High Schools in Trenton Public School District

The two high schools in Trenton Public School District serve grades 9–12 across Trenton: Trenton Central High School – Main Campus serves grades 10–12 and enrolls 2,097 students, while Capital City High School serves grades 9–12 and enrolls 756. In 2024–25, Central’s graduation rate was 63%, compared with 31% at Capital City; both were below the state rate of 89%. Dropout rates were 5% at Central and 28% at Capital City. The clearest and most consequential difference is Central’s 32-point graduation advantage and 23-point lower dropout rate.

Central stands out in the shared 2025–26 11th-grade English and math results: it reached 41% in English and 30% in math, compared with Capital City’s 25% and 19%, leads of 16 and 11 percentage points. Both schools were well below state proficiency in those subjects: Central was 35 points below in English and 31 below in math, while Capital City was 51 and 42 points below. Science reverses the pattern: Capital City scored 13%, 4 points above Central’s 9%, though both were below the state’s 29%. Chronic absenteeism was high at both schools—53% at Central and 51% at Capital City, versus 43% districtwide and 14% statewide.

Central’s grade-11 results improved from 2024–25 to 2025–26: math rose 17 percentage points, science 7, and English 1. Because prior-year test scores are supplied only for Central, these figures show change at that school, not a trend for both schools. SchoolDigger ranked Central 401st of 434 high schools (8th percentile) and Capital City 410th (6th percentile) in 2025–26; both received zero stars, despite each improving 6 percentile points since 2023–24. Central’s student–teacher ratio was 13.3, compared with 18.9 at Capital City. In 2024–25, 71% of Central students and 56% of Capital City students were free/reduced lunch eligible; these are contextual differences, not explanations for school results.