Is Central High School a good school?

Central High School ranks 125 th of 697 Illinois high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Central High School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 1,473 students attended Central High School.

What is the racial makeup of Central High School?

Students at Central High School are 61% White, 21% Hispanic, 14% Asian, 3% Two or more races, 2% African American.

What schools feed into Central High School?

Central High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Country Trails Elementary Elementary : Howard B Thomas Grade School Elementary : Lily Lake Grade School Elementary : Prairie View Grade School Middle : Central Middle School Middle : Prairie Knolls Middle School

Central High School

Summary:

Central High School is a public high school located in Burlington, Illinois, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 1,387 students. The school is part of the Central CUSD 301 district, which is ranked 153 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Central High School has consistently ranked among the top high schools in Illinois, with a ranking of 125 out of 697 schools in the 2023-2024 school year and a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger in recent years. The school's performance on standardized tests is impressive, with 42.2% of 11th-grade students proficient or better in SAT/English Language Arts and 27.5% proficient or better in SAT/Mathematics in 2023-2024, both exceeding the state averages. Central High School also outperforms the state in science proficiency, with 52.6% of students proficient or better on the ISA/Science assessment in 2023-2024. The school's four-year graduation rate is 96.9%, significantly higher than the state average, and its dropout rate is low at 1.4% in 2023-2024.

When compared to nearby schools, Central High School stands out for its competitive academic performance, with test scores and state rankings on par with or exceeding those of schools like St. Charles North High School and Kaneland Senior High School. The school's graduation rate of 96.9% is also significantly higher than the rates of nearby schools like Huntley High School (95.2%) and South Elgin High School (90.4%), and its dropout rate of 1.4% is lower than its neighbors, indicating a strong focus on student retention and success.

Detail:

Public 9-12

44W625 Plato Rd
Burlington, IL 60140-0068

(847) 464-6030

District: Central CUSD 301

SchoolDigger Rank:
125^th of 697 Illinois High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $15,222

Feeder schools for Central High School:

Elementary:	Country Trails Elementary
	Howard B Thomas Grade School
	Lily Lake Grade School
	Prairie View Grade School
Middle:	Central Middle School
	Prairie Knolls Middle School

Student/teacher ratio: 18.2

Number of students: 1,473

Racial breakdown:

White:

60.6%

Hispanic:

20.8%

Asian:

13.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 16.9%

See top rated Illinois high schools

Compare Central High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Central High School ranks better than 82.1% of high schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 77.82. (See more...)

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

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Student population at Central High School is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (60.6%), Hispanic (20.8%), Asian (13.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 16.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Central High School is 18.2. (See more...)

Compare Central High School employs 80.8 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Central High School is $15,222.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Central High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Central High School 125^th of 697 Illinois public high schools. (See Central High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

Asian students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Central CUSD 301:

SchoolDigger ranks Central CUSD 301 153^rd of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Central High School

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Rank History for all students at Central High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	79.87	95^th	586	83.8%
2004	81.80	76^th	592	87.2%
2005	81.58	75^th	590	87.3%
2007	75.28	143^rd	612	76.6%
2008	81.15	97^th	624	84.5%
2009	82.62	82^nd	632	87.0%
2010	82.77	84^th	643	86.9%
2011	89.65	49^th	655	92.5%
2012	88.41	56^th	665	91.6%
2013	84.54	88^th	670	86.9%
2014	87.53	70^th	670	89.6%
2015	54.83	234^th	614	61.9%
2016	78.03	72^nd	643	88.8%
2017	89.12	55^th	642	91.4%
2018	84.49	84^th	647	87.0%
2019	88.57	66^th	701	90.6%
2021	91.95	57^th	688	91.7%
2022	93.31	38^th	699	94.6%
2023	89.64	56^th	699	92.0%
2024	77.82	125^th	697	82.1%

