Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Central High

Q: Is Central High a good school?

Central High ranks 169 th of 367 Missouri high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

169^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 367 Missouri High Schools

Better than 54% of Missouri high schools

Summary

Central High is a public high school located in Saint Joseph, Missouri, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 1,720 students. The school is part of the St. Joseph School District, which is ranked 218 out of 367 districts in Missouri and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Central High's academic performance is mixed, with strengths in subjects like Algebra II and Biology I, but struggles in Algebra I and English II. The school's proficiency rates in Algebra I (26.5%) and Government (38.5%) are significantly lower than the state averages (45.4% and 40.6%, respectively). However, Central High excels in Algebra II, with a proficiency rate of 92.2%, much higher than the state (58%) and district (70.1%) averages. The school's four-year graduation rate has improved, reaching 91.3% in the 2023-2024 school year, on par with the district average, and its dropout rate has decreased from 6.2% to 1.5% over the past few years.

Compared to other high schools in the area, such as Benton High and Lafayette High, Central High generally performs better academically. However, the nearby East Buchanan High School, which is in a different district, outperforms Central High in several academic areas. Central High also faces higher rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 25.7% to 31.3% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average.

1,733

Students ?

16.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,181

Per pupil spending ?

37.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2602 Edmond
Saint Joseph, MO 64501-3289

(816) 671-4080

District: St. Joseph

Racial breakdown:

White:

62.2%

Hispanic:

15.3%

Two or more races:

9.5%

See top rated Missouri high schools

Compare Central High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 38th percentile in 2024 → 54th in 2025

Strengths

✓92% graduate within 4 years

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 54th (2025) from a 38th-percentile low (2024)

✓Above the Missouri median (54th percentile)

Worth a look

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

!Algebra I scores 19 pts below the Missouri average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school42%

District avg39%

Missouri avg45%

169^th of 367

Missouri public high schools ?

Top 46%▼ down 10 pts since 2015

From top 36% (2015) to top 46% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Missouri High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3High Schools in the St. Joseph

218^th of 367St. Joseph among Missouri 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	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	48.2	169 of 367	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	34.6	236 of 378	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.5	213 of 352	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.3	193 of 361	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	50.0	149 of 358	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.4	198 of 460	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.7	131 of 468	72.0%	★★★★☆
2017	66.1	117 of 404	71.0%	★★★★☆
2016	50.0	196 of 401	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	58.9	182 of 504	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2014	65.1	107 of 521	79.5%	★★★★☆
2013	59.4	145 of 523	72.3%	★★★★☆
2012	59.3	166 of 522	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2011	40.5	348 of 528	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	43.5	314 of 516	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2009	46.3	271 of 507	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2008	74.4	76 of 539	85.9%	★★★★☆
2007	73.3	84 of 538	84.4%	★★★★☆
2006	70.8	102 of 534	80.9%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2024	34.6	75 of 105	28.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.1	78 of 99	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	54.5	40 of 105	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.8	35 of 96	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.9	42 of 106	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.6	44 of 111	60.4%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2024	14.4	13 of 15	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.2	14 of 20	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	6.5	36 of 38	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.7	34 of 38	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2022	50.0	44 of 111	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	16.8	117 of 129	9.3%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	41.5	30 of 53	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.0	34 of 45	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.8	32 of 42	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.3	23 of 33	30.3%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	46.7	31 of 46	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	13.6	45 of 47	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	61.4	20 of 50	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.8	43 of 96	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.2	38 of 100	62.0%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	39.2	41 of 74	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.4	55 of 70	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.9	58 of 64	9.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.9	46 of 57	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.2	21 of 40	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.9	66 of 91	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	47.8	44 of 84	47.6%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	81.7	3 of 20	85.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	51.4	123 of 279	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	36.4	177 of 274	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.2	208 of 268	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.3	175 of 250	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.7	121 of 255	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	28.0	298 of 368	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	41.1	225 of 382	41.1%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2024	21.6	33 of 39	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.3	32 of 34	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.7	27 of 28	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	25.0	20 of 23	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.4	46 of 59	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.9	35 of 52	32.7%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	63.1	34 of 138	75.4%	★★★★☆
2024	34.9	95 of 135	29.6%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	47.7	127 of 306	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	35.0	191 of 321	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.7	208 of 302	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.2	181 of 310	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.2	151 of 309	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.9	164 of 430	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.3	113 of 440	74.3%	★★★★☆

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)

Homeless (2025)85th percentile+31 vs school

Special Education (2025)75th percentile+21 vs school

Disabled (2022)60th percentile+14 vs school

White (2025)58th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)56th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)45th percentile-9 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)43rd percentile-11 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)33rd percentile-21 vs school

African American (2024)29th percentile-9 vs school

Multi-racial (2024)15th percentile-22 vs school

Asian (2024)13th percentile-24 vs school

By subject vs Missouri (2024-2025) ?

