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Central High

Q: Is Central High a good school?

Central High ranks in the bottom 16.3% of California high schools.

Q: How many students attend Central High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 242 students attended Central High.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Central High?

Students at Central High are 88% Hispanic, 7% African American, 2% White, 1% Asian, 1% Two or more races.

Public Grades 9-12

1810^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 16% of California high schools

Summary

Central High is a small public high school serving 242 students in grades 9-12 within the Los Angeles Unified school district, located in a high-need urban area where the vast majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

The school faces significant challenges, with a 1-star rating and academic performance in the bottom 16% of California high schools. Key concerns include a very low graduation rate of 25.2%, a high dropout rate of 45%, and a critical chronic absenteeism rate of nearly 90%, meaning most students miss a large amount of school. Academic proficiency in English, math, and science is below 11%, which is far lower than district and state averages. The school spends more per student ($27,518) than many nearby schools but achieves dramatically worse outcomes, particularly for its most vulnerable students, including those in special education and English learners.

This performance stands in stark contrast to several nearby schools serving similar student populations. For example, Early College Academy-LA Trade Technical College and Orthopaedic Hospital report 100% graduation rates, while Alliance Dr. Olga Mohan High achieves a 96.2% graduation rate, all with similar or lower per-student spending. These comparisons suggest that the challenges at Central High may be related to specific school-level factors, as other schools in the area demonstrate that strong results are possible for students from similar economic backgrounds.

242

Students ?

12.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$27,518

Per pupil spending ?

93.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

716 East 14th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90021-2114

(213) 745-1901

District: Los Angeles Unified

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

88.4%

African American:

6.6%

White:

2.1%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Central High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 21st percentile in 2015 → 16th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (9% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the California average (25% vs 88%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school9%

District avg39%

California avg41%

1,810^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 16%▼ down 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 21% (2015) to bottom 16% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

128^th of 153High Schools in the Los Angeles Unified

791^st of 1,543Los Angeles Unified 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	14.9	1810 of 2162	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.0	2074 of 2159	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.1	2035 of 2170	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.1	1871 of 2123	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	9.1	1208 of 1290	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.0	1808 of 2133	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	9.8	1900 of 2017	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	10.0	1837 of 2021	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	12.2	1725 of 2039	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	15.6	1581 of 1994	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	9.8	2088 of 2426	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	10.8	1990 of 2354	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	13.2	1938 of 2367	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	13.7	1882 of 2281	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	20.0	1811 of 2238	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	20.2	1537 of 2117	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	17.8	1599 of 2063	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	18.5	1493 of 1968	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	21.8	1329 of 1901	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2004	18.6	1334 of 1653	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	18.8	1153 of 1161	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	20.0	1024 of 1117	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	25.1	1049 of 1085	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	24.1	1063 of 1064	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	24.5	1041 of 1044	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	38.3	500 of 941	46.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	17.2	1568 of 1906	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	8.0	1876 of 1915	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.4	1888 of 1915	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.0	1742 of 1858	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.6	1584 of 1833	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	7.7	1663 of 1760	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	15.5	1590 of 1900	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.0	1854 of 1902	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.6	1816 of 1917	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.7	1719 of 1861	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.8	1492 of 1814	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	10.0	1586 of 1742	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	9.3	316 of 328	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	18.2	1617 of 2013	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.3	1980 of 2026	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.5	1956 of 2030	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.7	1867 of 1943	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.0	1100 of 1126	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	16.0	1604 of 1937	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	9.8	1776 of 1862	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	11.4	1728 of 1942	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.0	1903 of 1948	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.7	1710 of 1963	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.7	1642 of 1916	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	9.1	1048 of 1122	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.8	1628 of 1880	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	9.7	1726 of 1834	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	14.1	1252 of 1252	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	23.2	1020 of 1216	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.8	1039 of 1197	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)20th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)18th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)16th percentile~ school

Male (2025)11th percentile-5 vs school

Homeless (2024)4th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2024)3rd percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)1st percentile-11 vs school

Special Education (2025)<1st percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy11%-38 vs state

