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Central High School

Q: Is Central High School a good school?

Central High School ranks 278 th of 400 Tennessee high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Q: How many students attend Central High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 367 students attended Central High School.

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

Students at Central High School are 94% White, 2% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

Q: What schools feed into Central High School?

Central High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Central Elementary School Elementary : Petros Joyner Elementary School Middle : Central Middle School

Public Grades 9-12

278^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 400 Tennessee High Schools

Better than 30% of Tennessee high schools

Summary

Central High School in Wartburg, TN, serves 367 students in grades 9–12 as part of the Morgan County Schools district in the rural Cumberland Plateau region of East Tennessee. While the district ranks in the bottom tier of Tennessee districts, Central High School itself has been steadily improving — earning a 2-star rating and ranking 278th out of 400 Tennessee high schools in 2025–2026, up from a 1-star rating in each of the previous three years. That jump from the 20th to the 31st percentile suggests the school may be turning a corner.

Central's biggest strength is keeping students in school. The graduation rate was 93.8% in 2024–2025, above the state average of 90.5%, and the dropout rate was just 1.0% compared to the state's 6.7%. Among nearby schools, only Rockwood High School (96.8%) and Oak Ridge High School (95.5%) graduate students at higher rates; Harriman High School (85.3%) trails Central. Academically, there are pockets of real success. In 10th-grade Algebra II, Central hit 56% proficiency — nearly matching the state's 63.9% and far exceeding the Morgan County district's 29.8%. Geometry proficiency (32.6%) also beat the district by more than 7 points. Economically disadvantaged students at Central rank in the 44th percentile statewide, well above the school's overall 31st percentile — a sign that supports for students facing hardship are working.

Challenges remain. Chronic absenteeism sits at 19.9% — above the state's 18.3% and nearly three times the Morgan County district's 6.9% — though it's a dramatic improvement from 37% the previous year. US History proficiency (25%) trails far behind both the district (41.1%) and state (42.4%). Central also spends less per student ($11,524) than nearly every nearby school, including Roane County High School ($13,596) and Oak Ridge High School ($14,330). Even so, Central's test scores closely track those of Rockwood High School in the higher-ranked Roane County district. With falling absenteeism, strong graduation rates, and an improving state ranking, Central High School is one to watch.

367

Students ?

17.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,524

Per pupil spending ?

40%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1119 Knoxville Highway
Wartburg, TN 37887

(423) 346-6616

District: Morgan County Schools

Feeder schools for Central High School:

Elementary:	Central Elementary School
	Petros Joyner Elementary School
Middle:	Central Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

94.3%

Hispanic:

2.5%

Two or more races:

1.9%

See top rated Tennessee high schools

Compare Central High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 33rd percentile in 2016 → 30th in 2026

Strengths

✓94% graduate in 4 years — above the Tennessee average (90%)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Tennessee average (28% vs 43% meeting standards)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Algebra I scores 19 pts below the Tennessee average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school28%

District avg28%

Tennessee avg43%

278^th of 400

Tennessee public high schools ?

Bottom 30%▼ down 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

132^nd of 141Morgan County Schools among Tennessee 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	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	32.0	278 of 400	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	23.0	313 of 389	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.0	313 of 392	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.3	298 of 384	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.7	289 of 358	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.8	281 of 347	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.2	293 of 342	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.7	266 of 341	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	29.8	203 of 273	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	38.1	236 of 351	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	37.1	242 of 300	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	29.0	254 of 296	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	38.9	228 of 285	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	19.0	245 of 269	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	23.8	244 of 273	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	28.5	231 of 267	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	29.1	268 of 365	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.2	313 of 365	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.7	268 of 366	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.9	293 of 350	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.0	281 of 340	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.3	269 of 337	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	16.5	25 of 26	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	50.0	10 of 23	56.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	42.2	174 of 308	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.5	201 of 324	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	21.1	291 of 337	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.3	252 of 330	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.7	241 of 322	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.1	255 of 317	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.4	267 of 302	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.5	278 of 308	9.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	19.6	303 of 368	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.1	286 of 366	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.7	282 of 359	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.3	269 of 349	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.1	276 of 332	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.7	295 of 329	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	26.9	176 of 210	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.8	178 of 198	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.6	128 of 183	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.4	57 of 159	64.2%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	21.3	292 of 330	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	15.6	297 of 323	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.5	304 of 326	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.8	295 of 325	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.6	300 of 312	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	15.9	290 of 306	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.3	293 of 301	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	18.7	285 of 307	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)44th percentile+13 vs school

Female (2025)27th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2025)18th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)16th percentile-14 vs school

White (2026)12th percentile-19 vs school

Homeless (2025)4th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2025-2026) ?

