Summary
Central High School is a public high school located in Bolivar, Tennessee, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 691 students. The school is part of the Hardeman County Schools district, which is ranked 133 out of 139 districts in Tennessee and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. Over the past several years, Central High School has consistently ranked in the bottom third of Tennessee high schools, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.
Academically, Central High School consistently underperforms compared to the state and district averages on standardized tests. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 6.3% of 10th-grade students were proficient or better in Algebra I, compared to 5% for the Hardeman County Schools district and 3.2% for the state of Tennessee. The school also has a lower 4-year graduation rate, ranging from 82.7% to 89.2%, and a higher dropout rate, ranging from 6.7% to 9.8%, compared to the state averages. Additionally, Central High School has a concerning chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 18.9% to 37.7% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average.
Interestingly, the nearby Middleton High School, which is also part of the Hardeman County Schools district, performs slightly better than Central High School on various metrics, such as academic performance, graduation rates, and chronic absenteeism. However, both schools are underperforming compared to the state averages, suggesting systemic challenges within the district. Additionally, the high percentage of low-socioeconomic status students at Central High School may be a contributing factor to the school's underperformance, as research has shown that students from low-income backgrounds often face additional challenges in academic achievement.
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