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Central High School

Public, Charter Grades 9-12

749^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 838 Florida High Schools

Better than 11% of Florida high schools

Summary

Central High School in Panama City, FL, is a small high school serving just 99 students in grades 9-12, and it is part of the Bay district. The school is facing a severe crisis, with a 1-star rating and a state ranking that has been in the bottom 15th percentile for five years. The most defining issue is catastrophic chronic absenteeism: 92.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2023-2024 school year, which is nearly double the rate at nearby Rosenwald High School (78.9%) and more than double the district average of 35.3%. This rate has stayed above 90% for five years, indicating a deep-rooted problem that prevents the school from fulfilling its basic mission.

Academic proficiency rates are a fraction of those at neighboring schools. For example, in Algebra 1, only 10% of Central students are proficient, compared to 49% at A. Crawford Mosley High School and 32% at Bay High School. Geometry proficiency is just 4%, versus 51% at Mosley. The graduation rate is critically low at 64.1%, more than 30 percentage points below the district (93.8%) and state (92.2%) averages. Interestingly, the school spends $13,762 per student—significantly more than Mosley ($7,164) or Bay High ($9,050)—but this funding has not translated into better outcomes, suggesting the money is used for intensive interventions that are not working.

The data strongly suggests Central High School functions as an alternative or "last chance" school for at-risk students, similar to New Horizons Learning Center (86.2% chronic absenteeism). A glimmer of hope exists in Biology 1 (39% proficiency) and US History (30%), which are less catastrophic than math and ELA scores. The stark contrast with The Collegiate School At Fsu Pc, located just 1.4 miles away—a 5-star school with 0% chronic absenteeism and 95%+ proficiency—highlights extreme educational inequality in Panama City. Any meaningful improvement at Central will require a radical, community-wide effort to address the root causes of absenteeism before academic progress can be made.

Students ?

24.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,762

Per pupil spending ?

40.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1250 W 17th St
Panama City, FL 32405

(850) 215-0770

District: Bay

Racial breakdown:

White:

47.5%

Hispanic:

22.2%

African American:

18.2%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 17th percentile in 2018 → 11th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (20% vs 65% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (11th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Florida average (64% vs 92%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school20%

District avg63%

Florida avg65%

749^th of 838

Florida public high schools ?

Bottom 11%▼ down 6 pts since 2018

From bottom 17% (2018) to bottom 11% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^th of 9High Schools in the Bay

28^th of 70Bay among Florida 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	Florida percentile	Rating
2026	4.2	749 of 838	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	6.5	718 of 844	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	8.0	684 of 807	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	5.8	697 of 792	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	3.8	708 of 774	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	6.9	656 of 746	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.9	598 of 734	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	9.5	594 of 716	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Biology 139%-35 vs state

