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

Central High School

Q: Is Central High School a good school?

Central High School ranks 169 th of 386 Alabama high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

169^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 386 Alabama High Schools

Better than 56% of Alabama high schools

Summary

Central High School in Phenix City, AL, is a large public high school serving 1,579 students in grades 9-12 within the Phenix City school district. The school has a diverse student body, with over half of its students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, and it has shown a generally upward trend in state rankings over the past decade, currently holding a 3-star rating.

One of the school's standout strengths is its exceptional performance with African American students, ranking in the 74th percentile statewide for this group in 2025-2026—18 points higher than its overall ranking. This consistent success suggests effective support systems for this demographic. Additionally, Central High boasts a strong graduation rate of 93.8%, exceeding the state average of 91.5% and remaining above 91% for four consecutive years. However, this academic success is tempered by proficiency rates on state assessments that fall slightly below state averages in math, science, and English. The school also faces a significant challenge with chronic absenteeism, as 22.4% of students were chronically absent in 2024-2025, compared to 15.1% for the district and 12.0% statewide—a rate nearly 5 percentage points higher than nearby Smiths Station High School.

When compared to its closest neighbor, Smiths Station High School, Central High has a similar enrollment but a lower overall state ranking (56th vs. 71st percentile). Smiths Station outperforms Central in 11th-grade science and English proficiency, though Central's graduation rate is slightly higher. There is a positive trend in mathematics, with proficiency improving from 19.78% to 24% in the past year, bringing the school closer to the state average. This improvement, combined with the strong performance of its African American students, suggests targeted interventions may be yielding results. Addressing the high absenteeism rate will likely be key to unlocking the school's full academic potential and improving its overall standing.

1,579

Students ?

18.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,308

Per pupil spending ?

56.4%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

2400 Dobbs Dr
Phenix City, AL 36870

(334) 298-3626

District: Phenix City

Feeder schools for Central High School:

Elementary:	Lakewood Elementary School
	Lakewood Primary School
	Meadowlane Elementary School
	Phenix City Elementary School
	More...
	Ridgecrest Elementary School
	Sherwood Elementary School
	Westview Elementary School
Middle:	Phenix City Intermediate School
	South Girard School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

63.7%

White:

20.8%

Hispanic:

10.3%

See top rated Alabama high schools

Compare Central High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 72nd percentile in 2023 → 56th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Alabama median (56th percentile)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (22% vs 12% Alabama)

!Ranking has slipped from its 72nd-percentile peak (2023) to 56th (2026)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school29%

District avg29%

Alabama avg32%

169^th of 386

Alabama public high schools ?

Top 44%▲ up 15 pts since 2016

From bottom 41% (2016) to top 44% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

