Central High School

Central High School operates as a sprawling four-year high school in Champaign, Illinois, one of the schools within Champaign CUSD 4. Current enrollment sits at 1,666 students spanning grades 9 through 12. By comparison, Illinois's public schools average about 834 students each, so Central High School sits 100% above that benchmark.

Champaign CUSD 4 runs 18 schools in total, collectively educating 10,598 students. Central High School is one of those campuses.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Central High School records that the most-represented group is White (38%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups; the rest consists of 26% Black, 19% Hispanic, 9% Asian, 7% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 64% White, putting the school's mix meaningfully less White than the area baseline.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 126 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 13.2:1 students per teacher. The state averages about 13.8:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. About 44% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is lower than Champaign County's rate of about 53%.

After controlling for student poverty, Central High School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 45.9% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 45.5%.

In the area at large, Champaign County reports that median household earnings sit near $63,683, about 46% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 7%. In all, Champaign County runs 66 public schools (combined enrollment of about 25,919 students), of which Central High School is one.

Nearest neighbor: Edison Middle School, around 0.5 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Central High School comes 2nd of 8 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 30.1%.

Geographically, the school is in a high-density area.

Five-year trend. Central High School's enrollment has ticked up 30% since 2018, when it stood at 1,282 (now 1,666). The White share of enrollment edged down from 45% to 38% over that span.

In the discussion threads here, posts here usually surface around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.