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What do you wish you knew before starting at Central High?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
961
High
DISTRICT 567 · STATE 475
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WEST ALLIS-WEST MILWAUKEE SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 551626002101
Central High
8516 W Lincoln Ave, West Allis, WI 53227 · (414) 604-3110 · Milwaukee County
GRADES 09–12HIGH21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL961 STUDENTS
·
allk12 Grade
Not graded
This school has no state test results for 2023-24 or 2024-25 to grade, which is common for schools that end before third grade. How grades work
Student : Teacher
14.5:1
66 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 11.6:1 · STATE 14.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
73%
702 students
DISTRICT 63% · 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 | 226 | 24% |
| Grade 10 | 251 | 26% |
| Grade 11 | 252 | 26% |
| Grade 12 | 232 | 24% |
Student demographics
70%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 69% · 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
22.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
32.8%
based on WI schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-10.8pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 22% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 33% 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 (22.1% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central High this school | 961 | 73.0% | 22.1% |
| East High Green Bay | 1,119 | 66.6% | 23.4% |
| Bradford High Kenosha | 1,453 | 65.0% | 21.1% |
| Park High Racine | 1,203 | 69.7% | 14.6% |
| Horlick High Racine | 1,212 | 66.8% | 13.8% |
| Memorial High Beloit | 1,305 | 61.9% | 17.9% |
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 Milwaukee County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 22.1% | #376 of 402 | #20 of 40 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 961 | #97 of 532 | #16 of 59 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.5:1 | #166 of 325 | #10 of 40 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 69.8% | #12 of 325 | #1 of 40 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 73.0% | #34 of 418 | #27 of 47 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -17.9% | #47 of 203 | #12 of 26 |
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
961
-98 (-9%) vs 2020
-17% since 1990-91, when it was 1,156
Student : Teacher
14.5:1
was 15.3:1
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 | 961 | 66.3 | 14.5:1 | 73% (702) |
| 2023-24 | 1,032 | 68.4 | 15.1:1 | 60% (618) |
| 2022-23 | 1,007 | 72.4 | 13.9:1 | 68% (682) |
| 2020-21 | 1,059 | 69 | 15.3:1 | 69% (733) |
| 2017-18 | 1,170 | 82.4 | 14.2:1 | 60% (702) |
| 2015-16 | 1,411 | 86 | 16.4:1 | 72% (1,013) |
| 2010-11 | 1,398 | 83 | 16.8:1 | 58% (805) |
| 2000-01 | 1,699 | 105 | 16.2:1 | 22% (369) |
| 1990-91 | 1,156 | 86 | 13.4:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Central High.
Since 2017-18: students down 18% (1,170 to 961); teachers down 20% (82.4 to 66.3).
About Central High
Central High is a large high school in West Allis, Wisconsin, (ZIP code 53227). Its enrollment is 961 students, spread over grades 9 through 12. That compares with an average of about 475 students for high schools in Wisconsin.
West Allis-West Milwaukee School District, which runs Central High, has 16 schools and 6,619 students.
Hispanic students account for 42% of enrollment at Central High, more than any other group. Other groups include 31% White, 15% Black, 8% multiracial, and 2% Asian. By comparison, Milwaukee County residents are about 17% Hispanic. On the diversity index, which measures the chance that two random students are from different groups, Central High scores 70%.
Staffing at Central High comes to 66.3 full-time-equivalent teachers, or 14.5:1. The average ratio among high schools in Wisconsin is similar, at 14.6:1. Central High counts 73% of students as eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That rate is above the 64% average among public schools in Milwaukee County.
A school with Central High's lunch-eligibility share in Wisconsin is predicted to score 32.8%. Central High scores 22.1%, 10.8 points below that line.
The county, Milwaukee County, is where the school is located. Median household income comes to about $64,435, about 35% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 13% of residents are in poverty. The county has 284 public schools and about 122,496 students.
Of the public schools around it, Central High is closest to Franklin Elementary, about 0.2 miles away. There are at least 8 other public schools within five miles. Local comparison: Central High ranks 7th of 7 nearby schools, at 22.1% versus a 40.6% average.
Its NCES locale code is Suburb: Large: the school is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
Over the 4 years from 2020-21 to 2024-25, enrollment decreased 9%.
People who know Central High can post here about open houses, carpools, and field trips. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
Milwaukee County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
926,331
Census ACS
Median income
$64,435
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
35%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
13%
Below federal line
Schools in county
284
122,496 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in West Allis-West Milwaukee School District
- Nathan Hale HighHigh · 1,134 students
- Frank Lloyd Wright IntermediateMiddle · 902 students
- Jefferson ElementaryElementary · 393 students
- Horace Mann ElementaryElementary · 384 students
- West Milwaukee IntermediateMiddle · 378 students
- Irving ElementaryElementary · 375 students
Other schools in West Allis
- Nathan Hale HighHigh · 1,134 students
- Frank Lloyd Wright IntermediateMiddle · 902 students
- Jefferson ElementaryElementary · 393 students
- Horace Mann ElementaryElementary · 384 students
- Irving ElementaryElementary · 375 students
- Walker ElementaryElementary · 371 students
Other Central High schools
70 other US public schools in 32 states are named Central High. Central High is the 35th largest of the 71.
- Central HighSalem, WI · 1,309 students
- Central HighLa Crosse, WI · 969 students
- Central HighSheboygan, WI · 183 students
- Central High SchoolSAN ANGELO, TX · 2,985 students
- CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOLOMAHA, NE · 2,587 students
Nearby schools
- Franklin Elementary0.2 mi · 244
- Wilson Elementary0.8 mi · 365
- James E Dottke Project-Based Learning High School0.8 mi · 168
- Jefferson Elementary0.8 mi · 393
- Frank Lloyd Wright Intermediate0.8 mi · 902
- Shared Journeys1.0 mi · 4
Frequently asked questions
About Central HighWhat is the total enrollment at Central High?
Central High enrolls approximately 961 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 14.5:1 (66 FTE teachers).
How diverse is Central High?
Central High reports a student body of 31% White, 42% Hispanic, 15% Black, 2% Asian, 8% Two or more.
Who oversees Central High?
Central High is overseen by West Allis-West Milwaukee School District in Milwaukee County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.