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Central High School

Q: Is Central High School a good school?

Central High School ranks in the bottom 7.5% of Nebraska high schools.

Q: How many students attend Central High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 2,587 students attended Central High School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Central High School?

Students at Central High School are 35% Hispanic, 30% African American, 25% White, 6% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

Q: What schools feed into Central High School?

Central High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Belle Ryan Elementary School Elementary : Conestoga Magnet Elementary School Elementary : Dundee Elementary School Elementary : Field Club Elementary School Elementary : Franklin Elementary School Elementary : Jackson Elementary School Elementary : Kellom Elementary School Elementary : Liberty Elementary School Elementary : Washington Elementary School Middle : Lewis & Clark Middle School

Public Grades 9-12

135^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 146 Nebraska High Schools

Better than 8% of Nebraska high schools

Summary

Central High School is a public high school in Omaha, Nebraska, serving 2,674 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Omaha Public Schools district, which is ranked 111 out of 115 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. Central High School has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Nebraska high schools over the past decade, with a current statewide ranking of 135 out of 146 schools for the 2024-2025 school year.

Central High School's academic performance, as measured by ACT proficiency rates, is significantly below the state and district averages. In the 2024-2025 school year, only 30.2% of 11th-grade students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 42.74%. In mathematics, the proficiency rate was just 20.25%, compared to the state average of 41.27%. The school's four-year graduation rate was 87.9%, which is lower than the state average of 75.0%. Additionally, Central High School has a higher chronic absenteeism rate of 19.3%, compared to the state average of 37.9%.

While Central High School performs relatively well for White students, it struggles with other subgroups, ranking 4th out of 5 Nebraska high schools for African American students and 24th out of 28 for Hispanic students in the 2024-2025 school year. Despite the school's poor performance, its per-student spending has increased over the years, from $12,763 in 2020-2021 to $17,397 in 2023-2024, raising questions about the effective allocation and utilization of resources to improve student outcomes.

2,587

Students ?

20.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,397

Per pupil spending ?

53.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

124 N 20th St
Omaha, NE 68102-4895

(531) 299-2660

District: Omaha Public Schools

Feeder schools for Central High School:

Elementary:	Belle Ryan Elementary School
	Conestoga Magnet Elementary School
	Dundee Elementary School
	Field Club Elementary School
	More...
	Franklin Elementary School
	Jackson Elementary School
	Kellom Elementary School
	Liberty Elementary School
	Washington Elementary School
Middle:	Lewis & Clark Middle School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

35.1%

African American:

30.0%

White:

25.2%

See top rated Nebraska high schools

Compare Central High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 12th percentile in 2015 → 8th in 2025

Strengths

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Omaha Public Schools

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Nebraska average (27% vs 44% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Nebraska average (75% vs 88%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school27%

District avg18%

Nebraska avg44%

135^th of 146

Nebraska public high schools ?

Bottom 8%▼ down 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 12% (2015) to bottom 8% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Nebraska High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 9High Schools in the Omaha Public Schools

115^th of 118Omaha Public Schools among Nebraska 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	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2025	6.8	135 of 146	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.8	158 of 168	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.4	184 of 215	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.9	169 of 202	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.7	179 of 209	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.8	156 of 217	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.2	193 of 219	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	28.6	156 of 219	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	21.3	216 of 246	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	20.6	213 of 242	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	7.0	233 of 247	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	29.7	200 of 247	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	25.9	210 of 245	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	9.5	238 of 252	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	21.6	232 of 249	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	44.1	166 of 251	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2008	39.4	195 of 252	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	51.7	138 of 247	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2006	56.0	125 of 249	49.8%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2025	36.5	4 of 5	20.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	24.1	3 of 4	25.0%	★★★★☆
2023	19.9	12 of 15	20.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.9	8 of 12	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.5	7 of 10	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.6	8 of 14	42.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	37.3	6 of 13	53.8%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2023	20.0	9 of 13	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	23.0	10 of 12	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	44.6	10 of 16	37.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	16.0	9 of 12	25.0%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2019	33.6	15 of 26	42.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2025	14.4	56 of 66	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.2	82 of 93	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.8	114 of 136	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.3	97 of 132	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.7	116 of 138	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.6	100 of 142	29.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	16.8	123 of 144	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2025	17.4	24 of 28	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.4	26 of 33	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.2	35 of 41	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.4	35 of 41	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.2	25 of 38	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.2	24 of 43	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	15.8	39 of 41	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2022	30.6	2 of 2	0.0%	★★★★☆
2021	13.1	3 of 3	0.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2025	11.1	36 of 41	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.1	56 of 62	9.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.8	81 of 89	9.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.1	66 of 74	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.2	75 of 83	9.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.5	65 of 82	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.7	72 of 79	8.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2025	11.5	57 of 66	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.7	82 of 93	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.0	114 of 135	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.9	122 of 135	9.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.1	106 of 130	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.9	106 of 140	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.5	114 of 138	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2024	34.4	6 of 9	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	57.6	5 of 15	66.7%	★★★★☆
2022	25.7	13 of 16	18.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	16.3	13 of 15	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	47.6	7 of 15	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	25.3	13 of 15	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2023	26.1	5 of 5	0.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	21.7	8 of 10	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2025	55.4	55 of 113	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.0	55 of 125	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.3	68 of 206	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	70.2	49 of 196	75.0%	★★★★☆
2021	61.3	70 of 200	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	76.7	39 of 207	81.2%	★★★★☆
2018	62.8	71 of 205	65.4%	★★★☆☆

