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Central High School

Q: Is Central High School a good school?

Central High School ranks 237 th of 386 Alabama high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-12

237^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 386 Alabama High Schools

Better than 39% of Alabama high schools

Summary

Central High School in Florence, AL, serves 596 students in grades 7 through 12 as part of the Lauderdale County school district, which holds a 3-star rating statewide.

Central High School shows a striking split between its middle and high school grades. In the most recent testing year, 8th graders posted 50% proficiency in math—nearly double the state average of 26.4%—and 59.8% in science, beating the state rate of 54.1%. These 8th graders also exceeded state averages in English. However, by 11th grade, proficiency drops dramatically: math falls to 17%, science to 22%, and English to 29.4%, all below state averages. This suggests the school is effective in middle school but struggles to sustain academic growth into the upper grades. Compared to nearby schools, Central is a mid-tier performer: it ranks below Florence High School (76th percentile) and Muscle Shoals High School (93rd percentile), but above Sheffield High School (32nd percentile) and roughly on par with Rogers High School (34th percentile) and Wilson High School (36th percentile).

The school’s biggest challenge is chronic absenteeism, which has risen steadily from 20% in 2022-2023 to 27% in 2024-2025—more than double the state average of 12%. This rise aligns with a drop in the school’s overall state ranking, from the 57th percentile to the 38th percentile. On a positive note, Central maintains a strong graduation rate of 94.4%, above the state average of 91.5%, and has shown promising gains for students from low-income backgrounds, who improved from the 13th percentile to the 44th percentile in recent years. The school spends about $9,997 per student, slightly above the district average, and has a student-to-teacher ratio of 15.6:1. For parents, the key takeaway is that Central excels in middle school but needs support to help students maintain that momentum through high school, with attendance being a critical factor.

596

Students ?

15.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,997

Per pupil spending ?

45.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3000 County Road 200
Florence, AL 35633

(256) 764-2903

District: Lauderdale County

Racial breakdown:

White:

90.1%

Hispanic:

4.2%

African American:

3.9%

See top rated Alabama high schools

Compare Central High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 41st percentile in 2016 → 39th in 2026

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (27% vs 12% Alabama)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school39%

District avg40%

Alabama avg39%

Middle school

133^rd of 449

Alabama public middle schools ?

Top 30%▼ down 8 pts since 2016

From top 21% (2016) to top 30% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

237^th of 386

Alabama public high schools ?

Bottom 39%▼ down 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Alabama High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 6High Schools in the Lauderdale County