Science9%-24 vs state

Mathematics6%-31 vs state

★

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Schools Near Central 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 8th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	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 High	Public	9-12	716 East 14th St.	Los Angeles	90021	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(213) 745-1901	242	19	12.6	93.4%	5 (2.1%)	16 (6.6%)	214 (88.4%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	3 (1.2%)	14.9	1810^th of 2162 public high schools	16.3%		10	2074^th of 2159 public high schools	3.9%	264		8.8	8.7	8.8		10.6	10.6		6.4	6.4	$27,518	$4,087	$23,431
Tri-C Community Day	Public	7-12	716 East 14th St. Second Fl.	Los Angeles	90021	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(213) 745-1901	231	17	13.9	96.1%	3 (1.3%)	18 (7.8%)	206 (89.2%)	3 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	14.4	1823^rd of 2162 public high schools	15.7%		14.1	1848^th of 2159 public high schools	14.4%	25		6.1	4.6	5.5		17.2	17.2		5.5	5.5	$24,629	$3,381	$21,248
Santee Education Complex	Public	9-12	1921 South Maple Ave.	Los Angeles	90011	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(213) 763-1000	1,582	80	19.8	93.4%	18 (1.1%)	65 (4.1%)	1,484 (93.8%)	4 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	10 (0.6%)	35.2	1374^th of 2162 public high schools	36.4%		38.4	1286^th of 2159 public high schools	40.4%	88		15.5	0.0	14.7		48.8	48.8		13.0	13.0	$23,359	$4,587	$18,772
Frida Kahlo High	Public	9-12	1924 South Los Angeles St.	Los Angeles	90011	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(213) 763-1090	92	6	16.7	98.9%	2 (2.2%)	7 (7.6%)	82 (89.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.1%)	9	2070^th of 2162 public high schools	4.3%		12.9	1896^th of 2159 public high schools	12.2%	174		0.0	0.0	0.0		0.0	0.0		3.2	3.2	$22,279	$4,782	$17,497
Early College Academy-LA Trade Technical College	Public	9-12	400 West Washington Blvd.	Los Angeles	90015	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(213) 763-3685	272	13	21.5	93.8%	5 (1.8%)	12 (4.4%)	248 (91.2%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	5 (1.8%)	79.5	417^th of 2162 public high schools	80.7%		64.9	653^rd of 2159 public high schools	69.8%	236		56.5		56.5		69.6	69.6		30.4	30.4	$20,045	$3,458	$16,587
Orthopaedic Hospital	Public	9-12	300 West 23rd St.	Los Angeles	90007	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(213) 765-2088	653	36	18.1	93.1%	14 (2.1%)	9 (1.4%)	596 (91.3%)	20 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.1%)	82.3	375^th of 2162 public high schools	82.7%		74.1	503^rd of 2159 public high schools	76.7%	128		57.5		56.9		79.4	79.4		29.8	29.8	$20,793	$3,605	$17,188
Metropolitan Continuation	Public	9-12	727 South Wilson St.	Los Angeles	90021	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(213) 623-4272	62	4	15.7	100.0%	1 (1.6%)	1 (1.6%)	60 (96.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17.3	1737^th of 2162 public high schools	19.7%		12.1	1939^th of 2159 public high schools	10.2%	202		8.3	12.5	10.7		10.3	10.3		6.9	6.9	$36,753	$6,107	$30,646
CDS Secondary	Public	6-12	727 South Wilson St.	Los Angeles	90021	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(213) 239-5656	17	4	4.1	82.4%	0 (0.0%)	2 (11.8%)	15 (88.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)	0.0			0.0	5.6		7.7	0.0		0.0	$123,394	$19,851	$103,543
Alliance Dr. Olga Mohan High	Public, Charter	9-12	644 West 17th St.	Los Angeles	90015	Los Angeles County	Alliance Dr. Olga Mohan High District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(213) 342-2870	456	24	18.7	94.7%	3 (0.7%)	6 (1.3%)	438 (96.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.5%)	89	218^th of 2162 public high schools	89.9%		75	481^st of 2159 public high schools	77.7%	263		53.0		52.5		77.2	77.2		46.6	46.6	$19,859	$2,676	$17,183
YouthBuild Charter School of California	Public, Charter	9-12	611 Wilshire Blvd. Ste. 303	Los Angeles	90017	Los Angeles County	YouthBuild Charter School of California District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(213) 741-2600	880	41	21.3	89.4%	16 (1.8%)	155 (17.6%)	677 (76.9%)	2 (0.2%)	9 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	19 (2.2%)	12.7	1892^nd of 2162 public high schools	12.5%		9.8	2079^th of 2159 public high schools	3.7%	187			5.8	5.8		10.5	10.5		2.4	2.4	$16,231	$568	$15,663

Frequently Asked Questions about Central High

How many students attend Central High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 242 students attended Central High.

What is the racial makeup of Central High?

Students at Central High are 88% Hispanic, 7% African American, 2% White, 1% Asian, 1% Two or more races.

Is Central High a good school?

Central High ranks in the bottom 16.3% of California high schools.

What district is Central High in?

Los Angeles Unified

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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.