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Schools›Arkansas›WEST HELENA
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HELENA WEST HELENA SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 050768000476

CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL

103 SCHOOL ROAD, WEST HELENA, AR 72390 · (870) 572-6744 · Phillips County
GRADES 07–12HIGH33-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL439 STUDENTS
Enrollment
439
High
DISTRICT 489 · STATE 510
Student : Teacher
7.8:1
56 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 11.7:1 · STATE 8.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
95%
415 students
DISTRICT 97% · STATE 70%
Community
2
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade
Grade 7
61
Grade 8
76
Grade 9
76
Grade 10
66
Grade 11
83
Grade 12
77
Student demographics
White
51%
DISTRICT 3% · STATE 57%
Hispanic
31%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 15%
Black
42196%
DISTRICT 93% · STATE 19%
Asian
41%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 2%
Two+
41%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 5%
Native American
20%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 1%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Male
22752%
Female
21248%

Discussions

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Test scores

ATLAS 2023-24 . % Proficient (Level 3+4)
English Language Arts
11.2%
AR avg 33.9%
Math
4.2%
AR avg 36.5%
Source: ATLAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
UNDERPERFORMING
Bottom 10% of AR schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
8.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
24.3%
based on AR schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-16.1pp
below demographic expectation
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →

7-year change

SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25
Enrollment
439
-170 (-28%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
7.8:1
was 10.8:1
% White
1%
was 4%
% Hispanic
1%
was 0%
% Black
96%
was 95%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

About CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL

CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL, a reasonably sized high school in WEST HELENA, Arkansas, overseen by HELENA WEST HELENA SCHOOL DISTRICT, enrolls 439 students, covering grades 7 through 12.

Within HELENA WEST HELENA SCHOOL DISTRICT, which oversees 2 schools and 978 students, CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL is one campus in the system.

Demographically, CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL records that nearly all students (96%) are Black. By comparison, Phillips County as a whole is about 61% Black, so the school skews noticeably more Black than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL has 56 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 7.8:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 8.8:1, putting CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL tighter than the state norm the norm. Roughly 95% of students at CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL falls in the UNDERPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations residual. Given its student profile, a typical campus would land near 24.3%; this one comes in at 8.2%, -16.1 points off the demographic line.

Around the school, community-level numbers for Phillips County indicate median household earnings sit near $40,134, roughly 15% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 25%. CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL is one of 9 public schools in Phillips County (combined enrollment of about 2,669 students).

Nearest neighbor: KIPP DELTA ELEMENTARY LITERACY ACADEMY, around 0.4 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 4 other public schools cluster around CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL at 7th of 7; the average score across the group is 18.0%.

The campus sits in a town-center setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL has decreased 28%, going from 609 students in 2018 to 439 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 10.8:1 in 2018 to 7.8:1 today.

Inside the community feed, recent activity here tends to focus on sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.

Phillips County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
15,450
Census ACS
Median income
$40,134
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
15%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
25%
Below federal line
Schools in county
9
2,669 students

Quick facts

School name
CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL
District
HELENA WEST HELENA SCHOOL DISTRICT
Address
103 SCHOOL ROAD, WEST HELENA, AR 72390
Phone
(870) 572-6744
County
Phillips County
Level
High
Grade range
07–12
Total enrollment
439
Teachers (FTE)
56
Student–teacher ratio
7.8:1
Free/Reduced lunch
415 (95%)
Locale
33-Town: Remote
NCES ID
050768000476
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in HELENA WEST HELENA SCHOOL DISTRICT
Other schools in WEST HELENA
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL
How many students attend CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL?
CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL enrolls approximately 439 students in grades 07-12.
What age range does CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL serve?
CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL serves students from grade 07 through grade 12.
How many students per teacher at CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL?
Approximately 7.8:1 students per teacher at CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL.
What is the student diversity at CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL?
Student demographics at CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL are roughly 1% White, 1% Hispanic, 96% Black, 1% Asian, 1% Two or more.
Is CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL public or private?
CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL is a public K-12 school, overseen by HELENA WEST HELENA SCHOOL DISTRICT.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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