Algebra II92%+34 vs state

Biology I56%+18 vs state

English II46%-7 vs state

Government38%~ state avg

Algebra I26%-19 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Central High and help other families decide.

Rate Central High

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Central High

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MAP Mathematics (2025)	MAP English Language Arts (2025)	MAP Algebra I (2025)	MAP Biology I (2025)	MAP English II (2025)	MAP Algebra II (2025)	MAP Government (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	MAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MAP Algebra I End of Course	MAP Biology I End of Course	MAP English II End of Course	MAP Algebra II End of Course	MAP Government End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Central High	Public	9-12	2602 Edmond	Saint Joseph	64501	Buchanan County	St. Joseph	No	No	No	No	(816) 671-4080	1,733	105	16.4	37.6%	1,078 (62.2%)	129 (7.4%)	266 (15.3%)	51 (2.9%)	4 (0.2%)	41 (2.4%)	164 (9.5%)	48.2	169^th of 367 public high schools	54.0%		34.6	236^th of 378 public high schools	37.6%	67			26.5	55.8	45.6	92.2	38.5	$14,181	$233	$13,948
Hillyard Technical Center	Public	9-12	3434 Faraon	Saint Joseph	64506	Buchanan County	St. Joseph	No	No	No	No	(816) 671-4170	0	26	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Western Recept/Diag Corr Centr	Public	7-12	3401 Faraon St	Saint Joseph	64506	Buchanan County	Department Of Corrections	No	No	No	No	(816) 387-2158	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Western Region Treatment Centr	Public	7-12	3401 Faraon St	Saint Joseph	64506	Buchanan County	Department Of Corrections	No	No	No	No	(816) 387-2158	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Lafayette High	Public	9-12	412 Highland Ave	Saint Joseph	64505	Buchanan County	St. Joseph	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 671-4220	644	53	12.1	100.0%	415 (64.4%)	57 (8.9%)	69 (10.7%)	6 (0.9%)	2 (0.3%)	13 (2.0%)	82 (12.7%)	28.4	275^th of 367 public high schools	25.1%		15.6	325^th of 378 public high schools	14.0%	50			30.2	39.4	36.2		25.4	$17,249	$506	$16,743
Benton High	Public	9-12	5655 S Fourth	Saint Joseph	64504	Buchanan County	St. Joseph	No	No	No	No	(816) 671-4030	682	51	13.4	46.9%	491 (72.0%)	18 (2.6%)	96 (14.1%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	9 (1.3%)	64 (9.4%)	36.2	228^th of 367 public high schools	37.9%		24.6	285^th of 378 public high schools	24.6%	57			15.8	58.9			32.6	$16,134	$429	$15,705
Riverbend Treatment Center	Public	6-12	5910 Mitchell Ave	Saint Joseph	64507	Buchanan County	Division Of Youth Service	No	No	No	No	(816) 390-9801	17	5	3.4	82.4%	9 (52.9%)	7 (41.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (5.9%)								(n/a)
Mid-Buchanan Senior High	Public	7-12	3221 SE State Rte H	Faucett	64448	Buchanan County	Mid-Buchanan County R-V	No	No	No	No	(816) 238-1646	415	30	13.8	17.8%	393 (94.7%)	5 (1.2%)	6 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.4%)	71.3	63^rd of 367 public high schools	82.8%					(n/a)	57.4	35.6	63.6	41.5				$13,033	$205	$12,828
Savannah High	Public	9-12	701 State Rte E	Savannah	64485	Andrew County	Savannah R-III	No	No	No	No	(816) 324-3128	752	46	16.2	30.7%	711 (94.5%)	8 (1.1%)	19 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	12 (1.6%)	60.4	102^nd of 367 public high schools	72.2%		47.8	162^nd of 378 public high schools	57.1%	60			40.2	44.1	51.1		48.0	$11,210	$214	$10,996
Dekalb Junior-Senior High	Public	7-12	702 Main St	De Kalb	64440	Buchanan County	Buchanan County R-IV	No	No	No	No	(816) 685-3211	120	16	7.5	26.7%	118 (98.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)								(n/a)								$18,321	$376	$17,945

Frequently Asked Questions about Central High

Is Central High a good school?

Central High ranks 169^th of 367 Missouri high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Central High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,733 students attended Central High.

What district is Central High in?

St. Joseph

What schools feed into Central High?

Central High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Coleman Elementary
Elementary : Edison Elementary
Elementary : Field Elementary
Elementary : Parkway Elementary
Elementary : Pickett Elementary
Elementary : Skaith Elementary
Middle : Bode Middle
Middle : Truman Middle

What is the racial makeup of Central High?

Students at Central High are 62% White, 15% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 7% African American, 3% Asian, 2% Pacific Islander.

Rate Central High!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

MOMissouri High School Rankings

MOMissouri District Rankings

Schools in Saint Joseph, MO

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Central High!

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