Central CHSD 71

Central CHSD 71 has one listed public school, Central Community High School, serving grades 9–12 and enrolling 629 students. The school’s results are compared with Illinois because there are no other listed local schools to compare. Its most important strength is that in 2025–2026 it exceeded state results in eight of nine reported test comparisons.

As the area’s only listed school, Central Community High School has no local school at the top or bottom of a peer ranking. Its strongest results were on grade 9 and 10 PreACT Secure: it was 13.3 to 17.3 points above the state in all six subject comparisons. Grade 11 ACT results were less consistent: the school was 6 points ahead in math and 4 points ahead in science, but 2 points behind in English Language Arts. Graduation was 99%, compared with 90% statewide, while chronic absenteeism was 9%, versus 24% statewide—15 points lower.

The school’s advantage over state test results narrowed: its average gap across the nine comparisons was 17 points in 2024–2025 and 11 points in 2025–2026, a decrease of about 6 points. The clearest declines were on grade 11 ACT, where school scores fell 16 points in English Language Arts, 17 in math and 10 in science; PreACT changes were mixed, with grade 10 English Language Arts and math rising while other subject results fell. SchoolDigger rates the district four stars and ranks it 115th of 738, in the 84th percentile; its supplied rankings were 101st of 697 in 2023–2024, 65th of 698 in 2024–2025 and 110th of 620 in 2025–2026. As context, 20% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–2025, the student-teacher ratio was 14.9 that year, and per-student spending was $13,926.