Is Forsyth Central High School a good school?

Forsyth Central High School ranks 140 th of 458 Georgia high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Forsyth Central High School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 2,387 students attended Forsyth Central High School.

What is the racial makeup of Forsyth Central High School?

Students at Forsyth Central High School are 49% White, 32% Hispanic, 10% Asian, 6% African American, 3% Two or more races.

What schools feed into Forsyth Central High School?

Forsyth Central High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Cumming Elementary School Elementary : George W. Whitlow Elementary Elementary : Mashburn Elementary School Middle : Otwell Middle School

Forsyth Central High School

Summary:

Forsyth Central High School is a public high school located in Cumming, Georgia, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 2,372 students. The school is part of the Forsyth County School District, which is ranked 10th out of 203 districts in Georgia and has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Forsyth Central High School has consistently maintained high four-year graduation rates, ranging from 92.5% to 95.6% over the past five school years, significantly higher than the state average. The school's performance on the Georgia Milestones Assessments is generally above the state and Forsyth County averages, particularly in subjects like American Literature and Composition, Biology, and United States History. However, the school's Algebra I proficiency rates are lower than the district and state averages. Forsyth Central High School has a relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 23.26% to 28.75% over the past three school years, which is higher than some of the nearby high-performing schools in the district.

While Forsyth Central High School is a well-performing high school, its performance lags behind some of the other high-performing schools in the Forsyth County School District, such as Lambert High School, Denmark High School, and South Forsyth High School, which have higher test scores, graduation rates, and lower free and reduced lunch rates. Additionally, Forsyth Central High School is located just 1.4 miles away from Alliance Academy for Innovation, the top-ranked high school in the state, providing an interesting contrast in performance.

Detail:

Public 9-12

131 Almon C. Hill Drive
Cumming, GA 30040

(770) 887-8151

District: Forsyth County

SchoolDigger Rank:
140^th of 458 Georgia High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $9,449

Feeder schools for Forsyth Central High School:

Elementary:	Cumming Elementary School
	George W. Whitlow Elementary
	Mashburn Elementary School
Middle:	Otwell Middle School

Student/teacher ratio: 15.7

Number of students: 2,387

Racial breakdown:

White:

48.9%

Hispanic:

31.8%

Asian:

9.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 40.9%

See top rated Georgia high schools

Compare Forsyth Central High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Forsyth Central High School ranks better than 69.4% of high schools in Georgia. It also ranks last among 7 ranked high schools in the Forsyth County School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 58.88. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Forsyth Central High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (48.9%), Hispanic (31.8%), Asian (9.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 40.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Forsyth County School District. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Forsyth Central High School is 15.7, which is the lowest among 7 high schools in the Forsyth County School District! (See more...)

Compare Forsyth Central High School employs 151.3 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Forsyth Central High School is $9,449, which is the 3^rd highest among 7 high schools in the Forsyth County School District.

Schooldigger Rankings:

Forsyth Central High School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

SchoolDigger ranks Forsyth Central High School 140^th of 458 Georgia public high schools. (See Forsyth Central High School in the ranking list.)

Forsyth County:

SchoolDigger ranks Forsyth County 10^th of 203 Georgia school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Forsyth Central High School.

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Rank History for Forsyth Central High School

Compare

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	GA State Percentile
2006	75.05	53^rd	335	84.2%
2007	77.11	49^th	358	86.3%
2008	76.21	59^th	370	84.1%
2009	80.68	40^th	372	89.2%
2010	77.90	62^nd	384	83.9%
2011	69.17	102^nd	402	74.6%
2012	74.72	70^th	396	82.3%
2013	67.52	95^th	425	77.6%
2014	70.02	77^th	425	81.9%
2015	66.41	75^th	435	82.8%
2016	69.24	65^th	426	84.7%
2017	71.33	56^th	420	86.7%
2018	72.14	63^rd	428	85.3%
2019	73.32	63^rd	438	85.6%
2021	65.72	80^th	410	80.5%
2022	58.14	122^nd	429	71.6%
2023	63.12	106^th	442	76.0%
2024	58.88	140^th	458	69.4%

