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Manchester Central High School

Q: Is Manchester Central High School a good school?

Manchester Central High School ranks in the bottom 7.9% of New Hampshire high schools.

Q: How many students attend Manchester Central High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,130 students attended Manchester Central High School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Manchester Central High School?

Students at Manchester Central High School are 36% White, 34% Hispanic, 18% African American, 10% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Q: What schools feed into Manchester Central High School?

Manchester Central High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Beech Street School Elementary : McDonough School Elementary : Smyth Road School Elementary : Webster School Middle : Hillside Middle School

Public Grades 9-12

82^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 89 New Hampshire High Schools

Better than 8% of New Hampshire high schools

Summary

Manchester Central High School is a large public school serving about 1,130 students in grades 9–12 in the urban Manchester School District in Manchester, New Hampshire. Central serves a comparatively high-need student population, with about 45% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Its 2025–2026 state ranking was 82nd of 89 New Hampshire high schools, placing it near the bottom statewide, although that was an improvement from the previous year.

The most important concern for families is student persistence. Central’s 2024–2025 graduation rate was 69.6%, below the district’s 75.4% and the state’s 87.0%. Its dropout rate was 16.5%, substantially higher than the district’s 12.1% and the state’s 2.3%. Academic proficiency is also low: 15% of students were proficient in math, 36% in reading, and 19% in science. Reading is Central’s relative strength because it exceeds the district average of 31%; math is the most persistent weakness. The school’s student-teacher ratio, 14.3:1, is similar to other large Manchester high schools, so its challenges do not appear to be explained simply by unusually large classes.

Central is most appropriately compared with nearby comprehensive schools such as Manchester Memorial High School and Manchester West High School, which have higher graduation rates and lower dropout rates. Nearby suburban schools such as Bedford High School, Goffstown High School, and Londonderry Senior High School report much stronger outcomes but serve lower-poverty populations. Central’s reported English-language learner results are a notable bright spot. For families, the key issues to investigate are attendance supports, credit recovery, ninth-grade transition programs, math intervention, counseling, and efforts to reduce dropout risk.

1,130

Students ?

14.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,752

Per pupil spending ?

45.0%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

535 Beech Street
Manchester, NH 03104-4915

(603) 624-6363

District: Manchester School District

Racial breakdown:

White:

35.7%

Hispanic:

33.8%

African American:

17.9%

See top rated New Hampshire high schools

Compare Manchester Central High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 39th percentile in 2016 → 8th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New Hampshire average (24% vs 46% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the New Hampshire average (70% vs 87%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school24%

District avg24%

New Hampshire avg46%

82^nd of 89

New Hampshire public high schools ?

Bottom 8%▼ down 31 pts since 2016

From bottom 39% (2016) to bottom 8% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of New Hampshire High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 4High Schools in the Manchester School District

154^th of 166Manchester School District among New Hampshire 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	New Hampshire percentile	Rating
2026	12.1	82 of 89	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	4.4	85 of 86	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.6	74 of 87	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.5	81 of 85	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	19.3	71 of 85	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	49.8	41 of 84	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	17.5	63 of 71	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.0	65 of 81	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	36.2	62 of 82	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	41.6	51 of 84	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	62.2	27 of 77	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2014	32.2	67 of 85	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	31.8	65 of 83	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	57.0	35 of 83	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	61.8	31 of 81	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2010	76.3	13 of 81	84.0%	★★★★☆
2009	56.9	32 of 79	59.5%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Hampshire percentile	Rating
2025	6.3	3 of 3	0.0%	★★★★☆
2024	59.0	2 of 3	33.3%	★★★★☆
2022	49.2	2 of 3	33.3%	★★★★☆
2021	78.2	2 of 3	33.3%	★★★★☆
2019	16.0	5 of 5	0.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	27.9	2 of 2	0.0%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Hampshire percentile	Rating
2018	4.6	11 of 11	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Statewide rank	New Hampshire percentile	Rating
2024	1 of 3	66.7%	★★★★★
2023	1 of 1	0.0%	★★★★★
2021	1 of 1	0.0%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Hampshire percentile	Rating
2026	12.9	77 of 80	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	3.2	79 of 80	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	23.8	64 of 81	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	8.7	75 of 78	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	18.1	68 of 79	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.7	37 of 59	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	13.8	53 of 63	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.1	52 of 60	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Hampshire percentile	Rating
2025	9.4	13 of 14	7.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.8	19 of 20	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	24.6	3 of 5	40.0%	★★★★☆
2019	20.6	8 of 9	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.1	7 of 7	0.0%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Hampshire percentile	Rating
2019	50.0	1 of 2	50.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Hampshire percentile	Rating
2026	11.6	76 of 81	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	7.9	75 of 78	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.8	75 of 82	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.5	69 of 78	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.1	65 of 78	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	67.4	14 of 60	76.7%	★★★★☆
2019	22.0	50 of 61	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	41.1	35 of 61	42.6%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Hampshire percentile	Rating
2024	21.6	7 of 10	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	16.5	9 of 10	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	9.6	2 of 2	0.0%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Hampshire percentile	Rating
2023	39.4	20 of 29	31.0%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Hampshire percentile	Rating
2026	23.7	73 of 88	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.8	76 of 86	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.9	50 of 87	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.6	57 of 83	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.8	52 of 85	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	71.4	13 of 67	80.6%	★★★★☆
2019	36.0	42 of 66	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.4	26 of 64	59.4%	★★★☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)67th percentile+52 vs school

