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Central High

Public Grades 9-12

414^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 431 Wisconsin High Schools

Better than 4% of Wisconsin high schools

Summary

Central High is a public high school located in West Allis, Wisconsin, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 1,032 students. The school is part of the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District, which is ranked 395 out of 426 districts in Wisconsin and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Central High has consistently ranked in the bottom 10-15% of Wisconsin high schools over the past decade, with its ranking ranging from 383 to 415 out of the state's high schools. The school's proficiency rates on state assessments like the Forward Exam and ACT are significantly lower than the district and state averages. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 15.6% of 10th-grade students were proficient in ACT Mathematics, compared to 26.37% for the district and 42.73% statewide. Central High has also struggled with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 17.7% to 42.1% over the past few years, which is well above the state average.

When comparing Central High to other high schools in the same district, such as Nathan Hale High and James E. Dottke Project-Based Learning High School, Central High consistently underperforms on key metrics like test scores, graduation rates, and chronic absenteeism. Looking at schools outside the West Allis-West Milwaukee district, such as East High in Wauwatosa, the performance gap becomes even more pronounced, as East High ranks in the top 10% of Wisconsin high schools and significantly outperforms Central High on various measures.

961

Students ?

14.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,078

Per pupil spending ?

73%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8516 W Lincoln Ave
West Allis, WI 53227-2599

(414) 604-3110

District: West Allis-West Milwaukee School District

Feeder schools for Central High:

Elementary:	Franklin Elementary
	Horace Mann Elementary
	Jefferson Elementary
	Pershing Elementary
Middle:	West Milwaukee Intermediate

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

41.8%

White:

31.1%

African American:

15.0%

See top rated Wisconsin high schools

Compare Central High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 7th percentile in 2015 → 4th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Wisconsin average (21% vs 46% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (4th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Wisconsin average (84% vs 92%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school21%

District avg31%

Wisconsin avg46%

414^th of 431

Wisconsin public high schools ?

Bottom 4%▼ down 3 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3High Schools in the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District

395^th of 426West Allis-West Milwaukee School District among Wisconsin 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	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	6.0	414 of 431	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.4	415 of 431	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.0	397 of 415	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.0	383 of 391	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	3.0	387 of 390	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.7	387 of 400	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.1	402 of 410	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	3.1	404 of 410	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	3.5	404 of 408	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	12.5	435 of 466	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	11.9	428 of 462	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	9.2	429 of 457	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	18.7	416 of 452	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	30.6	390 of 445	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	29.8	397 of 450	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	32.6	382 of 438	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	35.6	371 of 437	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	48.1	214 of 281	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	49.2	215 of 292	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	59.8	144 of 287	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2004	53.7	172 of 275	37.5%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	32.3	16 of 26	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.4	13 of 18	27.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	6.7	343 of 358	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.5	336 of 353	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.4	316 of 329	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.9	331 of 343	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	3.1	329 of 332	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	8.9	333 of 343	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.6	351 of 355	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	13.9	118 of 126	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.3	114 of 119	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.5	87 of 97	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.6	82 of 86	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	14.1	67 of 68	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.6	71 of 76	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	10.7	316 of 335	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.7	309 of 326	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.9	258 of 271	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.5	241 of 250	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.9	239 of 251	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.4	248 of 255	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	5.1	368 of 380	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.1	351 of 365	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.8	343 of 359	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.5	344 of 347	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	2.7	334 of 334	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.3	337 of 354	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.9	366 of 373	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2023	29.2	46 of 55	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	11.0	264 of 285	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.9	285 of 300	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.0	249 of 271	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.3	252 of 269	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	4.0	264 of 266	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	19.8	233 of 266	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.4	244 of 261	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2025)38th percentile+35 vs school

Special Education (2023)16th percentile+12 vs school

White (2025)7th percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)6th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)6th percentile~ school

Female (2025)4th percentile~ school

Male (2025)3rd percentile~ school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts29%-20 vs state