82^nd of 140Phenix City 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	52.4	169 of 386	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	54.1	159 of 374	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.1	124 of 378	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.9	103 of 371	72.2%	★★★★☆
2022	41.0	203 of 367	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	61.2	121 of 371	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.2	159 of 366	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	39.6	221 of 356	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	41.0	196 of 353	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	39.4	207 of 351	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	40.0	212 of 353	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	34.1	239 of 358	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2013	40.4	288 of 358	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	36.5	276 of 358	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	49.3	220 of 360	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	34.6	277 of 358	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	25.1	313 of 357	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	40.0	258 of 359	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	43.0	233 of 358	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2006	46.0	236 of 357	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2005	47.8	213 of 359	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2004	47.5	208 of 357	41.7%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	64.4	61 of 238	74.4%	★★★★☆
2025	73.7	36 of 228	84.2%	★★★★☆
2024	73.5	37 of 231	84.0%	★★★★☆
2023	74.5	31 of 224	86.2%	★★★★☆
2022	52.0	69 of 222	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.5	51 of 228	77.6%	★★★★☆
2019	74.4	37 of 224	83.5%	★★★★☆
2018	60.4	60 of 223	73.1%	★★★★☆
2017	50.8	69 of 189	63.5%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	47.2	38 of 90	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	35.9	45 of 75	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.1	25 of 63	60.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	50.2	179 of 377	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.1	134 of 359	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.9	100 of 366	72.7%	★★★★☆
2023	69.9	95 of 358	73.5%	★★★★☆
2022	34.9	228 of 367	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	59.1	132 of 359	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.2	177 of 354	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	33.9	239 of 347	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	38.3	201 of 343	41.4%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	81.2	23 of 142	83.8%	★★★★☆
2024	70.6	36 of 139	74.1%	★★★★☆
2023	98.3	4 of 122	96.7%	★★★★★
2022	78.4	20 of 114	82.5%	★★★★☆
2021	62.0	30 of 113	73.5%	★★★★☆
2019	90.3	15 of 103	85.4%	★★★★☆
2018	70.0	23 of 95	75.8%	★★★★☆
2017	76.8	20 of 93	78.5%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	46.5	188 of 383	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	50.1	152 of 367	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.3	112 of 375	70.1%	★★★★☆
2023	69.7	85 of 349	75.6%	★★★★☆
2022	43.3	190 of 361	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	61.3	112 of 361	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.3	118 of 358	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.5	191 of 349	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	39.6	186 of 315	41.0%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	53.2	162 of 380	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	48.1	175 of 363	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.0	162 of 368	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.3	124 of 358	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.9	169 of 366	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.4	122 of 366	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.8	147 of 357	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	44.9	193 of 350	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	41.9	188 of 339	44.5%	★★☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	47.7	16 of 28	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	54.5	12 of 29	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.4	14 of 24	41.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	17.2	23 of 27	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	9.1	25 of 26	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	40.5	14 of 25	44.0%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	68.8	28 of 123	77.2%	★★★★☆
2025	45.6	32 of 66	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.5	26 of 56	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.1	22 of 45	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.8	25 of 40	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	19.6	34 of 43	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	55.1	18 of 37	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	22.1	20 of 24	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	40.9	13 of 19	31.6%	★★☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2022	38.1	21 of 40	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	19.0	34 of 40	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	43.9	93 of 197	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	22.3	167 of 194	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.7	139 of 198	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	60.0	52 of 182	71.4%	★★★★☆
2022	17.1	147 of 169	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.7	149 of 196	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.4	150 of 171	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	36.0	89 of 160	44.4%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	77.7	58 of 320	81.9%	★★★★☆
2025	69.3	89 of 325	72.6%	★★★★☆
2024	80.2	51 of 325	84.3%	★★★★☆
2023	88.8	37 of 317	88.3%	★★★★☆
2022	59.9	105 of 326	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	90.6	24 of 319	92.5%	★★★★★
2019	78.2	57 of 313	81.8%	★★★★☆
2018	56.1	113 of 300	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	56.4	78 of 230	66.1%	★★★☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2025)84th percentile+26 vs school

White (2026)82nd percentile+26 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)77th percentile+21 vs school

African American (2026)74th percentile+18 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)58th percentile~ school

Male (2026)57th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)53rd percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)53rd percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)51st percentile-5 vs school

Native American (2022)48th percentile+3 vs school

Military Connected (2026)43rd percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

Science31%-5 vs state

English30%-3 vs state

Mathematics24%-3 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

Rate Central High School

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

What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, August 3, 2011

This school brings children from many different backgrounds together to provide them with an excellent education while also preparing them for their careers. The Superintendent really cares about each and every student individually and the Teachers provide a supportive environment where children are encouraged to exceed their own expectations. My children attended Phenix City schools until we moved to Georgia 3 years ago. Georgia teachers and administration are not nearly as supportive or encouraging. And in comparison, Phenix City schools are well ahead of Columbus, GA schools. Close Quote