Homeless (2019)50th percentile+39 vs school

Special Education (2023)31st percentile+26 vs school

Multi-racial (2024)30th percentile+15 vs school

White (2026)17th percentile+9 vs school

Hispanic (2025)7th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)6th percentile~ school

Female (2026)4th percentile-4 vs school

Asian (2018)<1st percentile-20 vs school

African American (2025)<1st percentile~ school

By subject vs New Hampshire (2025-2026) ?

Reading36%-19 vs state

Science19%-19 vs state

Mathematics15%-29 vs state

5.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a student
Monday, December 29, 2014

I'm Andy V. and I'm a freshmen at CHS. I have to say that Central High School is great. Best high school I've ever been to since it's the only one I've ever been to. #centralpride #bleedgreen :) Close Quote

by a student
Monday, July 13, 2009

I was a former student and went on to Boston University (Pre-Med) My years at Central High were the best 4 years I had. The facility taught me extremely well and prepared me for collage. with out them I would never have made it into any good collage or university. They all deserve a large raise for what the provide to the student body. Close Quote

Schools Near Manchester 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)				SAT Mathematics (2026)	SAT Reading (2026)	NH SAS Mathematics (2026)	NH SAS Reading (2026)	NH SAS Science (2026)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	SAT Reading 11th Grade	NH SAS Mathematics All Grades	NH SAS Reading All Grades	NH SAS Science 11th Grade	NH SAS Science All Grades	Total
Manchester Central High School	Public	9-12	535 Beech Street	Manchester	03104	Hillsborough County	Manchester School District	No	No	No	No	(603) 624-6363	1,130	79	14.3	45.0%	403 (35.7%)	202 (17.9%)	382 (33.8%)	25 (2.2%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	114 (10.1%)	12.1	82^nd of 89 public high schools	7.9%		4.4	85^th of 86 public high schools	1.2%	3	15.0	36.0	15.0	36.0	19.0	19.0	$12,752
Kreiva Academy Public Charter School (H)	Public, Charter	9-12	470 Pine St.	Manchester	03104	Hillsborough County	Kreiva Academy Public Charter School	Yes	No	No	No	(603) 232-7974	76	5	15.8	82.9%	42 (55.3%)	4 (5.3%)	16 (21.1%)	2 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (15.8%)								(n/a)
Manchester West High School	Public	9-12	9 Notre Dame Ave.	Manchester	03102	Hillsborough County	Manchester School District	No	No	No	No	(603) 624-6384	764	55	13.9	49.1%	327 (42.8%)	93 (12.2%)	215 (28.1%)	31 (4.1%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	96 (12.6%)	11.7	83^rd of 89 public high schools	6.7%		11.2	78^th of 86 public high schools	9.3%	5	393.0	33.0	< 10%	33.0	26.0	26.0	$17,782
Manchester Memorial High School	Public	9-12	1 Crusader Way	Manchester	03103	Hillsborough County	Manchester School District	No	No	No	No	(603) 624-6378	1,296	91	14.3	29.5%	706 (54.5%)	118 (9.1%)	303 (23.4%)	82 (6.3%)	3 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	84 (6.5%)	12.3	81^st of 89 public high schools	9.0%		8.6	81^st of 86 public high schools	5.8%		14.0	43.0	14.0	43.0	13.0	13.0	$12,370
Spark Academy of Advanced Technologies Charter School	Public, Charter	9-12	1066 Front St.	Manchester	03102	Hillsborough County	Spark Academy of Advanced Technologies	Yes	No	No	No	(603) 316-1170	96	8	12.0	3.1%	80 (83.3%)	2 (2.1%)	4 (4.2%)	4 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (6.3%)	91.7	8^th of 89 public high schools	91.0%		86.4	9^th of 86 public high schools	89.5%	1	58.0	79.0	58.0	79.0	58.0	58.0
