Springfield Central High

Springfield Central High is a large public high school in Springfield, MA, serving grades 9–12 with 1,983 students — the biggest enrollment in its local comparison group — and it is part of the Springfield district, which itself ranks near the bottom statewide.

Academically, Central sits in the bottom decile: 321 of 353 schools (9th percentile, 0 stars) in 2025–2026, and its state percentile has stayed roughly between 7 and 12 for a decade. Tenth-grade proficiency in 2025–2026 was 19.82% in ELA, 13.61% in Math, 6.98% in Science, 8.78% in Biology and 8.33% in Physics — all below district averages and far below state rates of 45.48% ELA, 43.73% Math and 40.5% Science. ELA and Science dropped sharply from the prior year, which pulled the school back to 0 stars. Several nearby comprehensive high schools, including High School Of Commerce, Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical Academy, John J Duggan Academy and The Springfield Renaissance School an Expeditionary Learning, generally posted higher ELA, Math and Science scores — though Commerce's stronger scores come with a much lower graduation rate and higher dropout rate.

Completion is Central's clear strength: a 95.1% graduation rate in 2024–2025 versus 82.0% for the district, and a 4.5% dropout rate versus 9.7%. English Language Learner students were the standout subgroup, ranking 8 of 105 schools (92nd percentile, 5 stars), and homeless students ranked 5 of 30 (83rd percentile, 4 stars). Other subgroups, including low-income and special education students, ranked at or near the bottom. Per-student spending of $17,242 and a 12.1 student/teacher ratio are mid-range among nearby schools, so resources alone don't explain the low proficiency.