Schools Near Central High School

Load more schools when map is moved

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 (2023)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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	9-12	2400 Dobbs Dr	Phenix City	36870	Lee County	Phenix City	No	No	No	No	(334) 298-3626	1,579	85	18.5	56.4%	329 (20.8%)	1,006 (63.7%)	162 (10.3%)	6 (0.4%)	2 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	72 (4.6%)	52.4	169^th of 386 public high schools	56.2%		54.1	159^th of 374 public high schools	57.5%	10				24.0		31.3				30.4	$14,308	$2,768	$11,513
Smiths Station High School	Public	9-12	4228 Panther Parkway	Smiths Station	36877	Lee County	Lee County	No	No	No	No	(334) 664-4060	1,588	102	15.6	39.0%	1,002 (63.1%)	315 (19.8%)	138 (8.7%)	7 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.2%)	122 (7.7%)	63.9	111^th of 386 public high schools	71.2%		48.8	179^th of 374 public high schools	52.1%	68				25.6		40.5				33.9	$12,521	$1,128	$11,363
Russell County High School	Public	9-12	57 Warrior Way	Seale	36875	Russell County	Russell County	No	No	No	Yes	(251) 504-1465	1,078	58	18.5	45.0%	422 (39.1%)	467 (43.3%)	89 (8.3%)	9 (0.8%)	3 (0.3%)	8 (0.7%)	80 (7.4%)	41.1	224^th of 386 public high schools	42.0%		30.1	249^th of 374 public high schools	33.4%	25				19.3		29.0				23.7	$13,288	$2,206	$11,076
Lee County Learning Center	Public	6-12	5630 Lee Road 145	Salem	36874	Lee County	Lee County	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(334) 664-4080	0			—															(n/a)
Alternative Learning Center	Public	5-12	91 Poorhouse Rd	Seale	36875	Russell County	Russell County	No	No	No	No	(334) 408-4986				—															(n/a)
Beulah High School	Public	6-12	4848 Lee Road 270	Valley	36854	Chambers County	Lee County	No	No	No	No	(334) 705-6020	535	38	14.0	55.5%	366 (68.4%)	105 (19.6%)	29 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (6.5%)	47.8	185^th of 386 public high schools	52.1%		62.2	123^rd of 374 public high schools	67.1%	62	24.7	21.4	12.4	15.8	23.7	40.8	51.8	64.8	37.5	23.7	$16,456	$1,724	$14,700
Beauregard High School	Public	9-12	7343 Al Highway 51	Opelika	36804	Lee County	Lee County	No	No	No	No	(334) 705-6010	533	44	12.1	53.5%	312 (58.5%)	133 (25.0%)	57 (10.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (5.8%)	62.3	118^th of 386 public high schools	69.4%		67.6	102^nd of 374 public high schools	72.7%	16				27.6		42.9				27.9	$17,411	$2,200	$15,180

Frequently Asked Questions about Central High School

What is the racial makeup of Central High School?

Students at Central High School are 64% African American, 21% White, 10% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

Is Central High School a good school?

Central High School ranks 169^th of 386 Alabama high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Central High School in?

Phenix City

How many students attend Central High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,579 students attended Central High School.

What schools feed into Central High School?

Central High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Lakewood Elementary School
Elementary : Lakewood Primary School
Elementary : Meadowlane Elementary School
Elementary : Phenix City Elementary School
Elementary : Ridgecrest Elementary School
Elementary : Sherwood Elementary School
Elementary : Westview Elementary School
Middle : Phenix City Intermediate School
Middle : South Girard School

Rate Central High School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

ALAlabama High School Rankings

ALAlabama District Rankings

Schools in Phenix City, AL

Sign up for updates!

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

Latest Alabama data All new data »

2019–20 through 2022–23 school spending dataNewOct 6, 2026

2025–26 Summative Assessment scoresAug 14, 2026

2024–25 attendance data & graduation ratesDec 27, 2025

2024–25 Summative Assessment scoresAug 14, 2025

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.