See the entire list of Georgia High School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Georgia Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Data source: Georgia Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 4)

75%

25%

Reviews:

by a parent
Monday, December 10, 2018

My daughter loves it here. Grades are excellent. Never any issues besides someone stealing a coat once. Good mixture of all kinds of kids. Close Quote

by a parent
Monday, August 15, 2016

AAA

by a parent
Thursday, August 21, 2014

Very Very good school Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, August 22, 2013

FCHS is a wonderful school with many many positives. Like the other 4 high schools in the area there are issues, but no more than any of the others. I would not want my children to attend any other school! Close Quote

by a student
Thursday, November 29, 2012

When I went to this school is was the worst school i have ever been to. The students were mean and rude and there is a lot of illegal activities. On my first day on my ride home on the bus, I sat next to a student that was dipping tobacco. They were also selling cigarettes. I recommend you DO NOT GO TO THIS SCHOOL! Close Quote

by a parent
Sunday, August 5, 2012

I'm giving this poor rating because Forsyth Central does a horrible job with special needs children. Poor is not what I would give the school overall. My friends and neighbors with regular ed kids are happy with the school. My rating would change if they would admit they are terrible with the special needs classification of child. This would give the special needs children the ability to go to the schools that do a good job with these children. Since I believe it is a fine school overall I wouldn't have commented but I believe parents who have a special needs child should be warned, STAY AWAY! They are so bad with these kids they forget who is the adult and who is the child. We finally moved to get away from them. He is thriving in his new school. His tutor even comment he can't believe how his knowledge has increased since the move, he is having a much easier time working with him. I don't believe the tutor should have to do the teaching. He should only help reinforce what the teachers should teach, nor can we afford to pay him to be the primary teacher. As a matter of fact when he was going to Central we would have spent less if we sent him to a private school. The only reason we didn't go the private school route is because we didn't know anyone going to these schools that could give us a recommendation. Being in the special needs community we got to know other special needs families that recommended another Forsyth county high school. Even though our child is special needs we are determined he will graduate with a regular ed diploma and not a special ed diploma. The teachers at the new school are helping him accomplish that goal. Again, we are thankful for the other Forsyth county high schools. I know we are a small segment of the population. If you have regular ed child please keep reading comments because I do believe Central will be fine for your child. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Forsyth Central High School

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	1378	1378
1991	0	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	1385	1385
1992	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	1403	1403
1993	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	1390	1390
1994	1384	0	1	19	1	n/a	n/a	0	1405
1995	734	0	1	19	0	n/a	n/a	0	754
1996	734	0	1	19	0	n/a	n/a	0	754
1997	746	0	0	19	0	n/a	n/a	0	765
1998	907	0	0	24	1	n/a	n/a	0	932
1999	993	0	1	13	2	n/a	n/a	0	1009
2000	1064	0	0	40	3	n/a	n/a	0	1107
2001	1166	0	4	46	2	n/a	n/a	0	1218
2002	1438	6	10	84	1	n/a	n/a	0	1539
2003	1438	6	10	84	1	n/a	n/a	0	1539
2004	1602	5	11	127	2	n/a	n/a	0	1747
2005	1653	9	14	174	2	n/a	n/a	13	1865
2006	1684	8	19	211	3	n/a	n/a	18	1943
2007	1750	24	31	252	4	n/a	n/a	23	2084
2008	1392	18	23	240	5	n/a	n/a	19	1697
2009	1234	25	18	222	4	n/a	n/a	19	1522
2010	1062	36	22	273	7	4	26	0	1430
2011	992	51	24	278	9	2	24	0	1380
2012	984	42	26	289	16	2	36	0	1395
2013	1104	48	31	359	16	2	39	0	1599
2014	1248	76	38	365	17	1	46	0	1791
2015	1330	64	42	435	12	2	56	0	1941
2016	1444	70	63	521	8	2	58	0	2166
2017	1568	79	72	567	8	2	66	0	2362
2018	1652	76	89	637	10	2	72	0	2538
2019	1625	84	102	648	12	0	80	0	2551
2020	1612	96	117	672	13	1	74	0	2585
2021	1535	116	126	696	15	2	85	0	2575
2022	1337	116	155	687	13	4	71	0	2383
2023	1252	130	201	702	15	4	68	0	2372
2024	1167	134	232	759	16	3	76	0	2387

