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Central High School

Public Grades 9-12

297^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 380 Alabama High Schools

Better than 22% of Alabama high schools

Summary

Central High School is a public high school in Tuscaloosa, AL, serving 796 students in grades 9-12 as part of the Tuscaloosa City district. The school has a 1-star rating and ranks in the bottom quarter of Alabama high schools, with about 78% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.

Academically, Central High School trails both district and state averages significantly. In 2025-2026, only 9.57% of students were proficient in math, 13.66% in English, and 23.53% in science—roughly half the state averages in each subject. The most pressing concern is chronic absenteeism: 31.8% of students miss significant school time, nearly three times the state average of 12% and more than double the rates at nearby Paul W Bryant High School (17.5%) and Northridge High School (16.8%). The graduation rate of 81.5% also lags behind the state average of 91.5% and is notably lower than Paul W Bryant (91.7%) and Holt High School (94.8%). Interestingly, Central spends $14,113 per student—more than most nearby schools—yet this higher investment hasn't translated into better outcomes.

There are bright spots worth noting. English Language Learner students at Central rank in the 78th percentile statewide, a strong result. Special education students showed exceptional performance in 2024-2025 (87th percentile) but dropped to the 36th percentile the following year, suggesting inconsistency. The school also demonstrates it can achieve excellence—its White students rank in the 95th percentile statewide. However, other subgroups, including African American students (38th percentile) and low-income students (16th percentile), are significantly under-served. The key challenge for Central is scaling its proven successes to benefit all students, with addressing the absenteeism crisis as the immediate priority.

796

Students ?

17.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,113

Per pupil spending ?

78.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

905 15th Street
Tuscaloosa, AL 35401

(205) 759-3720

District: Tuscaloosa City

Feeder schools for Central High School:

Elementary:	Central Elementary School
	Martin L King Junior Elementary School
	Oakdale Elementary School
	University Place Elementary School
Middle:	Westlawn Middle School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

87.2%

Hispanic:

6.9%

White:

4.6%

See top rated Alabama high schools

Compare Central High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 4th percentile in 2015 → 22nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 18 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Alabama average (16% vs 32% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (22nd percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Alabama average (82% vs 92%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school16%

District avg28%

Alabama avg32%

297^th of 380

Alabama public high schools ?

Bottom 22%▲ up 20 pts since 2016

From bottom 2% (2016) to bottom 22% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3High Schools in the Tuscaloosa City

75^th of 139Tuscaloosa 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	22.7	297 of 380	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.0	311 of 374	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.1	292 of 378	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.4	328 of 371	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.4	273 of 371	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.8	298 of 366	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.2	307 of 356	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	13.5	316 of 353	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	6.5	344 of 351	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	6.7	340 of 353	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	13.1	312 of 358	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	10.2	353 of 358	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	0.7	358 of 358	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	8.5	347 of 360	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	16.3	338 of 358	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	11.5	349 of 357	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	10.6	352 of 359	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	3.5	356 of 358	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	9.9	349 of 357	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	5.4	354 of 359	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	9.8	343 of 357	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	38.3	144 of 234	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	36.1	134 of 228	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.1	166 of 231	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.4	147 of 224	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	58.1	59 of 228	74.1%	★★★★☆
2019	41.6	115 of 224	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.2	116 of 223	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	35.2	121 of 189	36.0%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	57.8	20 of 89	77.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	28.5	268 of 372	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.7	315 of 359	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.5	286 of 366	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.4	324 of 358	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	39.5	214 of 359	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	20.9	284 of 354	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.8	289 of 347	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	16.6	294 of 343	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	21.7	317 of 377	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.7	324 of 367	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.4	339 of 375	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.6	312 of 349	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.4	249 of 361	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	24.5	277 of 358	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.1	261 of 349	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	20.8	269 of 315	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	18.0	315 of 375	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.7	299 of 363	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.1	274 of 368	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.3	302 of 358	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.1	302 of 366	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.5	318 of 357	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	10.5	313 of 350	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	10.7	314 of 339	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	15.0	112 of 122	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	35.2	127 of 197	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	74.9	26 of 194	86.6%	★★★★☆
2024	38.4	117 of 198	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.3	121 of 182	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	59.5	58 of 196	70.4%	★★★★☆
2019	12.6	158 of 171	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	20.0	130 of 160	18.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	96.5	15 of 316	95.3%	★★★★★
2024	99.3	7 of 325	97.8%	★★★★★
2022	95.6	18 of 326	94.5%	★★★★★