See the entire list of Illinois High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Central High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	51.45	75^th	154	51.3%
2019	63.69	59^th	165	64.2%
2021	59.80	64^th	160	60.0%
2024	63.76	57^th	182	68.7%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Central High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	65.71	24^th	183	86.9%
2021	59.02	38^th	189	79.9%
2023	30.97	159^th	217	26.7%
2024	78.56	26^th	248	89.5%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Central High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	86.85	31^st	374	91.7%
2019	91.37	24^th	473	94.9%
2021	29.28	270^th	453	40.4%
2022	68.55	62^nd	493	87.4%
2023	33.27	269^th	476	43.5%
2024	32.39	275^th	482	42.9%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Central High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	78.61	64^th	585	89.1%
2019	55.73	236^th	639	63.1%
2021	42.17	316^th	611	48.3%
2022	90.96	31^st	626	95.0%
2023	74.62	100^th	644	84.5%
2024	74.92	109^th	639	82.9%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Central High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	77.78	120^th	620	80.6%
2019	84.68	81^st	665	87.8%
2021	83.18	95^th	639	85.1%
2022	91.81	38^th	658	94.2%
2023	91.81	45^th	656	93.1%
2024	75.38	133^rd	664	80.0%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Central High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	39.59	215^th	428	49.8%
2024	27.00	261^st	429	39.2%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Central High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	86.72	64^th	619	89.7%
2019	89.67	63^rd	675	90.7%
2021	94.59	47^th	653	92.8%
2022	92.78	42^nd	664	93.7%
2023	84.31	82^nd	668	87.7%
2024	76.90	128^th	668	80.8%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Central High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	49.89	68^th	132	48.5%
2019	74.76	32^nd	130	75.4%
2021	72.90	37^th	135	72.6%
2022	58.74	62^nd	141	56.0%
2023	67.14	46^th	134	65.7%
2024	49.70	68^th	137	50.4%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Central High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	90.82	21^st	299	93.0%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Central High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	60.55	83^rd	291	71.5%
2019	68.09	70^th	317	77.9%
2021	67.46	69^th	317	78.2%
2022	78.38	52^nd	335	84.5%
2023	74.12	56^th	333	83.2%
2024	48.70	139^th	336	58.6%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Central High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	84.99	65^th	548	88.1%
2019	82.24	83^rd	552	85.0%
2021	85.25	75^th	553	86.4%
2022	90.35	49^th	560	91.3%
2023	81.04	79^th	557	85.8%
2024	64.48	158^th	554	71.5%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Illinois State Board of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Illinois State Board of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent on FaceBook
Friday, March 12, 2010

I'm ONLY giving this school 5 stars because of art program. Please keep it alive!!!
This is the reason we moved to this district, so my kids can attend this great school with GREAT art program. My son is involved in theater, choir, musicals, string club...you name it...My daughter can't wait to start this High School, so she can continue to sing and play in a band. Please, please, please, don't destroy what's the greatest thing about this school. Your music teachers are just fabulous. They actually care about their students, and they make their lifes better!
All teachers are great, but the ones that are just exeptional, are our music Teachers: Mrs. Nesseth, and Mrs. Strike. Thank you so much for your great work, and caring about those souls. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Central High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	395	2	1	4	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	402
1989	409	2	n/a	5	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	416
1990	394	n/a	1	4	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	399
1991	397	0	4	8	0	n/a	n/a	0	409
1992	448	0	6	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	459
1993	467	1	3	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	475
1994	510	2	4	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	521
1995	519	5	3	15	0	n/a	n/a	0	542
1996	519	5	3	15	0	n/a	n/a	0	542
1997	545	7	5	14	0	n/a	n/a	0	571
1998	560	5	4	21	1	n/a	n/a	0	591
1999	601	13	5	22	2	n/a	n/a	0	643
2000	610	12	7	29	1	n/a	n/a	0	659
2001	610	16	11	30	1	n/a	n/a	0	668
2002	649	9	12	18	3	n/a	n/a	0	691
2003	649	9	12	18	3	n/a	n/a	0	691
2004	684	13	13	31	1	n/a	n/a	0	742
2005	725	9	11	27	0	n/a	n/a	20	792
2006	739	12	15	45	0	n/a	n/a	22	833
2007	806	12	24	65	1	n/a	n/a	23	931
2008	802	22	36	93	2	n/a	n/a	23	978
2009	799	24	37	98	4	n/a	n/a	35	997
2010	833	27	52	103	3	n/a	n/a	47	1065
2011	835	30	58	42	10	47	35	0	1057
2012	845	30	54	138	3	0	33	0	1103
2013	803	40	67	150	2	0	28	0	1090
2014	756	44	64	154	1	0	31	0	1050
2015	768	44	70	147	1	1	32	0	1063
2016	694	49	85	160	3	0	32	0	1023
2017	702	40	91	178	1	0	36	0	1048
2018	706	35	106	189	0	0	42	0	1078
2019	737	38	136	216	1	0	50	0	1178
2020	780	31	153	237	0	0	39	0	1240
2021	804	27	163	247	0	0	37	0	1278
2022	832	27	175	288	0	0	41	0	1363
2023	847	28	184	289	0	0	39	0	1387
2024	893	28	201	307	1	0	43	0	1473