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Forsyth Central High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	1378	82.0	16.8	1.5
1991	1385	80.0	17.3	1.7
1992	1403	83.0	16.9	1.8
1993	1390	68.0	20.4	2.9
1994	1405	75.6	18.6	5.8
1995	754	50.5	14.9	5.8
1996	754	50.5	14.9	5.8
1997	765	43.0	17.8	8.5
1998	932	57.2	16.3	6.2
1999	1009	62.5	16.1	5.6
2000	1107	63.5	17.4	5.5
2001	1218	74.0	16.5	0
2002	1539	107.3	14.3	9.2
2003	1539	107.3	14.3	9.2
2004	1747	104.3	16.7	11.3
2005	1865	122.2	15.3	12.7
2006	1943	129.0	15.1	15.2
2007	2084	138.0	15.1	16.8
2008	1697	125.7	13.5	18.2
2009	1522	119.2	12.8	21.4
2010	1430	106.8	13.3	26.7
2011	1380	96.5	14.3	28.6
2012	1395	99.5	14.0	29.7
2013	1599	99.9	16.0	31.6
2014	1791	107.5	16.6	30.5
2015	1941	116.0	16.7	28.7
2016	2166	129.0	16.7	28.9
2017	2362	139.5	16.9	27.1
2018	2538	146.8	17.2	26.3
2019	2551	152.0	16.7	26.1
2020	2585	152.9	16.9	26
2021	2575	160.0	16.0	23.3
2022	2383	150.3	15.8	n/a
2023	2372	148.0	16.0	28.8
2024	2387	151.3	15.7	40.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Forsyth Central High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	1378	82.0	16.8	1.5
1991	1385	80.0	17.3	1.7
1992	1403	83.0	16.9	1.8
1993	1390	68.0	20.4	2.9
1994	1405	75.6	18.6	5.8
1995	754	50.5	14.9	5.8
1996	754	50.5	14.9	5.8
1997	765	43.0	17.8	8.5
1998	932	57.2	16.3	6.2
1999	1009	62.5	16.1	5.6
2000	1107	63.5	17.4	5.5
2001	1218	74.0	16.5	0
2002	1539	107.3	14.3	9.2
2003	1539	107.3	14.3	9.2
2004	1747	104.3	16.7	11.3
2005	1865	122.2	15.3	12.7
2006	1943	129.0	15.1	15.2
2007	2084	138.0	15.1	16.8
2008	1697	125.7	13.5	18.2
2009	1522	119.2	12.8	21.4
2010	1430	106.8	13.3	26.7
2011	1380	96.5	14.3	28.6
2012	1395	99.5	14.0	29.7
2013	1599	99.9	16.0	31.6
2014	1791	107.5	16.6	30.5
2015	1941	116.0	16.7	28.7
2016	2166	129.0	16.7	28.9
2017	2362	139.5	16.9	27.1
2018	2538	146.8	17.2	26.3
2019	2551	152.0	16.7	26.1
2020	2585	152.9	16.9	26
2021	2575	160.0	16.0	23.3
2022	2383	150.3	15.8	n/a
2023	2372	148.0	16.0	28.8
2024	2387	151.3	15.7	40.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Forsyth Central High School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2017	$252 (2.9%)	$8,496 (97.1%)	$8,747
2018	$266 (3.0%)	$8,632 (97.0%)	$8,899
2019	$228 (2.4%)	$9,221 (97.6%)	$9,449

