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Central Dauphin East Senior High School

Public Grades 9-12

576^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 681 Pennsylvania High Schools

Better than 15% of Pennsylvania high schools

Summary

Central Dauphin East Senior High School is a public high school in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, serving 1,596 students in grades 9-12 as part of the Central Dauphin School District. Despite the school's relatively high spending per student, it has consistently underperformed compared to state and district averages on academic measures such as Keystone Exam proficiency rates.

The school's four-year graduation rate has fluctuated between 79.1% and 87.9% in recent years, lower than the state average, and its dropout rate has been higher than the state average as well. Central Dauphin East Senior High School struggles to effectively serve certain student subgroups, with particularly low rankings for Asian, Hispanic, Multi-racial, Low Socioeconomic Status, and Disabled students. Interestingly, the school's academic performance is significantly lower than its counterpart, Central Dauphin Senior High School, which is ranked higher and has better proficiency rates on Keystone Exams.

Central Dauphin East Senior High School is located near several other low-performing schools, such as Harrisburg High School and Steelton-Highspire High School, which also struggle with academic achievement and have high percentages of students from low-income backgrounds. Despite the school's consistent low performance, its statewide ranking has not shown significant improvement over the past 10 years, indicating a need for more effective interventions and support.

1,573

Students ?

13.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,207

Per pupil spending ?

101.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

626 Rutherford Rd
Harrisburg, PA 17109-5227

(717) 541-1662

District: Central Dauphin School District

Feeder schools for Central Dauphin East Senior High School:

Elementary:	Chambers Hill Elementary School
	Lawnton Elementary School
	Paxtang Elementary School
	Phillips Elementary School
	More...
	Rutherford Elementary School
	South Side Elementary School
	Tri-Community Elementary School
Middle:	Central Dauphin East Middle School
	Swatara Middle School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

32.4%

Hispanic:

22.0%

White:

19.3%

See top rated Pennsylvania high schools

Compare Central Dauphin East Senior High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 17th percentile in 2015 → 15th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Pennsylvania average (28% vs 52% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (15th percentile)

!Biology scores 27 pts below the Pennsylvania average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school28%

District avg41%

Pennsylvania avg52%

576^th of 681

Pennsylvania public high schools ?

Bottom 15%▼ down 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2High Schools in the Central Dauphin School District

362^nd of 606Central Dauphin School District among Pennsylvania 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	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	15.0	576 of 681	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.2	548 of 686	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.5	529 of 674	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.4	505 of 634	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.9	398 of 537	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.7	557 of 693	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.7	551 of 673	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	16.9	553 of 663	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	27.6	536 of 677	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	18.6	563 of 680	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	15.0	512 of 580	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	29.6	488 of 591	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	28.1	536 of 664	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	27.0	550 of 660	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	21.5	566 of 649	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	24.7	539 of 632	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	31.3	500 of 621	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	36.6	483 of 615	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	38.3	457 of 604	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	38.3	445 of 593	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	46.7	366 of 590	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2003	42.9	402 of 583	31.0%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	24.6	205 of 276	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	47.6	137 of 284	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	30.6	178 of 260	31.5%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	2.4	120 of 125	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.3	113 of 121	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.6	110 of 112	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	16.1	480 of 524	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	42.5	252 of 513	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	32.3	320 of 502	36.3%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	38.9	58 of 109	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.1	55 of 84	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.6	33 of 85	61.2%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	15.1	560 of 657	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.6	514 of 665	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	15.7	245 of 287	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.8	230 of 274	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.0	170 of 252	32.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	15.7	558 of 651	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.1	522 of 664	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.2	479 of 652	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	14.8	561 of 660	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.5	545 of 662	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	19.5	135 of 165	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.0	121 of 150	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.8	95 of 129	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	37.5	382 of 583	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	16.7	521 of 595	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	52.6	281 of 577	51.3%	★★★☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2025)47th percentile+31 vs school

White (2025)34th percentile+19 vs school

African American (2025)26th percentile+10 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)18th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)15th percentile~ school

Female (2025)15th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)15th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)14th percentile~ school

Disabled (2025)8th percentile-7 vs school

Asian (2025)4th percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

Literature40%-22 vs state

Biology23%-27 vs state

Algebra I21%-23 vs state

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, May 6, 2010

Most students who go to this school are unmotivated. Students are disruptive in class, and just all around disrespectful. Teachers were really trying to teach, but many of the students there make it impossible. Students feel unsafe and this school has the highest teacher turnover rate of any school in the district. Something needs to be done by the PA Dept. Education about the situation at this school to help the students who really want to learn. My child was a distinguished honor student who had to take remedial classes in college. Something is terribly wrong with this scenario! Close Quote

