Enrollment
298
High
DISTRICT 242 · STATE 834
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CENTRAL CUSD 4·NCES 171041001256
Central High School
1134 E 3100 North Rd, Clifton, IL 60927 · (815) 694-2321 · Iroquois County
GRADES 09–12HIGH42-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL298 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
11.9:1
25 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.0:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
38%
113 students
DISTRICT 43% · STATE 56%
Community
0
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 | 62 | 21% |
| Grade 10 | 81 | 27% |
| Grade 11 | 83 | 28% |
| Grade 12 | 72 | 24% |
Student demographics
28%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 23% · STATE 69% · 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
School pathway
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within Central CUSD 4. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
UNDERPERFORMING
Bottom 10% of IL schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
35.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
49.6%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-14.4pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 35% of students here test proficient in math and reading, below the roughly 50% typical for Illinois schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations compares each school with others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school lands here when its results trail those comparable schools, which is not the same as having low scores. A higher-scoring school can still fall in this tier if similar schools score higher still.
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 High School
Central High School's state test result (35.2% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central High School this school | 298 | 37.9% | 35.2% |
| Indian Creek High School Shabbona | 268 | 38.4% | 30.9% |
| Chester High School Chester | 335 | 39.4% | 24.2% |
| Princeville High School Princeville | 350 | 36.9% | 62.0% |
| Amboy High School Amboy | 229 | 38.0% | 17.3% |
| Putnam County High School Granville | 245 | 40.0% | 38.0% |
Matched among Illinois 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 High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Illinois | In Iroquois County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 35.2% | #282 of 573 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 298 | #447 of 708 | #1 of 6 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 11.9:1 | #103 of 528 | N/A |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 28.0% | #313 of 537 | N/A |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 37.9% | #431 of 578 | N/A |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -15.8% | #93 of 358 | 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
298
-26 (-8%) vs 2020
-26% since 1990-91, when it was 404
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 | 298 | 25 | 11.9:1 | 38% (113) |
| 2023-24 | 305 | 24.2 | 12.6:1 | 39% (118) |
| 2022-23 | 303 | 20.5 | 14.8:1 | 36% (109) |
| 2020-21 | 324 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 354 | 24 | 14.8:1 | 37% (131) |
| 2015-16 | 330 | 26 | 12.7:1 | 33% (110) |
| 2010-11 | 354 | 29 | 12.2:1 | 31% (108) |
| 2000-01 | 406 | 30 | 13.5:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 404 | 23 | 17.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Central High School.
Since 2017-18: students down 16% (354 to 298); teachers up 4% (24 to 25).
About Central High School
Central High School is a high school in Clifton, Illinois, reachable at (815) 694-2321. It reports enrollment of 298 students in grades 9 through 12. Across high schools in Illinois, the average enrollment is about 834.
Besides Central High School, Central CUSD 4 runs 3 other schools. The district enrolls 968 students.
White students account for 84% of the school's enrollment. Beyond that, enrollment is 12% Hispanic and 3% multiracial. Its diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen students belong to different racial or ethnic groups, is 28%.
The school's 25 full-time-equivalent teachers translate to a student-to-teacher ratio of 11.9:1. The average for high schools in Illinois is 13.8:1, so this school has fewer students per teacher. At Central High School, 38% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024-25. Across public schools in Iroquois County, the average is 53%.
Central High School is a bottom-10% school in Illinois on BeatsExpectations, with an actual average proficiency rate across its state test results of 35.2% against a predicted 49.6%.
The school is in Iroquois County, where the median household earns about $66,255 a year, about 18% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 8%. Central High School shares Iroquois County with 23 other public schools.
John L Nash Middle School is less than a tenth of a mile away, making it the nearest public school. Within five miles of Central High School, there are 2 other public schools. Compared with its nearest neighbors, Central High School ranks 3rd of 6 on average proficiency.
Locale: Rural: Distant. In NCES terms, the school is in rural territory some distance from an urban area.
Enrollment was 298 in 2024-25. In 2020-21, it was 324.
This page collects posts and questions about Central High School, such as athletics, class schedules, and weather closures. Members of the school community can share what they know.
Iroquois County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
26,449
Census ACS
Median income
$66,255
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
18%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
24
3,909 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Central CUSD 4
- Chebanse Elementary SchoolElementary · 343 students
- John L Nash Middle SchoolMiddle · 278 students
- Ashkum Early Literacy CenterElementary · 49 students
Other Central High schools
70 other US public schools in 32 states are named Central High. Central High School is the 60th largest of the 71.
- Central High SchoolChampaign, IL · 1,666 students
- Central High SchoolBurilngton, IL · 1,575 students
- Central High SchoolCamp Point, IL · 220 students
- Central High SchoolSAN ANGELO, TX · 2,985 students
- CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOLOMAHA, NE · 2,587 students
Nearby schools
- John L Nash Middle School0.0 mi · 278
- Chebanse Elementary School2.7 mi · 343
- Ashkum Early Literacy Center5.7 mi · 49
- Iroquois West Elementary School/Danforth9.9 mi · 92
- Kankakee High School10.2 mi · 1,360
- Taft Primary School10.6 mi · 316
Frequently asked questions
About Central High SchoolHow many students attend Central High School?
Central High School enrolls approximately 298 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does Central High School serve?
Central High School serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many students per teacher at Central High School?
Approximately 11.9:1 students per teacher at Central High School.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Central High School?
At Central High School, the student body is approximately 84% White, 12% Hispanic, 3% Two or more.
What district is Central High School in?
Central High School is part of Central CUSD 4.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.