Social Studies24%-24 vs state

Science16%-28 vs state

Mathematics16%-27 vs state

★

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Schools Near Central High

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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 (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ACT English Language Arts (2025)	ACT Mathematics (2025)	ACT Science (2025)	Forward Exam Social Studies (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2021)
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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ACT English Language Arts 10th Grade	ACT Mathematics 10th Grade	ACT Science 10th Grade	Forward Exam Social Studies 10th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Central High	Public	9-12	8516 W Lincoln Ave	West Allis	53227	Milwaukee County	West Allis-West Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 604-3110	961	66	14.5	73.0%	299 (31.1%)	144 (15.0%)	402 (41.8%)	23 (2.4%)	12 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	81 (8.4%)	6	414^th of 431 public high schools	3.9%		6.4	415^th of 431 public high schools	3.7%	1	29.0	15.6	15.7	23.6	$13,078	$1,128	$11,949
James E Dottke Project-Based Learning High School	Public	9-12	7815 W Lapham St	West Allis	53214	Milwaukee County	West Allis-West Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 604-4210	168	14	12.0	63.1%	102 (60.7%)	7 (4.2%)	34 (20.2%)	1 (0.6%)	3 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (12.5%)	25.8	351^st of 431 public high schools	18.6%		10.5	409^th of 431 public high schools	5.1%	58	36.1	16.2	22.2	59.5	$22,507	$1,337	$21,168
Nathan Hale High	Public	9-12	11601 W Lincoln Ave	West Allis	53227	Milwaukee County	West Allis-West Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 604-3210	1,134	71	16.0	57.1%	577 (50.9%)	142 (12.5%)	292 (25.7%)	26 (2.3%)	7 (0.6%)	2 (0.2%)	88 (7.8%)	34.8	316^th of 431 public high schools	26.7%		18.2	388^th of 431 public high schools	10.0%	72	50.2	36.2	39.6	31.2	$11,251	$1,033	$10,218
Hamilton High	Public	9-12	6215 W Warnimont Ave	Milwaukee	53220	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 327-9300	1,472	100	14.7	78.6%	130 (8.8%)	436 (29.6%)	657 (44.6%)	171 (11.6%)	18 (1.2%)	1 (0.1%)	58 (3.9%)	1.3	426^th of 431 public high schools	1.2%		1.5	428^th of 431 public high schools	0.7%	2	9.5	4.2	5.2	15.0	$15,652	$2,277	$13,375
Audubon Technology and Communication High	Public	9-12	3300 S 39th St	Milwaukee	53215	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 902-7800	436	27	16.3	78.2%	66 (15.1%)	70 (16.1%)	261 (59.9%)	22 (5.0%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.2%)								(n/a)				15.9	$14,591	$2,514	$12,076
Escuela Verde	Public, Charter	9-12	3628 W Pierce St	Milwaukee	53215	Milwaukee County	Trans Center for Youth Inc	Yes	No	No	Yes	(414) 988-7960	121	10	12.0	80.2%	9 (7.4%)	12 (9.9%)	98 (81.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	4.2	417^th of 431 public high schools	3.2%					(n/a)	12.0		8.0	22.2	$12,526	$2,778	$9,748
Carmen High School of Science and Technology South Campus	Public, Charter	9-12	1712 S 32nd St	Milwaukee	53215	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	Yes	No	No	Yes	(414) 384-4444	382	20	19.1	96.1%	11 (2.9%)	7 (1.8%)	363 (95.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7.6	408^th of 431 public high schools	5.3%		14.3	398^th of 431 public high schools	7.7%	10	32.3	12.9	22.6	22.7	$15,172	$2,479	$12,693
Lad Lake Synergy School	Public	6-12	2820 W Grant St	Milwaukee	53215	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 647-1771	22	5	4.4	81.8%	0 (0.0%)	14 (63.6%)	8 (36.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)					$28,703	$2,464	$26,239
East High	Public	9-12	7500 Milwaukee Ave	Wauwatosa	53213	Milwaukee County	Wauwatosa School District	No	No	No	No	(414) 773-2000	1,043	68	15.2	22.7%	669 (64.1%)	174 (16.7%)	87 (8.3%)	33 (3.2%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	75 (7.2%)	86.2	36^th of 431 public high schools	91.6%		84.9	37^th of 431 public high schools	91.4%	1	67.5	61.5	59.4	65.2	$12,456	$399	$12,056
Veritas High	Public, Charter	9-12	3025 W Oklahoma Ave	Milwaukee	53215	Milwaukee County	Seeds of Health Inc	Yes	No	No	Yes	(414) 389-5570	256	13	20.0	75.0%	20 (7.8%)	0 (0.0%)	235 (91.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9.2	403^rd of 431 public high schools	6.5%		14.6	396^th of 431 public high schools	8.1%	7	35.2	21.1	14.1	25.9

Frequently Asked Questions about Central High

What district is Central High in?

West Allis-West Milwaukee School District

What schools feed into Central High?

Central High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Franklin Elementary
Elementary : Horace Mann Elementary
Elementary : Jefferson Elementary
Elementary : Pershing Elementary
Middle : West Milwaukee Intermediate

Is Central High a good school?

Central High ranks in the bottom 3.9% of Wisconsin high schools.

How many students attend Central High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 961 students attended Central High.

What is the racial makeup of Central High?

Students at Central High are 42% Hispanic, 31% White, 15% African American, 8% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 1% American Indian.

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

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.