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Central Union High

Q: Is Central Union High a good school?

Central Union High ranks 1018 th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

1018^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 53% of California high schools

Summary

Central Union High is a large, traditional public high school serving about 2,000 students in grades 9-12 in El Centro, part of the Central Union High School District, which serves a community with significant economic need.

The school has a distinctive and impressive profile, defined by its exceptional ability to support students through to graduation. It boasts a 98.5% graduation rate, far exceeding the state average, and has dramatically reduced its dropout rate to just 1.3%. Furthermore, students attend school regularly, with a chronic absenteeism rate of 11.3% that is much lower than both the district and state. This success in keeping students engaged and on track happens even as academic proficiency, particularly in mathematics (19.2%), remains a significant challenge, though performance in English Language Arts matches state averages. Compared to other local schools like Calexico High, Central Union achieves stronger graduation and attendance outcomes while spending less per student.

Within its own district, Central Union High consistently outperforms its sister comprehensive high school, Southwest High, in key areas like graduation and attendance. The school shows notable effectiveness with English Language Learners but has seen recent declines in performance for students in special education, an area needing attention. Overall, the school represents a model of efficient resource use and strong student support systems, creating a pathway to graduation even as improving math and science instruction remains a clear opportunity for growth.

2,006

Students ?

20.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

72.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1001 Brighton Ave.
El Centro, CA 92243-3110

(760) 336-4300

District: Central Union High

Feeder schools for Central Union High:

Elementary:	Booker T. Washington Elementary
	Desert Garden Elementary
	Harding Elementary
	Margaret Hedrick Elementary
	More...
	Meadows Elementary
Middle:	Wilson Junior High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

96.3%

White:

2.0%

African American:

0.9%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Central Union High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 59th percentile in 2015 → 53rd in 2025

Strengths

✓98% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

✓Above the California median (53rd percentile)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (30% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school30%

District avg30%

California avg41%

1,018^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Top 47%▼ down 6 pts since 2015

From top 41% (2015) to top 47% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 4High Schools in the Central Union High

997^th of 1,543Central Union High among California 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	California percentile	Rating
2025	51.0	1018 of 2162	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.1	740 of 2159	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.0	847 of 2170	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.4	814 of 2123	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.4	525 of 1290	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.5	823 of 2133	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.9	867 of 2017	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	64.1	698 of 2021	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	58.0	826 of 2039	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	57.0	815 of 1994	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	57.7	592 of 2426	75.6%	★★★★☆
2012	59.6	546 of 2354	76.8%	★★★★☆
2011	62.0	470 of 2367	80.1%	★★★★☆
2010	60.7	501 of 2281	78.0%	★★★★☆
2009	53.4	646 of 2238	71.1%	★★★★☆
2008	54.8	572 of 2117	73.0%	★★★★☆
2007	49.7	661 of 2063	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	46.5	702 of 1968	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2005	44.5	703 of 1901	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2004	37.0	763 of 1653	53.8%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	37.7	615 of 1161	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	23.7	463 of 555	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.4	831 of 1117	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.3	674 of 1052	35.9%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	50.7	340 of 1085	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.0	223 of 1064	79.0%	★★★★☆
2022	65.2	147 of 1044	85.9%	★★★★☆
2021	53.8	154 of 467	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.5	131 of 941	86.1%	★★★★☆
2018	71.3	144 of 938	84.6%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	43.3	1036 of 1906	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.4	816 of 1915	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.6	950 of 1915	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.3	880 of 1858	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.0	504 of 1054	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.3	816 of 1833	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.5	795 of 1760	54.8%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	59.7	717 of 1900	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	73.3	415 of 1902	78.2%	★★★★☆
2023	66.8	537 of 1917	72.0%	★★★★☆
2022	66.4	499 of 1861	73.2%	★★★★☆
2019	65.7	519 of 1814	71.4%	★★★★☆
2018	64.7	590 of 1742	66.1%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	57.3	150 of 410	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.5	92 of 328	72.0%	★★★★☆
2023	62.6	91 of 299	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.6	122 of 290	57.9%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	51.1	937 of 2013	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.2	655 of 2026	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.6	884 of 2030	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.5	717 of 1943	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.4	471 of 1126	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.7	687 of 1937	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.2	692 of 1862	62.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	50.2	915 of 1942	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.8	632 of 1948	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.0	691 of 1963	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.9	667 of 1916	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.5	471 of 1122	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.7	743 of 1880	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.0	856 of 1834	53.3%	★★★☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	30.1	67 of 85	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	53.1	34 of 85	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.9	14 of 74	81.1%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	26.2	968 of 1252	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	42.6	571 of 1216	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	28.6	879 of 1197	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	82.1	179 of 1204	85.1%	★★★★☆
2019	52.2	594 of 1222	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.4	354 of 1173	69.8%	★★★★☆