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)

White (2025)51st percentile+44 vs school

English Language Learner (2019)42nd percentile+14 vs school

Multi-racial (2024)33rd percentile+27 vs school

Asian (2023)31st percentile+16 vs school

African American (2025)20th percentile+12 vs school

Female (2025)15th percentile+8 vs school

Hispanic (2025)14th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2025)14th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)12th percentile+5 vs school

Special Education (2023)<1st percentile-14 vs school

Homeless (2022)<1st percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs Nebraska (2024-2025) ?

Science32%-16 vs state

English Language Arts30%-13 vs state

Mathematics20%-21 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Monday, May 20, 2019

Avoid Central until they get better leadership. The Principal is not an ethical leader and puts his finger up in the air to see the direction of the wind that day to judge on leading. The school can not and will not thrive under poor leadership direction. Central and OPS certainly advertise the school's diversity but they do not actually promote inclusion. I would never send my children to this school again if I knew then what I know now. There maybe other decent schools inside the district. I would not recommend Central. Try North or South. Close Quote

by a student
Tuesday, February 3, 2009

no better school in all of nebraska! Close Quote

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)				ACT English Language Arts (2025)	ACT Mathematics (2025)	ACT Science (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	ACT English Language Arts 11th Grade	ACT Mathematics 11th Grade	ACT Science 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Central High School	Public	9-12	124 N 20th St	Omaha	68102	Douglas County	Omaha Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(531) 299-2660	2,587	125	20.6		652 (25.2%)	776 (30.0%)	909 (35.1%)	74 (2.9%)	21 (0.8%)	4 (0.2%)	151 (5.8%)	6.8	135^th of 146 public high schools	7.5%		8.8	158^th of 168 public high schools	6.0%	23	30.2	20.3	31.8	$17,397	$3,111	$12,451
Blackburn Alternative Program	Public	9-12	2606 Hamilton Street	Omaha	68131	Douglas County	Omaha Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(531) 299-2820	0	16	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Gateway To College Program	Public	9-12	2606 Hamilton St	Omaha	68131	Douglas County	Omaha Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(531) 622-2380	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Accelere Program	Public	9-12	2606 Hamilton St	Omaha	68131	Douglas County	Omaha Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(531) 299-2830	0	11	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Esl Teen Literacy Program	Public	9-12	3230 Burt St	Omaha	68131	Douglas County	Omaha Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(531) 299-2620	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Independent Study Program	Public	9-12	3230 Burt St	Omaha	68131	Douglas County	Omaha Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(531) 299-9395	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
McC Career Academy	Public	9-12	3215 Cuming Street	Omaha	68131	Douglas County	Omaha Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(531) 299-8767	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Ops Virtual High School	Public, Virtual	9-12	3230 Burt St - Rm 474b	Omaha	68131	Douglas County	Omaha Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	Yes	No	(531) 299-0269	0	5	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Career Center	Public	9-12	3230 Burt St	Omaha	68131	Douglas County	Omaha Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(531) 299-0330	0	25	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Parrish Program	Public	7-12	4315 Cuming St	Omaha	68131	Douglas County	Omaha Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(531) 299-2860	0	4	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Central High School

What schools feed into Central High School?

Central High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Belle Ryan Elementary School
Elementary : Conestoga Magnet Elementary School
Elementary : Dundee Elementary School
Elementary : Field Club Elementary School
Elementary : Franklin Elementary School
Elementary : Jackson Elementary School
Elementary : Kellom Elementary School
Elementary : Liberty Elementary School
Elementary : Washington Elementary School
Middle : Lewis & Clark Middle School

How many students attend Central High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 2,587 students attended Central High School.

What district is Central High School in?

Omaha Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Central High School?

Students at Central High School are 35% Hispanic, 30% African American, 25% White, 6% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

Is Central High School a good school?

Central High School ranks in the bottom 7.5% of Nebraska high schools.

Rate Central High School!

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