Data source: Georgia Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Forsyth Central High School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 63^rd of 438 High schools	Ranks 106^th of 442 High schools	9.6%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
End of Course American Literature and Composition (Forsyth Central High School)	60.9	52.3	8.6%
End of Course American Literature and Composition (Forsyth County)	73.3	66.9	6.4%
End of Course American Literature and Composition (Georgia)	47.3	38.9	8.4%
End of Course Algebra I (Forsyth Central High School)	49	23.7	25.3%
End of Course Algebra I (Forsyth County)	76.3	62.5	13.8%
End of Course Algebra I (Georgia)	41.1	35.8	5.3%
End of Course Biology (Forsyth Central High School)	63.9	56.8	7.1%
End of Course Biology (Forsyth County)	76.6	70	6.6%
End of Course Biology (Georgia)	49	45.5	3.5%
End of Course United States History (Forsyth Central High School)	57.9	40.9	17%
End of Course United States History (Forsyth County)	70.5	55.3	15.2%
End of Course United States History (Georgia)	48.3	37.1	11.2%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	2551	2372	7%
African American	84	130	54.8%
American Indian	12	15	25%
Asian	102	201	97.1%
Hispanic	648	702	8.3%
Pacific Islander	0	4
White	1625	1252	23%
Two or More Races	80	68	15%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	26.1%	28.8%	2.6%

