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SCHOOL COMMUNITY·ST. JOSEPH·NCES 292706001648

CENTRAL HIGH

2602 EDMOND, ST JOSEPH, MO 64501 · (816) 671-4080 · Buchanan County
GRADES 09–12HIGH13-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL1,733 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 57% of Missouri public high schools
  • BTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
  • C+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
  • A-Three-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.

Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Missouri public high schools

Enrollment
1,733
High
DISTRICT 1,020 · STATE 501
Student : Teacher
16.4:1
105 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.0:1 · STATE 12.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
38%
652 students
DISTRICT 79% · STATE 54%
Community
1
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

GradeStudentsShare
Grade 943125%
Grade 1043225%
Grade 1144626%
Grade 1242424%
Student demographics
57%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 57% · STATE 52% · US 70%
White
1,07862%
DISTRICT 62% · STATE 67% · US 43%
Hispanic
26615%
DISTRICT 14% · STATE 9% · US 30%
Black
1297%
DISTRICT 6% · STATE 15% · US 15%
Asian
513%
DISTRICT 2% · STATE 2% · US 6%
Two+
1649%
DISTRICT 13% · STATE 6% · US 5%
Native American
40%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 1%
Pacific Islander
412%
DISTRICT 3% · STATE 0% · US 0%
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
Male
87851%
Female
85549%

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Test scores

MAP 2024-25 . % Proficient + Advanced
English Language Arts
52.4%
MO avg 44.9% . +3.4pp since 2021
Math
36.8%
MO avg 43.8% . +11.5pp since 2021

What this means: On the MAP, Missouri's statewide test, about 52 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 37 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Missouri schools, those numbers are about 45 and 44. Reading and writing scores are up about 3 points since 2021, while math scores are up about 11 points.

Performance levels, 2024-25

SubjectAdvancedProficientBasicBelow Basic
English Language Arts9.7%42.7%29.1%18.4%
Math14.9%21.9%30.4%32.7%
Share of tested students at each MAP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.

MAP results by year

School yearEnglish Language ArtsMath
2024-2552.4%36.8%
2023-2446.6%26.2%
2022-2353.4%20.4%
2021-2249.0%25.3%
% Proficient + Advanced, all students and all tested grades.
Source: MAP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
38.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
45.8%
based on MO schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-7.0pp
below demographic expectation

What this means: About 39% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 46% typical for Missouri 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 Missouri'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 HIGH

CENTRAL HIGH's state test result (38.8% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
CENTRAL HIGH this school1,73337.6%38.8%
WAYNESVILLE SR. HIGH
WAYNESVILLE
1,71940.1%43.4%
OAK PARK HIGH
KANSAS CITY
1,75540.7%39.3%
BLUE SPRINGS HIGH
BLUE SPRINGS
2,42931.9%48.0%
LEE'S SUMMIT SR. HIGH
LEE'S SUMMIT
1,98930.2%55.2%
PARK HILL SOUTH HIGH
RIVERSIDE
1,89025.8%65.2%
Matched among Missouri 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 ranks

Among high schools
MeasureThis schoolIn MissouriIn Buchanan County
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
38.8%#203 of 443N/A
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
36.8%#238 of 453
▲ 70
N/A
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
52.4%#156 of 382
▲ 32
N/A
3-year test score change
ranked biggest gain first
+7.5pp#58 of 231N/A
Enrollment
ranked largest first
1,733#30 of 561#1 of 6
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
16.4:1#285 of 343N/A
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
57.4%#41 of 343N/A
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
37.6%#294 of 455N/A
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked fastest growth first
+2.0%#131 of 151N/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 2024-25
Enrollment
1,733
+28 (+2%) vs 2020
+8% since 1990-91, when it was 1,606
Student : Teacher
16.4:1
was 17.1:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-251,733105.416.4:138% (652)
2023-241,720110.415.6:136% (615)
2022-231,72893.218.5:141% (700)
2020-211,70510017.1:130% (512)
2017-181,699115.614.7:150% (843)
2015-161,70411614.7:138% (646)
2010-111,64812213.5:138% (620)
2000-011,6029317.2:119% (303)
1990-911,6069217.5:1N/A
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for CENTRAL HIGH.

Since 2017-18: students up 2% (1,699 to 1,733); teachers down 9% (115.6 to 105.4).

About CENTRAL HIGH

CENTRAL HIGH is a large high school in ST. JOSEPH, located in ST JOSEPH, Missouri. The latest federal count shows 1,733 students in grades 9 through 12. The average for high schools in Missouri is about 501 students, so this school is 246% bigger than average.

ST. JOSEPH has 10,430 students in 22 schools, and CENTRAL HIGH is one of those schools.

At CENTRAL HIGH, White students make up 62% of the student body. The remaining shares are 15% Hispanic, 9% multiracial, 7% Black, and 3% Asian. Buchanan County as a whole is about 81% White, so the school's share is lower. Pick two students at random and there is a 57% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.

Teachers at the school number 105.4 full-time equivalents, and the ratio is 16.4:1. On average, high schools in Missouri have 12.2:1, compared with 16.4:1 here. The school's lunch program data list 38% of students as eligible for free or reduced-price meals. For comparison, public schools in Buchanan County average 69%.

The allk12 Grade for CENTRAL HIGH is B. Compared with Missouri public high schools, the school scored higher than 57% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.

When test results are adjusted for free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, CENTRAL HIGH is 7.0 points below its prediction. Actual: 38.8%. Predicted: 45.8%.

Across Buchanan County, the median household income is $62,158, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 24% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 10%. Buchanan County is home to 36 public schools and about 11,825 public school students.

Of nearby public schools, EDISON ELEM. is the closest, at about 0.5 miles. CENTRAL HIGH has at least 8 other public schools within five miles. The school's 38.8% average proficiency ranks 5th among 7 nearby schools.

Locale data from NCES put CENTRAL HIGH inside a principal city with a population under 100,000 (City: Small).

Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, enrollment moved from 1,705 to 1,733, a small change.

Parents and students can post about sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater at CENTRAL HIGH. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.

Buchanan County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
83,568
Census ACS
Median income
$62,158
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
24%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
36
11,825 students

Quick facts

School name
CENTRAL HIGH
District
ST. JOSEPH
Address
2602 EDMOND, ST JOSEPH, MO 64501
Phone
(816) 671-4080
County
Buchanan County
Level
High
Grade range
09–12
Total enrollment
1,733
Teachers (FTE)
105
Student–teacher ratio
16.4:1
Free and reduced lunch
652 (38%)
Locale
13-City: Small
NCES ID
292706001648
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in ST. JOSEPH
Other schools in ST JOSEPH
Other Central High schools

70 other US public schools in 32 states are named Central High. CENTRAL HIGH is the 8th largest of the 71.

Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About CENTRAL HIGH
What is the total enrollment at CENTRAL HIGH?
CENTRAL HIGH enrolls approximately 1,733 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does CENTRAL HIGH serve?
CENTRAL HIGH serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many students per teacher at CENTRAL HIGH?
Approximately 16.4:1 students per teacher at CENTRAL HIGH.
What is the student diversity at CENTRAL HIGH?
Student demographics at CENTRAL HIGH are roughly 62% White, 15% Hispanic, 7% Black, 3% Asian, 9% Two or more.
What district is CENTRAL HIGH in?
CENTRAL HIGH is part of ST. JOSEPH.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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