Manchester School of Technology (High School)	Public	9-12	100 Gerald Connors Cir	Manchester	03103	Hillsborough County	Manchester School District	No	No	No	No	(603) 624-6490	302	19	15.5	42.7%	182 (60.3%)	7 (2.3%)	91 (30.1%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (6.3%)	11.1	84^th of 89 public high schools	5.6%		5.6	83^rd of 86 public high schools	3.5%	1	413.0	45.0	< 10%	45.0	15.0	15.0	$9,315
The Founders Academy Charter School (H)	Public, Charter	9-12	5 Perimeter Rd	Manchester	03103	Hillsborough County	The Founders Academy Charter School	Yes	No	No	No	(603) 952-4705	152	12	12.6	11.8%	119 (78.3%)	9 (5.9%)	15 (9.9%)	4 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	4 (2.6%)	81.2	15^th of 89 public high schools	83.1%		64.7	22^nd of 86 public high schools	74.4%	7	30.0	87.0	30.0	87.0	63.0	63.0
NH Career Academy Chartered Public School	Public, Charter	12	5 Perimeter Rd	Manchester	03103	Hillsborough County	NH Career Academy Chartered Public School	Yes	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(603) 769-9730	0			—															(n/a)
Bedford High School	Public	9-12	47B Nashua Rd.	Bedford	03110	Hillsborough County	Bedford School District	No	No	No	No	(603) 310-9000	1,360	101	13.4	5.4%	1,062 (78.1%)	16 (1.2%)	46 (3.4%)	128 (9.4%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	106 (7.8%)	97.7	2^nd of 89 public high schools	97.8%		87.2	7^th of 86 public high schools	91.9%	5	63.0	86.0	63.0	86.0	74.0	74.0	$14,660
Goffstown High School	Public	9-12	27 Wallace Rd.	Goffstown	03045	Hillsborough County	Goffstown School District	No	No	No	No	(603) 497-4841	1,008	80	12.6	10.4%	906 (89.9%)	11 (1.1%)	32 (3.2%)	16 (1.6%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	39 (3.9%)	81	16^th of 89 public high schools	82.0%		77.7	17^th of 86 public high schools	80.2%	1	38.0	73.0	38.0	73.0	59.0	59.0	$15,636

Frequently Asked Questions about Manchester Central High School

What district is Manchester Central High School in?

Manchester School District

What is the racial makeup of Manchester Central High School?

Students at Manchester Central High School are 36% White, 34% Hispanic, 18% African American, 10% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

How many students attend Manchester Central High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,130 students attended Manchester Central High School.

Is Manchester Central High School a good school?

Manchester Central High School ranks in the bottom 7.9% of New Hampshire high schools.

What schools feed into Manchester Central High School?

Manchester Central High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Beech Street School
Elementary : McDonough School
Elementary : Smyth Road School
Elementary : Webster School
Middle : Hillside Middle School

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Latest New Hampshire data All new data »

2025–26 NH SAS & SAT test scoresSep 7, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 12, 2025

2024–25 NH SAS & SAT test scoresSep 6, 2025

2015–16 through 2023–24 dropout rates & graduation ratesJul 30, 2025

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