Schools Near Forsyth Central High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				Milestones Assessment American Literature and Composition (2024)	Milestones Assessment Algebra I (2024)	Milestones Assessment Biology (2024)	Milestones Assessment United States History (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Milestones Assessment American Literature and Composition End of Course	Milestones Assessment Algebra I End of Course	Milestones Assessment Biology End of Course	Milestones Assessment United States History End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Forsyth Central High School	Public	9-12	131 Almon C. Hill Drive	Cumming	30040	Forsyth County	Forsyth County	No	No	No	No	(770) 887-8151	2,387	151	15.7	40.9%	1,167 (48.9%)	134 (5.6%)	759 (31.8%)	232 (9.7%)	16 (0.7%)	3 (0.1%)	76 (3.2%)	58.9	140^th of 458 public high schools	69.4%		63.1	106^th of 442 public high schools	76.0%	34	57.2	23.6	47.8	43.0	$9,449	$228	$9,221
Alliance Academy for Innovation	Public	9-12	1100 Lanier 400 Pkwy	Cumming	30040	Forsyth County	Forsyth County	No	No	No	No	(470) 695-7823	1,116	62	18.0	11.7%	379 (34.0%)	22 (2.0%)	94 (8.4%)	598 (53.6%)	8 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	14 (1.3%)	97.4	2^nd of 458 public high schools	99.6%		96.5	3^rd of 442 public high schools	99.3%	1	92.1	88.5	90.2	83.7	$11,699	$137	$11,562
West Forsyth High School	Public	9-12	4155 Drew Rd	Cumming	30040	Forsyth County	Forsyth County	No	No	No	No	(770) 888-3470	2,464	130	18.9	16.0%	1,599 (64.9%)	122 (5.0%)	325 (13.2%)	316 (12.8%)	7 (0.3%)	1 (0.0%)	94 (3.8%)	77.4	58^th of 458 public high schools	87.3%		76.3	53^rd of 442 public high schools	88.0%	5	73.0	21.2	67.7	56.9	$7,891	$134	$7,757
North Forsyth High School	Public	9-12	3635 Coal Mountain Dr	Cumming	30028	Forsyth County	Forsyth County	No	No	No	No	(770) 781-6637	2,080	123	16.8	25.8%	1,423 (68.4%)	129 (6.2%)	329 (15.8%)	121 (5.8%)	9 (0.4%)	3 (0.1%)	66 (3.2%)	69.9	88^th of 458 public high schools	80.8%		70.1	77^th of 442 public high schools	82.6%	11	60.2	35.8	55.4	52.1	$8,541	$301	$8,240
South Forsyth High School	Public	9-12	585 Peachtree Pkwy	Cumming	30041	Forsyth County	Forsyth County	No	No	No	No	(770) 781-2264	2,508	130	19.3	10.6%	1,041 (41.5%)	65 (2.6%)	187 (7.5%)	1,099 (43.8%)	14 (0.6%)	2 (0.1%)	100 (4.0%)	88.4	23^rd of 458 public high schools	95.0%		92	14^th of 442 public high schools	96.8%	9	81.2	46.0	79.8	66.8	$8,234	$167	$8,068
Denmark High School	Public	9-12	645 Mullinax Rd	Alpharetta	30004	Fulton County	Forsyth County	No	No	No	No	(470) 533-2521	2,490	138	18.0	21.8%	873 (35.1%)	202 (8.1%)	464 (18.6%)	868 (34.9%)	8 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	75 (3.0%)	90	19^th of 458 public high schools	95.9%		84.8	29^th of 442 public high schools	93.4%	10	74.5	23.0	70.8	62.3	$9,817	$134	$9,683
Lambert High School	Public	9-12	805 Nichols Rd	Suwanee	30024	Gwinnett County	Forsyth County	No	No	No	No	(678) 965-5050	3,201	160	20.0	10.6%	1,155 (36.1%)	136 (4.2%)	187 (5.8%)	1,606 (50.2%)	10 (0.3%)	1 (0.0%)	106 (3.3%)	94.2	9^th of 458 public high schools	98.0%		92.3	13^th of 442 public high schools	97.1%	4	83.1	69.9	82.7	81.8	$7,395	$134	$7,261
East Forsyth High School	Public	9-12	8910 Jot Em Down Rd	Gainesville	30506	Hall County	Forsyth County	No	No	No	No	(770) 888-1235	1,590	95	16.8	37.5%	1,110 (69.8%)	34 (2.1%)	366 (23.0%)	22 (1.4%)	4 (0.3%)	2 (0.1%)	52 (3.3%)	59.4	136^th of 458 public high schools	70.3%		60	119^th of 442 public high schools	73.1%	17	57.1	24.4	51.2	41.4
North Gwinnett High School	Public	9-12	20 Level Creek Rd	Suwanee	30024	Gwinnett County	Gwinnett County	No	No	No	No	(770) 945-9558	3,067	166	18.5	22.0%	1,199 (39.1%)	420 (13.7%)	306 (10.0%)	965 (31.5%)	1 (0.0%)	1 (0.0%)	175 (5.7%)	89	21^st of 458 public high schools	95.4%		89.9	20^th of 442 public high schools	95.5%	1	73.0	51.7	76.2	56.9	$7,777	$266	$7,511
Cambridge High School	Public	9-12	2845 Bethany Bnd	Milton	30004	Fulton County	Fulton County	No	No	No	No	(470) 254-2883	1,652	91	18.1	11.0%	1,090 (66.0%)	147 (8.9%)	185 (11.2%)	163 (9.9%)	3 (0.2%)	3 (0.2%)	61 (3.7%)	75.6	67^th of 458 public high schools	85.4%		84.3	32^nd of 442 public high schools	92.8%	35	75.3	35.1	74.0	41.4	$9,333	$225	$9,108

Forsyth Central High School

Forsyth County:

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Rank History for Forsyth Central High School

Review counts

Enrollment information for Forsyth Central High School

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Forsyth Central High School

Student/Teacher Ratio Forsyth Central High School

Per Pupil Expenditures for Forsyth Central High School

Impact of COVID-19 on Forsyth Central High School

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Forsyth Central High School