Central High School

Central High School, a mid-sized high school in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, run under Tuscaloosa City, caters to 796 students, covering grades 9 through 12.

Within Tuscaloosa City, which oversees 19 schools and 11,230 students, Central High School is one campus in the system.

In terms of who attends, Central High School lists that the student body is overwhelmingly Black (87%). Beyond that, the school reports 7% Hispanic, 5% White. By comparison, Tuscaloosa County as a whole is about 31% Black, so the school skews considerably more Black than its surroundings.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Central High School has 45 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 17.9:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 17.2:1, putting Central High School higher than the state norm the norm. Around 78% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy. By comparison, Tuscaloosa County runs at roughly 54%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat above the surrounding baseline.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Central High School falls in the UNDERPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations residual. Given its student profile, a typical campus would land near 27.2%; this one comes in at 9.6%, -17.6 points off the demographic line.

In the surrounding community, the surrounding county (Tuscaloosa County) logs that median household income runs about $66,231, 32% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 11%. Central High School is one of 58 public schools in Tuscaloosa County (combined enrollment of about 30,508 students).

Nearest neighbor: University Place Elementary School, around 0.7 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Central High School ranks 9th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 35.1%.

The campus sits in a high-density setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Central High School has expanded 5%, going from 755 students in 2018 to 796 in 2025. Black enrollment moved from 95% to 87% across the same window. Class-load math has pulled in: from 19.1:1 in 2018 to 17.9:1 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, members of the Central High School community share and discuss sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.