English II44%-14 vs state

Biology I36%-14 vs state

Geometry33%-10 vs state

US History25%-17 vs state

Algebra II21%-16 vs state

English I19%-18 vs state

Algebra I13%-19 vs state

★

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Schools Near 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)				TNReady Algebra I (2026)					TNReady Algebra II (2026)					TNReady Biology I (2026)					TNReady US History (2026)				TNReady English I (2026)				TNReady English II (2026)					TNReady Geometry (2026)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2020)	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	TNReady Algebra I 9th Grade	TNReady Algebra I 10th Grade	TNReady Algebra I 11th Grade	TNReady Algebra I 12th Grade	TNReady Algebra I All Grades	TNReady Algebra II 9th Grade	TNReady Algebra II 10th Grade	TNReady Algebra II 11th Grade	TNReady Algebra II 12th Grade	TNReady Algebra II All Grades	TNReady Biology I 9th Grade	TNReady Biology I 10th Grade	TNReady Biology I 11th Grade	TNReady Biology I 12th Grade	TNReady Biology I All Grades	TNReady US History 10th Grade	TNReady US History 11th Grade	TNReady US History 12th Grade	TNReady US History All Grades	TNReady English I 9th Grade	TNReady English I 10th Grade	TNReady English I 11th Grade	TNReady English I All Grades	TNReady English II 9th Grade	TNReady English II 10th Grade	TNReady English II 11th Grade	TNReady English II 12th Grade	TNReady English II All Grades	TNReady Geometry 9th Grade	TNReady Geometry 10th Grade	TNReady Geometry 11th Grade	TNReady Geometry 12th Grade	TNReady Geometry All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Central High School	Public	9-12	1119 Knoxville Highway	Wartburg	37887	Morgan County	Morgan County Schools	No	No	No	No	(423) 346-6616	350	20	17.5		335 (95.7%)	2 (0.6%)	7 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.4%)	32	278^th of 400 public high schools	30.5%		23	313^th of 389 public high schools	19.5%	35	13.2				13.0		56.0	< 5%		21.2		36.5			35.6		25.0		25.0	20.0			19.4		44.0			44.0		33.7			32.6	$11,524	$494	$9,730
Morgan County Career and Technical Center	Public	9-12	132 Flat Fork Road	Wartburg	37887	Morgan County	Morgan County Schools	No	No	No	No	(423) 346-6285	33	12	2.7		30 (90.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (9.1%)								(n/a)																																		$45,446	$300	$44,305
Harriman High School	Public	9-12	920 North Roane Street	Harriman	37748	Roane County	Roane County Schools	No	No	No	No	(865) 882-1821	360	23	15.6	66.8%	286 (79.4%)	23 (6.4%)	14 (3.9%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (8.9%)	35.6	261^st of 400 public high schools	34.8%		43.7	204^th of 389 public high schools	47.6%	57	17.9				16.9		50.0	8.8		20.2	89.5	46.5	10.0		50.7		32.0		32.0	22.7			23.3		59.1			60.3		21.6	< 5%		17.2	$13,019	$617	$11,516
Oliver Springs High School	Public	9-12	317 Roane Street	Oliver Springs	37840	Roane County	Roane County Schools	No	No	No	No	(865) 435-7216	284	17	16.7	44.2%	266 (93.7%)	4 (1.4%)	8 (2.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.8%)	59.6	130^th of 400 public high schools	67.5%		67	86^th of 389 public high schools	77.9%	44	22.2				21.3		93.3	41.9		50.0		46.3			47.3		56.3		58.8	33.3			33.3		63.3			63.3		22.7			26.0	$13,530	$393	$12,125
Midtown Educational Center	Public	6-12	3096 Roane State Highway	Harriman	37748	Roane County	Roane County Schools	No	No	No	No	(865) 882-3700	37	5	8.2		34 (91.9%)	1 (2.7%)	1 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.7%)								(n/a)																																		$11,953	$270	$11,672
Roane County High School	Public	9-12	540 W. Cumberland Street	Kingston	37763	Roane County	Roane County Schools	No	No	No	No	(865) 376-6534	630	41	15.4	33.0%	547 (86.8%)	18 (2.9%)	27 (4.3%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (5.2%)	69.9	86^th of 400 public high schools	78.5%		61.3	114^th of 389 public high schools	70.7%	28	27.3	< 5%			25.0		84.4	41.7		49.6	93.7	43.5			66.5		55.1		52.9	50.0	9.1		47.3		66.0			64.0	≥ 95%	33.3	< 5%		42.1	$13,596	$589	$12,373
Rockwood High School	Public	9-12	512 West Rockwood Street	Rockwood	37854	Roane County	Roane County Schools	No	No	No	No	(865) 354-0882	342	23	15.0	55.3%	288 (84.2%)	14 (4.1%)	14 (4.1%)	3 (0.9%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.1%)	28.6	292^nd of 400 public high schools	27.0%		26.6	293^rd of 389 public high schools	24.7%	1	14.8				14.7		72.7	9.1		20.0		34.8			34.6		23.8		28.4	19.4			19.4		45.7			43.8		34.4			36.8	$14,933	$610	$13,389
Oak Ridge High School	Public	9-12	1450 Oak Ridge Turnpike	Oak Ridge	37830	Anderson County	Oak Ridge Schools	No	No	No	No	(865) 425-9601	1,586	103	15.3	35.9%	1,097 (69.2%)	168 (10.6%)	177 (11.2%)	45 (2.8%)	4 (0.3%)	4 (0.3%)	91 (5.7%)	70.2	85^th of 400 public high schools	78.8%		75.2	56^th of 389 public high schools	85.6%	29	41.6	< 5%			37.0	≥ 95%	78.8	21.5	5.9	46.3	87.4	35.3	45.0		58.4		62.9		62.7	48.5	20.0		46.9		67.1	12.5		64.8	≥ 95%	41.7	7.7		52.0	$14,330	$505	$13,356

Frequently Asked Questions about Central High School

What is the racial makeup of Central High School?

Students at Central High School are 94% White, 2% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

Is Central High School a good school?

Central High School ranks 278^th of 400 Tennessee high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into Central High School?

Central High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Central Elementary School
Elementary : Petros Joyner Elementary School
Middle : Central Middle School

What district is Central High School in?

Morgan County Schools

How many students attend Central High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 367 students attended Central High School.

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Latest Tennessee data All new data »

2025–26 TNReady test scoresAug 25, 2026

2024–25 dropout ratesApr 2, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataFeb 27, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataDec 18, 2025

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