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 (2022)85th percentile+23 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)69th percentile+3 vs school

Homeless (2025)63rd percentile+11 vs school

Hispanic (2025)62nd percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)53rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)53rd percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)47th percentile-15 vs school

Female (2025)46th percentile-7 vs school

Special Education (2025)23rd percentile-30 vs school

Migrant (2025)21st percentile-32 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy48%~ state avg

Science24%-9 vs state

Mathematics19%-18 vs state

★

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Schools Near Central Union High

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)		Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (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	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Central Union High	Public	9-12	1001 Brighton Ave.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	Central Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 336-4300	2,006	96	20.9	72.6%	41 (2.0%)	19 (0.9%)	1,931 (96.3%)	10 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.2%)	51	1018^th of 2162 public high schools	52.9%		61.1	740^th of 2159 public high schools	65.7%	278		23.7	23.7	48.5	48.5	19.2	19.2
Mt. Signal Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual	9-12	1001 Brighton Avenue Tr. 25	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	Central Union High	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(760) 312-7050	60	2	25.2	83.3%	2 (3.3%)	1 (1.7%)	56 (93.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26.8	1558^th of 2162 public high schools	27.9%		39	1265^th of 2159 public high schools	41.4%	293	10.0	0.0	7.1	50.0	50.0	3.3	3.3
Imperial Valley Regional Occupational Program	Public	9-12	687 State St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	Imperial Valley Regional Occupational Program	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(760) 482-2600	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Desert Oasis High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	1302 South Third St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	Central Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 336-4555	138	10	13.9	94.2%	3 (2.2%)	3 (2.2%)	131 (94.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14.4	1821^st of 2162 public high schools	15.8%		14.8	1824^th of 2159 public high schools	15.5%	3		4.1	4.1	22.1	22.1	0.0	0.0
Southwest High	Public	9-12	2001 Ocotillo Dr.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	Central Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 336-4100	1,846	94	19.5	72.1%	54 (2.9%)	6 (0.3%)	1,760 (95.3%)	19 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	55.8	911^th of 2162 public high schools	57.9%		61.3	735^th of 2159 public high schools	66.0%	176		25.5	25.5	53.4	53.4	20.6	20.6
Imperial Pathways Charter	Public, Virtual, Charter	9-12	1398 Sperber Rd.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	Imperial County Office of Education	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(760) 312-5566	246	11	22.9	92.7%	6 (2.4%)	2 (0.8%)	237 (96.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)		8.3	8.3					$13,015	$797	$12,218
Imperial High	Public	9-12	517 West Barioni Blvd.	Imperial	92251	Imperial County	Imperial Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 355-3220	1,439	62	23.0	47.0%	117 (8.1%)	12 (0.8%)	1,278 (88.8%)	22 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (0.7%)	64.3	702^nd of 2162 public high schools	67.5%		65.2	646^th of 2159 public high schools	70.1%	56	39.0		38.8	60.4	60.4	24.3	24.3	$15,094	$1,744	$13,350
Imperial Ave. Holbrook High	Public	9-12	322 North Imperial Ave.	Imperial	92251	Imperial County	Imperial Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 355-3207	28	3	11.1	60.7%	3 (10.7%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (89.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34.1	1400^th of 2162 public high schools	35.2%		14.2	1844^th of 2159 public high schools	14.6%	444	27.3		27.3	27.3	27.3			$8,006	$1,789	$6,217
Aurora High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	1391 Kloke Rd.	Calexico	92231	Imperial County	Calexico Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 768-3940	96	10	9.9	80.2%	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	94 (97.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9.2	2056^th of 2162 public high schools	4.9%		10	2072^nd of 2159 public high schools	4.0%	16	2.2		1.9	8.0	8.0	2.0	2.0	$30,998	$4,029	$26,969
Pinnacle Hall Community Day	Public	6-12	1391 Kloke Rd.	Calexico	92231	Imperial County	Calexico Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 768-3914	2	1	2.0		0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)								$53,468	$3,050	$50,418

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Union High

What schools feed into Central Union High?

Central Union High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Booker T. Washington Elementary
Elementary : Desert Garden Elementary
Elementary : Harding Elementary
Elementary : Margaret Hedrick Elementary
Elementary : Meadows Elementary
Middle : Wilson Junior High

What district is Central Union High in?

Central Union High

What is the racial makeup of Central Union High?

Students at Central Union High are 96% Hispanic, 2% White.

How many students attend Central Union High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 2,006 students attended Central Union High.

Is Central Union High a good school?

Central Union High ranks 1018^th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Central Union High!

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