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Central High School

Public, Magnet Grades 9-12
40th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 681 Pennsylvania High Schools
Better than 94% of Pennsylvania high schools
Summary

Central High School is a public magnet high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, serving 2,287 students in grades 9-12. This school stands out as an academic leader, consistently ranking among the top 5 high schools in the state over the past decade and earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Central High School's exceptional performance extends across various student subgroups, including female, male, Asian, African American, Hispanic, White, multi-racial, English Language Learners, low socioeconomic status, and disabled students. The school's rankings within these subgroups are often in the top 5 or top 10 in Pennsylvania, demonstrating its ability to provide a high-quality education to a diverse student population. Additionally, Central High School maintains high four-year graduation rates, ranging from 71.9% to 99.2%, and very low dropout rates, ranging from 0.0% to 5.5%.

When compared to nearby schools in the Philadelphia City School District, Central High School stands out as an academic leader. Other schools, such as Parkway Northwest, Olney High School, and Girls High School, have significantly lower statewide rankings, test scores, graduation rates, and other key metrics. This highlights the exceptional performance of Central High School and its ability to provide a high-quality education to its students, even within a district that is generally underperforming.

2,329
Students ?
26.5
Student/teacher ratio ?
$16,493
Per pupil spending ?
98.2%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 1700 W Olney Ave
       Philadelphia, PA  19141-1105

(215) 400-3590

District: Philadelphia City School District

Racial breakdown:

Asian:
35.3%
White:
26.1%
African American:
22.5%
more
 See top rated Pennsylvania high schools

 Compare Central High School to nearby high schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Declining — 100th percentile in 2015 → 94th in 2025
Strengths
Test scores above the Pennsylvania average (78% vs 52% meeting standards)
Ranks in the top 6% of Pennsylvania high schools
97% graduate in 4 years — above the Pennsylvania average (89%)
Worth a look
!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2015
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
!Large classes — about 26 students per teacher
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school78%
District avg35%
Pennsylvania avg52%
40th of 681
Pennsylvania public high schools ?
Top 6%▼ down 5 pts since 2015
From top 1% (2015) to top 6% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania High Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
3rd of 54High Schools in the Philadelphia City School District
473rd of 606Philadelphia City School District among Pennsylvania 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankPennsylvania percentileRating
202591.740 of 68194.1%★★★★★
202498.14 of 68699.4%★★★★★
202397.15 of 67499.3%★★★★★
202294.54 of 63499.4%★★★★★
202192.65 of 53799.1%★★★★★
201995.04 of 69399.4%★★★★★
201894.43 of 67399.6%★★★★★
201793.93 of 66399.5%★★★★★
201693.13 of 67799.6%★★★★★
201595.13 of 68099.6%★★★★★
201495.93 of 58099.5%★★★★★
201396.73 of 59199.5%★★★★★
201294.43 of 66499.5%★★★★★
201195.22 of 66099.7%★★★★★
201096.11 of 64999.8%★★★★★
200996.42 of 63299.7%★★★★★
200896.02 of 62199.7%★★★★★
200794.22 of 61599.7%★★★★★
200694.03 of 60499.5%★★★★★
200595.25 of 59399.2%★★★★★
200497.63 of 59099.5%★★★★★
200398.12 of 58399.7%★★★★★

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankPennsylvania percentileRating
202597.64 of 27698.6%★★★★★
202499.72 of 28499.3%★★★★★
202399.42 of 26099.2%★★★★★

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankPennsylvania percentileRating
202576.034 of 12572.8%★★★★☆
202485.15 of 12195.9%★★★★★
202381.322 of 11280.4%★★★★☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankPennsylvania percentileRating
202599.74 of 52499.2%★★★★★

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankPennsylvania percentileRating
202599.93 of 10997.2%★★★★★

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankPennsylvania percentileRating
202586.267 of 65789.8%★★★★☆
202497.03 of 66599.5%★★★★★

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankPennsylvania percentileRating
202593.714 of 28795.1%★★★★★
202498.93 of 27498.9%★★★★★
202399.71 of 25299.6%★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankPennsylvania percentileRating
202597.75 of 65199.2%★★★★★
202499.83 of 66499.5%★★★★★
202399.62 of 65299.7%★★★★★

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankPennsylvania percentileRating
202595.716 of 66097.6%★★★★★
202498.53 of 66299.5%★★★★★

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankPennsylvania percentileRating
202579.435 of 16578.8%★★★★☆
202498.32 of 15098.7%★★★★★
202394.94 of 12996.9%★★★★★

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankPennsylvania percentileRating
202594.422 of 58396.2%★★★★★
202498.65 of 59599.2%★★★★★
202397.47 of 57798.8%★★★★★
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)
Disabled (2025)99th percentile+5 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)99th percentile+5 vs school
African American (2025)99th percentile+4 vs school
Male (2025)98th percentile+3 vs school
English Language Learner (2025)97th percentile+3 vs school
White (2025)96th percentile~ school
Hispanic (2025)95th percentile~ school
Female (2025)90th percentile-4 vs school
Multi-racial (2025)79th percentile-15 vs school
Asian (2025)73rd percentile-21 vs school
By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?
Literature96%+34 vs state
Algebra I70%+26 vs state
Biology69%+20 vs state

5.0
2 ratings
52
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10
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Frequently Asked Questions about Central High School

Students at Central High School are 35% Asian, 26% White, 22% African American, 11% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

In the 2024-25 school year, 2,329 students attended Central High School.

Yes. Central High School ranks in the top 5.9% of Pennsylvania high schools.


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





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