1
What do students at Central Union High actually talk about outside of class?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
2,006
High
DISTRICT 814 · STATE 838
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CENTRAL UNION HIGH·NCES 060801000771
Central Union High
1001 Brighton Ave., El Centro, CA 92243 · (760) 336-4300 · Imperial County
GRADES 09–12HIGH13-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL2,006 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
20.9:1
96 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 17.4:1 · STATE 18.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
73%
1,456 students
DISTRICT 81% · STATE 65%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 548 | 27% |
| Grade 10 | 537 | 27% |
| Grade 11 | 461 | 23% |
| Grade 12 | 460 | 23% |
Student demographics
7%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 8% · STATE 62% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
48.5%
CA avg 49.1% . -18.5pp since 2014
Math
19.2%
CA avg 37.7% . -0.8pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 48 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 19 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are down about 19 points since 2014, while math scores have held steady.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 16.7% | 31.8% | 25.8% | 25.8% |
| Math | 6.0% | 13.2% | 30.1% | 50.7% |
Share of tested students at each CAASPP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
CAASPP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 48.5% | 19.2% |
| 2023-24 | 61.4% | 23.8% |
| 2022-23 | 58.4% | 18.2% |
| 2021-22 | 57.8% | 18.0% |
| 2020-21 | 63.6% | 21.4% |
| 2018-19 | 62.8% | 21.4% |
| 2017-18 | 60.3% | 18.1% |
| 2016-17 | 65.6% | 25.7% |
| 2015-16 | 64.0% | 28.0% |
| 2014-15 | 67.0% | 20.0% |
% met or exceeded standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CAASPP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
38.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
37.0%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+1.2pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 38% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 37% typical for California schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among California's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Central Union High
Central Union High's state test result (38.2% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Union High this school | 2,006 | 72.6% | 38.2% |
| Southwest High El Centro | 1,846 | 72.1% | 36.9% |
| El Rancho High Pico Rivera | 1,995 | 73.9% | 46.0% |
| Brawley Union High Brawley | 1,863 | 70.7% | 44.0% |
| Dinuba High Dinuba | 2,115 | 76.5% | 43.6% |
| Pacheco High Los Banos | 1,725 | 71.1% | 37.3% |
Matched among California high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Central Union High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Imperial County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 38.2% | #572 of 1,052 | #3 of 9 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 19.2% | #705 of 1,056 ▼ 200 | #5 of 9 ▼ 4 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 48.5% | #735 of 1,056 ▼ 323 | #7 of 9 ▼ 5 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -4.0pp | #165 of 1,044 | #2 of 9 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 2,006 | #287 of 2,093 | #2 of 18 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 20.9:1 | #677 of 1,352 | #5 of 8 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 7.3% | #1,270 of 1,351 | #7 of 8 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 72.6% | #810 of 1,575 | #8 of 11 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +7.3% | #167 of 327 | N/A |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
2,006
+22 (+1%) vs 2020
-32% since 1990-91, when it was 2,950
Student : Teacher
20.9:1
was 22.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 2,006 | 96 | 20.9:1 | 73% (1,456) |
| 2023-24 | 1,955 | 92.5 | 21.1:1 | 73% (1,434) |
| 2022-23 | 1,957 | 97 | 20.2:1 | 77% (1,513) |
| 2020-21 | 1,984 | 88 | 22.6:1 | 76% (1,516) |
| 2017-18 | 1,869 | 86.2 | 21.7:1 | 77% (1,431) |
| 2015-16 | 1,889 | 81 | 23.3:1 | 75% (1,423) |
| 2010-11 | 1,781 | N/A | N/A | 67% (1,194) |
| 2000-01 | 1,637 | 80 | 20.5:1 | 51% (833) |
| 1990-91 | 2,950 | 117 | 25.2:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Central Union High.
Since 2017-18: students up 7% (1,869 to 2,006); teachers up 11% (86.2 to 96).
About Central Union High
Central Union High is the name of a large high school in El Centro, California. Enrollment stands at 2,006 students, covering grades 9 through 12. The school is 139% above the average for high schools in California.
Central Union High is not part of a larger district; federal data list it as its own local education agency.
Of every 100 students at Central Union High, about 96 are Hispanic. Other students are 2% White. That is higher than the 86% Hispanic share among all Imperial County residents. A diversity index of 7% means there is a 7% chance two randomly chosen students at Central Union High are from different groups.
The school had 96 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25. Its student-to-teacher ratio is 20.9:1. Across high schools in California, the average ratio is 18.2:1. The eligibility rate for free or reduced-price meals is 73%.
Given its share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, Central Union High would be expected to post about 37.0%. Its actual average proficiency rate across its state test results is 38.2%.
For Imperial County, Census Bureau data show the median household earns about $57,681 a year, roughly 16% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 17%. Public schools in Imperial County number 76, with about 36,513 students.
The closest school to Central Union High is Mt. Signal Virtual Academy, located less than a tenth of a mile away. In all, at least 8 other public schools sit within five miles of Central Union High. In a group of 7 nearby schools with scores, Central Union High ranks 2nd on average proficiency.
The school's locale code, City: Small, means it is inside a principal city with a population under 100,000.
In 2020-21, Central Union High enrolled 1,984; in 2024-25, 2,006. Its ratio of students to teachers was 22.6:1 in 2020-21, and 20.9:1 in 2024-25.
The allk12 page for Central Union High lets the school community talk about pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Imperial County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
180,202
Census ACS
Median income
$57,681
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
16%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
17%
Below federal line
Schools in county
76
36,513 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Central Union High
- Southwest HighHigh · 1,846 students
- Desert Oasis High (Continuation)High · 138 students
- Mt. Signal Virtual AcademyHigh · 60 students
- Phoenix Rising HighHigh · 20 students
Other schools in El Centro
- Southwest HighHigh · 1,846 students
- McCabe ElementaryElementary · 1,109 students
- Wilson Jr. HighMiddle · 605 students
- Harding ElementaryElementary · 601 students
- De Anza MagnetElementary · 504 students
- McKinley ElementaryElementary · 456 students
Nearby schools
- Mt. Signal Virtual Academy0.0 mi · 60
- Wilson Jr. High0.2 mi · 605
- Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences0.4 mi · 230
- Lincoln Elementary0.4 mi · 399
- Harding Elementary0.4 mi · 601
- Margaret Hedrick Elementary0.6 mi · 446
Frequently asked questions
About Central Union HighWhat is the total enrollment at Central Union High?
Central Union High enrolls approximately 2,006 students in grades 09-12.
Is Central Union High an elementary, middle, or high school?
Central Union High is a high school covering grades 09-12.
How many teachers does Central Union High have?
Central Union High employs 96 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 20.9:1.
What is the student diversity at Central Union High?
Student demographics at Central Union High are roughly 2% White, 96% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Asian, 0% Two or more.
Who oversees Central Union High?
Central Union High is overseen by Central Union High in Imperial County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.