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What's something CENTRAL HIGH does better than most schools?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
676
High
DISTRICT 553 · STATE 1,213
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WISE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 510408001789
Central High
5000 Warrior Drive, Norton, VA 24273 · (276) 328-8015 · Wise County
GRADES 09–12HIGH32-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL676 STUDENTS
A+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 98% of Virginia public high schools
- ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- A+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Virginia public high schools
Student : Teacher
16.5:1
41 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.9:1 · STATE 13.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
91%
613 students
DISTRICT 92% · STATE 66%
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
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 165 | 24% |
| Grade 10 | 190 | 28% |
| Grade 11 | 141 | 21% |
| Grade 12 | 180 | 27% |
Student demographics
13%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 17% · STATE 71% · 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
SOL 2024-25 . % PassingEnglish Language Arts
92.0%
VA avg 74.2% . +6.0pp since 2022
Math
97.0%
VA avg 72.7% . +3.0pp since 2022
What this means: On the SOL, Virginia's statewide test, about 92 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 97 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Virginia schools, those numbers are about 74 and 73. Reading and writing scores are up about 6 points since 2022, while math scores are up about 3 points.
SOL results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 92.0% | 97.0% |
| 2023-24 | 91.0% | 96.0% |
| 2022-23 | 86.0% | 94.0% |
% Passing, all students and all tested grades.
Source: SOL. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
OUTPERFORMING
Top 10% of VA schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
88.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
63.4%
based on VA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+25.2pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 89% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 63% typical for Virginia schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations ranks schools against others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school can post high scores and still fall short of its prediction, or post lower scores and still beat it. This school clears its prediction by about 25 points, placing it in Virginia's top 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 (88.6% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central High this school | 676 | 90.7% | 88.6% |
| Lebanon High Lebanon | 571 | 90.9% | 67.1% |
| Union High Big Stone Gap | 564 | 90.6% | 84.9% |
| Richlands High Richlands | 557 | 88.5% | 85.1% |
| Tazewell High Tazewell | 509 | 88.8% | 82.3% |
| Graham High Bluefield | 489 | 89.6% | 84.0% |
Matched among Virginia 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| Measure | This school | In Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 88.6% | #17 of 311 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 97.0% | #5 of 316 ▲ 4 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 92.0% | #67 of 316 ▼ 3 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 676 | #219 of 325 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.5:1 | #268 of 309 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 13.0% | #288 of 309 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 90.7% | #81 of 319 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +2.6% | #104 of 131 |
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
676
+70 (+12%) vs 2020
-20% since 1990-91, when it was 848
Student : Teacher
16.5:1
was 15.9:1
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 | 676 | 40.9 | 16.5:1 | 91% (613) |
| 2023-24 | 663 | 39.9 | 16.6:1 | 88% (582) |
| 2022-23 | 674 | 41.8 | 16.1:1 | 81% (544) |
| 2020-21 | 606 | 38 | 15.9:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 659 | 38.1 | 17.3:1 | 47% (309) |
| 2015-16 | 748 | 39 | 19.2:1 | 46% (344) |
| 2010-11 | 474 | 27 | 17.6:1 | 43% (205) |
| 2000-01 | 586 | 37 | 15.8:1 | 23% (134) |
| 1990-91 | 848 | 45 | 18.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Central High.
Since 2017-18: students up 3% (659 to 676); teachers up 7% (38.1 to 40.9).
About Central High
Among the schools in Norton, Virginia, is Central High, a small high school. The school teaches grades 9 through 12 and enrolls 676 students. The school is 44% below the average for high schools in Virginia.
Enrollment across the 11 schools in Wise County Public Schools totals 5,779 students.
Roughly 93% of students at Central High are White. The remaining students are 2% Hispanic. Wise County residents are about 90% White, a similar share. On the diversity index, which measures the chance that two random students are from different groups, Central High scores 13%.
Staffing at Central High comes to 40.9 full-time-equivalent teachers, or 16.5:1. High schools in Virginia average 13.9:1, 2.6 fewer students per teacher than here. Central High counts 91% of students as eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The average for public schools in Wise County is similar, at 91%.
On the allk12 Grade, Central High lands at A+, ahead of 98% of Virginia public high schools.
Central High beats its predicted average proficiency rate across its state test results by 25.2 points (88.6% versus 63.4%), a top-10% result in Virginia on BeatsExpectations.
Looking at the county, Wise County, median household income comes to about $52,943, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 16% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 13%. The county's public schools total 14, with about 5,779 students.
Norton Elementary is about 1.7 miles away, making it the nearest public school. Central High is one of several public schools in the area, with 4 others within five miles. Local comparison: Central High ranks 2nd of 8 nearby schools, at 88.6% versus an 81.3% average.
Under the NCES locale system, Central High is Town: Distant.
Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, Central High had a net gain of 70 students, or 12%.
Anyone can start a thread about fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies at Central High. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
Wise County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
35,448
Census ACS
Median income
$52,943
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
16%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
13%
Below federal line
Schools in county
14
5,779 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Wise County Public Schools
- Union PrimaryElementary · 809 students
- Wise PrimaryElementary · 603 students
- Union HighHigh · 564 students
- Union MiddleMiddle · 561 students
- J.W. Adams CombinedElementary · 523 students
- St. Paul ElementaryElementary · 514 students
Other schools in Norton
- Norton ElementaryElementary · 527 students
- J.I. Burton HighHigh · 328 students
Other Central High schools
70 other US public schools in 32 states are named Central High. Central High is the 40th largest of the 71.
- Central HighWoodstock, VA · 728 students
- Central HighVictoria, VA · 464 students
- Central HighKing And Queen C H, VA · 265 students
- Central High SchoolSAN ANGELO, TX · 2,985 students
- CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOLOMAHA, NE · 2,587 students
Nearby schools
- Norton Elementary1.7 mi · 527
- Wise Primary1.7 mi · 603
- L.F. Addington Middle1.8 mi · 387
- J.I. Burton High2.7 mi · 328
- Coeburn Primary7.2 mi · 420
- Eastside High7.2 mi · 418
Frequently asked questions
About Central HighHow many students attend Central High?
Central High enrolls approximately 676 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does Central High serve?
Central High serves grades 09-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central High?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Central High is approximately 16.5:1 (41 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Central High?
At Central High, the student body is approximately 93% White, 2% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Asian, 2% Two or more.
Is Central High public or private?
Central High is a public K-12 school, overseen by Wise County Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.