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 Central High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	402	23.5	17.1	n/a
1989	416	22.8	18.2	n/a
1990	399	25.8	15.4	n/a
1991	409	24.0	17.0	n/a
1992	459	32.0	14.3	n/a
1993	475	29.7	16.0	n/a
1994	521	29.3	17.8	n/a
1995	542	32.4	16.7	n/a
1996	542	32.4	16.7	n/a
1997	571	32.4	17.6	n/a
1998	591	34.3	17.2	n/a
1999	643	38.5	16.7	n/a
2000	659	39.5	16.7	n/a
2001	668	39.9	16.7	n/a
2002	691	43.0	16.1	0
2003	691	43.0	16.1	0
2004	742	43.4	17.1	0.8
2005	792	47.0	16.9	0.1
2006	833	50.1	16.6	1.7
2007	931	53.0	17.6	1.1
2008	978	57.0	17.2	1.9
2009	997	65.8	15.2	4.6
2010	1065	65.9	16.1	6.7
2011	1057	58.1	18.1	7.6
2012	1103	58.5	18.8	9.8
2013	1090	96.1	11.3	10.3
2014	1050	63.2	16.5	11.5
2015	1063	67.0	15.8	15.1
2016	1023	62.0	16.5	12
2017	1048	62.0	16.8	14.7
2018	1078	64.5	16.6	12.1
2019	1178	74.7	15.7	13.7
2020	1240	78.9	15.7	14
2021	1278	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	1363	77.8	17.5	13.6
2023	1387	78.3	17.7	16.3
2024	1473	80.8	18.2	16.9

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 Central High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	402	23.5	17.1	n/a
1989	416	22.8	18.2	n/a
1990	399	25.8	15.4	n/a
1991	409	24.0	17.0	n/a
1992	459	32.0	14.3	n/a
1993	475	29.7	16.0	n/a
1994	521	29.3	17.8	n/a
1995	542	32.4	16.7	n/a
1996	542	32.4	16.7	n/a
1997	571	32.4	17.6	n/a
1998	591	34.3	17.2	n/a
1999	643	38.5	16.7	n/a
2000	659	39.5	16.7	n/a
2001	668	39.9	16.7	n/a
2002	691	43.0	16.1	0
2003	691	43.0	16.1	0
2004	742	43.4	17.1	0.8
2005	792	47.0	16.9	0.1
2006	833	50.1	16.6	1.7
2007	931	53.0	17.6	1.1
2008	978	57.0	17.2	1.9
2009	997	65.8	15.2	4.6
2010	1065	65.9	16.1	6.7
2011	1057	58.1	18.1	7.6
2012	1103	58.5	18.8	9.8
2013	1090	96.1	11.3	10.3
2014	1050	63.2	16.5	11.5
2015	1063	67.0	15.8	15.1
2016	1023	62.0	16.5	12
2017	1048	62.0	16.8	14.7
2018	1078	64.5	16.6	12.1
2019	1178	74.7	15.7	13.7
2020	1240	78.9	15.7	14
2021	1278	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	1363	77.8	17.5	13.6
2023	1387	78.3	17.7	16.3
2024	1473	80.8	18.2	16.9

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.

Immunization Rates