US History30%-44 vs state

English Language Arts15%-46 vs state

Algebra 110%-53 vs state

Geometry4%-52 vs state

★

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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)				FAST English Language Arts (2026)					FAST Math (2026)			Statewide Science Science (2026)	EOC Algebra 1 (2026)	EOC Geometry (2026)	EOC Biology 1 (2026)	EOC US History (2026)	EOC Civics (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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	FAST English Language Arts 6th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 7th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 8th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 9th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 10th Grade	FAST Math 6th Grade	FAST Math 7th Grade	FAST Math 8th Grade	Statewide Science Science 8th Grade	EOC Algebra 1 End of Course	EOC Geometry End of Course	EOC Biology 1 End of Course	EOC US History End of Course	EOC Civics End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Central High School	Public, Charter	9-12	1250 W 17th St	Panama City	32405	Bay County	Bay	Yes	No	No	Yes	(850) 215-0770	99	4	24.7	40.4%	47 (47.5%)	18 (18.2%)	22 (22.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (12.1%)	4.2	749^th of 838 public high schools	10.6%		6.5	718^th of 844 public high schools	14.9%	31					15.0					10.0	4.0	39.0	30.0		$13,762	$1,552	$12,211
Bay Virtual Instruction Program (District Provided)	Public, Virtual	6-12	1311 Balboa Ave	Panama City	32401	Bay County	Bay	No	No	Yes	No	(850) 767-4377	14	0		42.9%	13 (92.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (7.1%)								(n/a)															$5,417	$36	$5,381
Palm Bay Preparatory Academy 6-12	Public, Charter	6-12	1104 Balboa Ave	Panama City	32401	Bay County	Bay	Yes	No	No	Yes	(850) 215-0770	203	11	18.4	54.7%	86 (42.4%)	39 (19.2%)	60 (29.6%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (7.9%)	68.3	152^nd of 838 public high schools	81.9%		48.3	355^th of 844 public high schools	57.9%	203	81.0	75.0	66.0	67.0	100.0	68.0	76.0	54.0	54.0	67.0	81.0	75.0		88.0	$11,366	$1,813	$9,554
Bay High School	Public	9-12	1200 Harrison Ave	Panama City	32401	Bay County	Bay	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 767-4600	1,289	65	19.8	44.2%	562 (43.6%)	343 (26.6%)	244 (18.9%)	24 (1.9%)	7 (0.5%)	3 (0.2%)	106 (8.2%)	38.6	490^th of 838 public high schools	41.5%		40.5	459^th of 844 public high schools	45.6%	31				57.0	60.0					32.0	31.0	68.0	72.0		$9,050	$813	$8,237
The Collegiate School At Fsu Pc	Public, Charter	9-12	2430 St Andrews Blvd	Panama City	32405	Bay County	Fsu Bay	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(850) 770-2900	178	11	16.9	12.4%	121 (68.0%)	19 (10.7%)	21 (11.8%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	14 (7.9%)	89.4	17^th of 838 public high schools	98.0%		89.6	19^th of 844 public high schools	97.7%	2				96.0	86.0					95.0	97.0	92.0	95.0
Chautauqua Charter School	Public, Charter	9-12	1118 Magnolia Ave	Panama City	32401	Bay County	Bay	Yes	No	No	No	(850) 785-5056	52	5	10.4	32.7%	33 (63.5%)	8 (15.4%)	9 (17.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.8%)								(n/a)
Amikids Maritime Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	200 E Beach Dr	Panama City	32401	Bay County	Bay	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(850) 919-2213	26	5	5.2	23.1%	16 (61.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (19.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (19.2%)	55.1	275^th of 838 public high schools	67.2%					(n/a)				68.0	42.0					57.0			84.0		$30,671	$00	$30,671
Rosenwald High School	Public	6-12	924 Bay Ave	Panama City	32401	Bay County	Bay	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 767-4580	351	27	13.0	62.1%	194 (55.3%)	90 (25.6%)	46 (13.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	18 (5.1%)	1.6	808^th of 838 public high schools	3.6%		2	808^th of 844 public high schools	4.3%		20.0	6.0	13.0	12.0	14.0	10.0	11.0	7.0	11.0	0.0	5.0	16.0	10.0	17.0	$18,158	$1,852	$16,307
New Horizons Learning Center	Public	6-12	3200 Minnesota Ave	Panama City	32405	Bay County	Bay	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 767-1110	93	17	5.4	79.6%	50 (53.8%)	32 (34.4%)	6 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (5.4%)								(n/a)															$36,492	$4,648	$31,845
A. Crawford Mosley High School	Public	9-12	501 Mosley Dr	Lynn Haven	32444	Bay County	Bay	No	No	No	No	(850) 767-4400	1,864	81	23.0	29.7%	1,291 (69.3%)	189 (10.1%)	208 (11.2%)	33 (1.8%)	6 (0.3%)	8 (0.4%)	129 (6.9%)	55.1	274^th of 838 public high schools	67.3%		54.4	279^th of 844 public high schools	66.9%	5				67.0	70.0					49.0	51.0	81.0	73.0		$7,164	$340	$6,825

Frequently Asked Questions about Central High School

What is the racial makeup of Central High School?

Students at Central High School are 47% White, 22% Hispanic, 18% African American, 12% Two or more races.

Is Central High School a good school?

Central High School ranks in the bottom 10.6% of Florida high schools.

What district is Central High School in?

Bay

How many students attend Central High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 99 students attended Central High School.

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Latest Florida data All new data »

2025–26 EOC, FAST & Statewide Science test scoresJun 26, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataMar 20, 2026

2024–25 graduation ratesJan 13, 2026

2024–25 EOC, FAST & Statewide Science test scoresJun 26, 2025

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