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 (2026)95th percentile+73 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)78th percentile+56 vs school

African American (2026)38th percentile+17 vs school

Special Education (2026)36th percentile+14 vs school

Female (2026)28th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)16th percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)16th percentile-6 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)8th percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

Science24%-13 vs state

English14%-20 vs state

Mathematics10%-18 vs state

5.0

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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	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	905 15th Street	Tuscaloosa	35401	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 759-3720	796	45	17.8	78.1%	37 (4.6%)	694 (87.2%)	55 (6.9%)	6 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	22.7	297^th of 380 public high schools	21.8%		17	311^th of 374 public high schools	16.8%	14				9.6		23.5				13.7	$14,113	$2,234	$11,666
Tuscaloosa Career and Technology Academy	Public	9-12	2800 Martin Luther King Jr Bou	Tuscaloosa	35401	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa City	No	No	No	No	(205) 759-3649																			(n/a)
I Dream Big Charter Schools	Public, Charter	6-12	3601 Stillman Blvd	Tuscaloosa	35401	Tuscaloosa County	I Dream Big Charter Schools	Yes	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(731) 293-3677	0																		(n/a)	17.2	5.7	21.9		37.5		52.9	45.7	59.4
Tuscaloosa County Juvenile Detention Center	Public	7-12	5941 12th Ave East	Tuscaloosa	35405	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	No	(205) 349-3131																			(n/a)
Northridge High School	Public	9-12	2901 Northridge Rd	Tuscaloosa	35406	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa City	No	No	No	No	(205) 759-3590	1,153	55	21.1	33.7%	604 (52.4%)	412 (35.7%)	71 (6.2%)	46 (4.0%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	16 (1.4%)	90.9	30^th of 380 public high schools	92.1%		85.9	47^th of 374 public high schools	87.4%	17				46.6		56.2				46.0	$9,436	$579	$8,838
TCSS Academy	Public	6-12	3801 Alabama Avenue Northeast	Tuscaloosa	35404	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(205) 342-2858	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Holt High School	Public	9-12	301 44th Ct NE	Tuscaloosa	35404	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 342-2768	456	28	16.2	78.3%	95 (20.8%)	193 (42.3%)	164 (36.0%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17.4	321^st of 380 public high schools	15.5%		18.4	304^th of 374 public high schools	18.7%	17				9.4		15.9				12.8	$17,319	$5,702	$9,624
Hillcrest High School	Public	9-12	300 Patriot Pkwy	Tuscaloosa	35405	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	No	(205) 342-2800	1,434	79	18.1	50.1%	478 (33.3%)	818 (57.0%)	88 (6.1%)	19 (1.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (2.1%)	52.3	164^th of 380 public high schools	56.8%		34.5	229^th of 374 public high schools	38.8%	65				23.1		37.7				25.3	$8,119	$806	$7,290
Paul W Bryant High School	Public	9-12	6315 Mary Harmon Bryant Drive	Cottondale	35453	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 759-3538	1,134	54	21.0	64.8%	51 (4.5%)	979 (86.3%)	82 (7.2%)	7 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.4%)	10 (0.9%)	23.5	292^nd of 380 public high schools	23.2%		15.8	323^rd of 374 public high schools	13.6%	31				10.0		21.7				17.0	$9,385	$1,183	$8,183
Tuscaloosa County High School	Public	9-12	12500 Wildcat Dr	Northport	35475	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	No	(205) 342-2670	1,607	90	17.8	47.2%	786 (48.9%)	462 (28.7%)	311 (19.4%)	25 (1.6%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	20 (1.2%)	52	169^th of 380 public high schools	55.5%		42.6	200^th of 374 public high schools	46.5%	31				19.0		36.9				29.8	$8,263	$719	$7,482

Frequently Asked Questions about Central High School

How many students attend Central High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 796 students attended Central High School.

Is Central High School a good school?

Central High School ranks in the bottom 21.8% of Alabama high schools.

What is the racial makeup of Central High School?

Students at Central High School are 87% African American, 7% Hispanic, 5% White.

What district is Central High School in?

Tuscaloosa City

What schools feed into Central High School?

Central High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Central Elementary School
Elementary : Martin L King Junior Elementary School
Elementary : Oakdale Elementary School
Elementary : University Place Elementary School
Middle : Westlawn Middle School

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Latest Alabama data All new data »

2025–26 Summative Assessment scoresNewAug 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.