54^th of 140Lauderdale County among Alabama districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2022	62.5	237 of 687	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.4	364 of 692	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	60.7	258 of 681	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	70.8	189 of 680	72.2%	★★★★☆
2017	67.8	195 of 688	71.7%	★★★★☆
2016	68.0	194 of 691	71.9%	★★★★☆
2015	63.9	208 of 691	69.9%	★★★★☆
2014	53.3	324 of 695	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	61.8	292 of 696	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2012	66.9	225 of 696	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2011	70.9	174 of 709	75.5%	★★★★☆
2010	72.0	161 of 704	77.1%	★★★★☆
2009	80.6	71 of 696	89.8%	★★★★☆
2008	81.3	66 of 698	90.5%	★★★★★
2007	79.2	99 of 698	85.8%	★★★★☆
2006	87.1	38 of 689	94.5%	★★★★★
2005	83.7	65 of 688	90.6%	★★★★★
2004	78.3	100 of 623	83.9%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2022	60.2	242 of 656	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.9	305 of 656	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.2	202 of 646	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	73.5	147 of 640	77.0%	★★★★☆
2017	61.6	223 of 639	65.1%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2022	57.7	266 of 651	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.5	314 of 653	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.8	171 of 649	73.7%	★★★★☆
2018	75.4	116 of 651	82.2%	★★★★☆
2017	66.8	143 of 567	74.8%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2022	62.0	235 of 669	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.8	380 of 669	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	56.0	284 of 650	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	68.1	195 of 650	70.0%	★★★★☆
2017	69.0	167 of 639	73.9%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2022	74.6	48 of 345	86.1%	★★★★☆
2021	56.2	128 of 398	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.3	88 of 392	77.6%	★★★★☆
2018	81.6	28 of 344	91.9%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2022	43.6	297 of 540	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.2	396 of 539	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.6	336 of 529	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.2	245 of 508	51.8%	★★★☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	64.2	133 of 449	70.4%	★★★★☆
2025	70.0	100 of 439	77.2%	★★★★☆
2024	62.7	138 of 442	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.3	165 of 437	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.9	156 of 432	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.0	223 of 440	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	72.6	89 of 437	79.6%	★★★★☆
2018	74.8	82 of 423	80.6%	★★★★☆
2017	70.7	93 of 432	78.5%	★★★★☆
2016	70.7	92 of 432	78.7%	★★★★☆
2015	64.4	115 of 430	73.3%	★★★★☆
2014	57.8	163 of 438	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2013	61.1	166 of 436	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	50.4	251 of 436	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2011	63.1	163 of 435	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	67.8	123 of 435	71.7%	★★★★☆
2009	65.8	122 of 425	71.3%	★★★★☆
2008	71.5	82 of 417	80.3%	★★★★☆
2007	67.6	120 of 412	70.9%	★★★★☆
2006	76.1	60 of 409	85.3%	★★★★☆
2005	66.6	99 of 415	76.1%	★★★★☆
2004	48.8	204 of 407	49.9%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	52.4	198 of 427	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.3	171 of 415	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.3	134 of 426	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	71.8	89 of 417	78.7%	★★★★☆
2022	58.2	153 of 423	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.3	161 of 415	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	73.6	73 of 399	81.7%	★★★★☆
2018	68.6	104 of 392	73.5%	★★★★☆
2017	60.2	132 of 380	65.3%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	64.5	118 of 438	73.1%	★★★★☆
2025	74.1	77 of 428	82.0%	★★★★☆
2024	59.0	142 of 437	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	70.1	80 of 410	80.5%	★★★★☆
2022	62.2	123 of 421	70.8%	★★★★☆
2021	61.7	134 of 415	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	79.7	42 of 396	89.4%	★★★★☆
2018	81.5	34 of 396	91.4%	★★★★★
2017	72.6	60 of 349	82.8%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	72.7	86 of 426	79.8%	★★★★☆
2025	78.7	68 of 422	83.9%	★★★★☆
2024	61.3	134 of 428	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.9	236 of 419	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	54.5	165 of 427	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	41.2	245 of 418	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	68.9	97 of 399	75.7%	★★★★☆
2018	77.6	58 of 397	85.4%	★★★★☆
2017	75.3	65 of 380	82.9%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2024	53.2	99 of 281	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	44.5	130 of 274	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	36.1	151 of 223	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	29.1	149 of 195	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	50.5	155 of 359	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.4	127 of 377	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.8	170 of 373	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.1	195 of 370	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.6	197 of 376	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.8	242 of 369	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	60.8	101 of 343	70.6%	★★★★☆
2018	56.5	116 of 331	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	37.3	143 of 247	42.1%	★★☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	38.4	237 of 386	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	54.0	160 of 374	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	32.4	255 of 378	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.1	189 of 371	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	52.3	155 of 367	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	45.8	188 of 371	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.4	167 of 366	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.2	123 of 356	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	47.7	161 of 353	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	39.1	208 of 351	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2015	56.7	132 of 353	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2014	48.4	183 of 358	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	64.2	95 of 358	73.5%	★★★★☆
2012	67.0	102 of 358	71.5%	★★★★☆
2011	66.4	106 of 360	70.6%	★★★★☆
2010	51.0	192 of 358	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	67.6	84 of 357	76.5%	★★★★☆
2008	55.9	170 of 359	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2007	60.1	150 of 358	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2006	52.6	188 of 357	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2005	66.4	101 of 359	71.9%	★★★★☆
2004	67.8	96 of 357	73.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	43.8	204 of 377	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	52.8	152 of 359	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	37.2	225 of 366	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.0	178 of 358	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	30.3	254 of 367	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.0	236 of 359	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	62.2	134 of 354	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.5	151 of 347	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	32.6	232 of 343	32.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	41.8	214 of 383	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	57.4	126 of 367	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	18.0	328 of 375	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	58.5	115 of 349	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	81.3	47 of 361	87.0%	★★★★☆
2021	38.8	212 of 361	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.6	189 of 358	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	57.7	136 of 349	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	58.5	98 of 315	68.9%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	34.6	245 of 380	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	51.7	161 of 363	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	28.8	253 of 368	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.0	198 of 358	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	74.0	73 of 366	80.1%	★★★★☆
2021	58.3	132 of 366	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.3	193 of 357	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	69.4	93 of 350	73.4%	★★★★☆
2017	61.9	105 of 339	69.0%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2024	43.2	97 of 198	51.0%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	19.4	269 of 320	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	39.8	183 of 325	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	21.2	277 of 325	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.7	210 of 317	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.7	205 of 326	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	31.4	212 of 319	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.1	204 of 313	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.0	146 of 300	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	27.5	165 of 230	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Special Education (2022)86th percentile+21 vs school

Male (2022)65th percentile~ school

Female (2022)63rd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2022)59th percentile-6 vs school

White (2022)45th percentile-21 vs school

Middle school

Male (2026)80th percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)73rd percentile+3 vs school

Special Education (2024)65th percentile-4 vs school

White (2026)57th percentile-14 vs school

Female (2026)54th percentile-17 vs school

High school

Special Education (2024)51st percentile+18 vs school

Female (2026)46th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)44th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)36th percentile-3 vs school

