1
What's the vibe like in the hallways at Central High right now?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
969
High
DISTRICT 595 · STATE 475
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·LA CROSSE SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 550753000854
Central High
1801 Losey Blvd S, La Crosse, WI 54601 · (608) 789-7900 · La Crosse County
GRADES 09–12HIGH13-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL969 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
13.0:1
75 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.9:1 · STATE 14.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
39%
379 students
DISTRICT 46% · STATE 42%
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 | 222 | 23% |
| Grade 10 | 240 | 25% |
| Grade 11 | 248 | 26% |
| Grade 12 | 259 | 27% |
Student demographics
51%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 53% · STATE 54% · 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
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
43.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
53.6%
based on WI schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-10.2pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 44% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 54% typical for Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin'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 (43.5% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central High this school | 969 | 39.1% | 43.5% |
| Menomonie High Menomonie | 966 | 34.1% | 46.4% |
| Lincoln High Manitowoc | 1,385 | 43.4% | 35.4% |
| Stevens Point Area Senior High Stevens Point | 1,478 | 30.2% | 46.3% |
| Lincoln High Wisconsin Rapids | 1,337 | 40.0% | 44.4% |
| North High Eau Claire | 1,567 | 41.2% | 43.2% |
Matched among Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin | In La Crosse County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 43.5% | #249 of 402 | #5 of 6 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 969 | #94 of 532 | #2 of 7 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.0:1 | #81 of 325 | #3 of 6 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 50.6% | #80 of 325 | #2 of 6 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 39.1% | #166 of 418 | #2 of 6 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -8.8% | #113 of 203 | 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
969
-71 (-7%) vs 2020
-21% since 1990-91, when it was 1,227
Student : Teacher
13.0:1
was 13.5:1
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 | 969 | 74.5 | 13.0:1 | 39% (379) |
| 2023-24 | 1,014 | 83.3 | 12.2:1 | 43% (431) |
| 2022-23 | 1,008 | 79.8 | 12.6:1 | 38% (382) |
| 2020-21 | 1,040 | 77 | 13.5:1 | 46% (477) |
| 2017-18 | 1,062 | 71.5 | 14.8:1 | 34% (362) |
| 2015-16 | 1,072 | 68 | 15.8:1 | 40% (426) |
| 2010-11 | 1,183 | 74 | 16.0:1 | 36% (426) |
| 2000-01 | 1,426 | 85 | 16.8:1 | 35% (505) |
| 1990-91 | 1,227 | 82 | 15.0:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Central High.
Since 2017-18: students down 9% (1,062 to 969); teachers up 4% (71.5 to 74.5).
About Central High
Central High is a large high school. Its address is in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Grades offered run from 9 through 12, with 969 students enrolled. For comparison, high schools in Wisconsin average about 475 students.
La Crosse School District has 5,717 students in 19 schools, and Central High is one of those schools.
A majority of students at Central High, 68%, are White. The rest of enrollment is 12% multiracial, 9% Asian, 5% Hispanic, and 5% Black. Among all residents of La Crosse County, the White share is about 88%. By the diversity index, Central High comes in at 51%.
Staffing totals 74.5 full-time-equivalent teachers, and the student-to-teacher ratio is 13.0:1. For comparison, high schools in Wisconsin average 14.6:1. A measure often used for student poverty, free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, stands at 39%.
Predicted from its free or reduced-price lunch share, Central High would score about 53.6%. It scores 43.5%, 10.2 points below that figure.
Central High is located in La Crosse County, where median household income is about $73,013, 37% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 5% of people live in poverty. Federal data list 38 public schools in La Crosse County, with a combined enrollment of about 14,903.
The school nearest to Central High is Spence Elementary, at a distance of about 0.4 miles. Within five miles of Central High, there are at least 8 other public schools. The average proficiency across nearby scored schools is 49.4%; Central High's is 43.5%, ranking 6th of 8.
Federal records code the school's setting as City: Small.
Central High had 1,040 students in 2020-21 and 969 in 2024-25, a 7% decrease.
Threads on this page can be about enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
La Crosse County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
120,488
Census ACS
Median income
$73,013
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
37%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
38
14,903 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in La Crosse School District
- Logan HighHigh · 729 students
- Longfellow MiddleMiddle · 631 students
- Logan MiddleMiddle · 424 students
- Southern Bluffs ElementaryElementary · 333 students
- Spence ElementaryElementary · 329 students
- Emerson ElementaryElementary · 317 students
Other schools in La Crosse
- Logan HighHigh · 729 students
- Longfellow MiddleMiddle · 631 students
- Logan MiddleMiddle · 424 students
- Southern Bluffs ElementaryElementary · 333 students
- Spence ElementaryElementary · 329 students
- Emerson ElementaryElementary · 317 students
Other Central High schools
70 other US public schools in 32 states are named Central High. Central High is the 34th largest of the 71.
- Central HighSalem, WI · 1,309 students
- Central HighWest Allis, WI · 961 students
- Central HighSheboygan, WI · 183 students
- Central High SchoolSAN ANGELO, TX · 2,985 students
- CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOLOMAHA, NE · 2,587 students
Nearby schools
- Spence Elementary0.4 mi · 329
- Longfellow Middle0.5 mi · 631
- La Crosse Offsite Preschool0.8 mi · 104
- State Road Elementary1.0 mi · 284
- School of Technology and Arts I1.5 mi · 104
- Hamilton Elementary School1.5 mi · 151
Frequently asked questions
About Central HighHow many students attend Central High?
Central High enrolls approximately 969 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 13.0:1 (75 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Central High?
At Central High, the student body is approximately 68% White, 5% Hispanic, 5% Black, 9% Asian, 12% Two or more.
What district is Central High in?
Central High is part of La Crosse School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.