Schools Near Central Dauphin East Senior High School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Keystone Exams Algebra I (2025)	Keystone Exams Biology (2025)	Keystone Exams Literature (2025)	PSSA Math (2025)			PSSA English Language Arts (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	Keystone Exams Algebra I 11th Grade	Keystone Exams Biology 11th Grade	Keystone Exams Literature 11th Grade	PSSA Math 7th Grade	PSSA Math 8th Grade	PSSA Math All Grades	PSSA English Language Arts 7th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Central Dauphin East Senior High School	Public	9-12	626 Rutherford Rd	Harrisburg	17109	Dauphin County	Central Dauphin School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 541-1662	1,573	116	13.5	101.5%	304 (19.3%)	510 (32.4%)	346 (22.0%)	229 (14.6%)	3 (0.2%)	4 (0.3%)	177 (11.3%)	15	576^th of 681 public high schools	15.4%		22.2	548^th of 686 public high schools	20.1%	28	21.2	22.8	40.5							$15,207	$565	$14,641
Dauphin County Technical School	Public	9-12	6001 Locust Ln	Harrisburg	17109	Dauphin County	Dauphin County Technical School	No	No	No	No	(717) 652-3170	1,187	79	15.0	99.1%	467 (39.3%)	234 (19.7%)	273 (23.0%)	158 (13.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (4.5%)	57.5	316^th of 681 public high schools	53.6%		40.2	464^th of 686 public high schools	32.4%	148	34.9	66.4	60.3
Susquehanna Township High School	Public	9-12	3500 Elmerton Ave	Harrisburg	17109	Dauphin County	Susquehanna Township School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 657-5117	767	58	13.2	64.7%	158 (20.6%)	285 (37.2%)	139 (18.1%)	103 (13.4%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.5%)	76 (9.9%)	22.9	541^st of 681 public high schools	20.6%		43.1	444^th of 686 public high schools	35.3%	97	28.6	34.0	39.5							$33,250	$1,173	$32,077
Harrisburg High School	Public	9-12	2451 Market St	Harrisburg	17103	Dauphin County	Harrisburg City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(717) 703-4300	1,343	74	18.0	99.4%	39 (2.9%)	584 (43.5%)	660 (49.1%)	21 (1.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (2.8%)	1.7	672^nd of 681 public high schools	1.3%		2.4	671^st of 686 public high schools	2.2%	1	1.0	4.6	7.3							$24,035	$81	$23,955
Steelton-Highspire High School	Public	7-12	250 Reynders Ave.	Steelton	17113	Dauphin County	Steelton-Highspire School District	No	No	No	Yes	(717) 704-3809	612	38	16.1		67 (10.9%)	323 (52.8%)	178 (29.1%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (6.7%)	4.7	637^th of 681 public high schools	6.5%		3.8	655^th of 686 public high schools	4.5%	18	5.5	11.3	28.9	1.2	1.2	1.2	12.6	12.5	12.5
Harrisburg High School - SciTech Cmp	Public	9-12	215 Market Street	Harrisburg	17101	Dauphin County	Harrisburg City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(717) 703-1900	347	26	13.3	93.1%	11 (3.2%)	202 (58.2%)	106 (30.5%)	16 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.5%)	32.5	489^th of 681 public high schools	28.2%		61	282^nd of 686 public high schools	58.9%	207	36.2	28.9	53.6							$24,521	$82	$24,438
Capital Area School for the Arts Charter School	Public, Charter	9-12	150 Strawberry Square	Harrisburg	17101	Dauphin County	Capital Area School for the Arts Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(717) 732-8450	193	11	17.5	5.7%	117 (60.6%)	34 (17.6%)	28 (14.5%)	4 (2.1%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.7%)	84.8	82^nd of 681 public high schools	88.0%		90.6	45^th of 686 public high schools	93.4%	37	54.0	74.4	84.2							$16,934	$397	$16,537
Central Dauphin Senior High School	Public	9-12	437 Piketown Road	Harrisburg	17112	Dauphin County	Central Dauphin School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 703-5360	1,966	129	15.2	36.5%	1,189 (60.5%)	253 (12.9%)	190 (9.7%)	193 (9.8%)	5 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	135 (6.9%)	51.8	365^th of 681 public high schools	46.4%		62.8	264^th of 686 public high schools	61.5%	101	38.6	46.5	64.8							$15,179	$351	$14,828
Price	Public	6-12	101 East High Street	Hummelstown	17036	Dauphin County	Lower Dauphin School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 566-5325	7	2	3.3		6 (85.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (14.3%)								(n/a)										$37,539	$19,666	$17,873
Lower Dauphin High School	Public	9-12	201 S Hanover St	Hummelstown	17036	Dauphin County	Lower Dauphin School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 566-5330	1,057	88	12.0	26.5%	843 (79.8%)	24 (2.3%)	94 (8.9%)	32 (3.0%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (5.9%)	79.2	123^rd of 681 public high schools	81.9%		75.5	157^th of 686 public high schools	77.1%	34	55.9	63.2	77.7							$18,593	$720	$17,873

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Dauphin East Senior High School

What is the racial makeup of Central Dauphin East Senior High School?

Students at Central Dauphin East Senior High School are 32% African American, 22% Hispanic, 19% White, 15% Asian, 11% Two or more races.

What district is Central Dauphin East Senior High School in?

Central Dauphin School District

What schools feed into Central Dauphin East Senior High School?

Central Dauphin East Senior High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Chambers Hill Elementary School
Elementary : Lawnton Elementary School
Elementary : Paxtang Elementary School
Elementary : Phillips Elementary School
Elementary : Rutherford Elementary School
Elementary : South Side Elementary School
Elementary : Tri-Community Elementary School
Middle : Central Dauphin East Middle School
Middle : Swatara Middle School

How many students attend Central Dauphin East Senior High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,573 students attended Central Dauphin East Senior High School.

Is Central Dauphin East Senior High School a good school?

Central Dauphin East Senior High School ranks in the bottom 15.4% of Pennsylvania high schools.

Rate Central Dauphin East Senior 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 Pennsylvania 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.