White (2026)16th percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

English49%~ state avg

Science41%-4 vs state

Mathematics28%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Central High School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				Summative Assessment Mathematics (2026)				Summative Assessment Science (2026)		Summative Assessment English (2026)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Summative Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 11th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 8th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 11th Grade	Summative Assessment English 6th Grade	Summative Assessment English 7th Grade	Summative Assessment English 8th Grade	Summative Assessment English 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Central High School	Public	7-12	3000 County Road 200	Florence	35633	Lauderdale County	Lauderdale County	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 764-2903	596	38	15.6	45.1%	537 (90.1%)	23 (3.9%)	25 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (1.7%)	38.4	237^th of 386 public high schools	38.6%		54	160^th of 374 public high schools	57.2%	77		16.7	50.0	17.0	59.8	22.0		49.0	68.3	29.4	$9,997	$1,140	$8,851
Wilson High School	Public	7-12	7601 Highway 17	Florence	35634	Lauderdale County	Lauderdale County	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 764-8470	585	37	15.7	48.2%	555 (94.9%)	8 (1.4%)	5 (0.9%)	5 (0.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.7%)	36.5	245^th of 386 public high schools	36.5%		67	105^th of 374 public high schools	71.9%	140		30.3	18.2	18.8	44.3	18.8		56.1	50.0	27.9	$8,825	$1,150	$7,668
Florence High School	Public	10-12	1201 Bradshaw Dr	Florence	35630	Lauderdale County	Florence City	No	No	No	No	(256) 768-2200	1,101	63	17.5	49.8%	503 (45.7%)	295 (26.8%)	181 (16.4%)	19 (1.7%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	101 (9.2%)	72.4	94^th of 386 public high schools	75.6%		81.9	55^th of 374 public high schools	85.3%	39				34.8		37.1				39.9	$13,080	$938	$12,044
Florence Learning Center	Public	6-12	610 W College St	Florence	35630	Lauderdale County	Florence City	No	No	No	No	(256) 768-3022																			(n/a)
Sheffield High School	Public	9-12	2800 19th Ave	Sheffield	35660	Colbert County	Sheffield City	No	No	No	No	(256) 383-6052	305	20	15.0	70.8%	134 (43.9%)	115 (37.7%)	26 (8.5%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (8.9%)	33.2	260^th of 386 public high schools	32.6%		17.8	307^th of 374 public high schools	17.9%	47				19.2		23.3				19.2	$17,582	$2,555	$15,024
Deshler Career Technical Center	Public	9-12	200 N Commons East	Tuscumbia	35674	Colbert County	Tuscumbia City	No	No	No	No	(256) 389-2910																			(n/a)
Deshler High School	Public	9-12	200 N Commons East	Tuscumbia	35674	Colbert County	Tuscumbia City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 389-2910	488	33	14.8	46.7%	307 (62.9%)	127 (26.0%)	18 (3.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	34 (7.0%)	44.1	203^rd of 386 public high schools	47.4%		69.5	98^th of 374 public high schools	73.8%	105				17.4		31.3				27.0	$12,124	$1,330	$10,740
Cherokee High School	Public	6-12	850 High School Dr	Cherokee	35616	Colbert County	Colbert County	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 359-4434	206	20	10.3	63.6%	169 (82.0%)	18 (8.7%)	11 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.9%)	41	225^th of 386 public high schools	41.7%		19.6	300^th of 374 public high schools	19.8%	75	13.3	21.4	10.7	18.8	46.4	28.1	36.7	47.6	50.0	25.0	$13,870	$1,445	$12,425
Muscle Shoals High School	Public	9-12	1900 E Avalon Ave	Muscle Shoals	35661	Colbert County	Muscle Shoals City	No	No	No	No	(256) 389-2682	864	44	19.7	33.7%	549 (63.5%)	140 (16.2%)	74 (8.6%)	32 (3.7%)	10 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (6.8%)	91.4	28^th of 386 public high schools	92.7%		78.8	66^th of 374 public high schools	82.4%	38				47.3		55.5				47.0	$10,216	$759	$9,421
Muscle Shoals Career Academy	Public	9-12	321 Jim Holland Drive	Muscle Shoals	35661	Colbert County	Muscle Shoals City	No	No	No	No	(256) 389-2660																			(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Central High School

What district is Central High School in?

Lauderdale County

Is Central High School a good school?

Central High School ranks 237^th of 386 Alabama high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Central High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 596 students attended Central High School.

What is the racial makeup of Central High School?

Students at Central High School are 90% White, 4% Hispanic, 4% African American, 2% Two or more races.

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Latest Alabama data All new data »

2025–26 Summative Assessment scoresAug 14, 2026

2024–25 attendance data & graduation ratesDec 27, 2025

2024–25 Summative Assessment scoresAug 14, 2025

2021–22 through 2023–24 attendance data & graduation ratesDec 2, 2024

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