256 students attended Central High Magnet Career Academy.

Is Central High Magnet Career Academy a good school?

Central High Magnet Career Academy ranks in the bottom 22.8% of Kentucky high schools.

What is the racial makeup of Central High Magnet Career Academy?

Students at Central High Magnet Career Academy are 74% African American, 14% Hispanic, 5% White, 4% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

What district is Central High Magnet Career Academy in?

Jefferson County

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