Enrollment
908
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Compton, CA
Centennial High
Federal NCES profile for Centennial High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 060962000975
👥 S:T ratio 21
📚 AP courses 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Centennial High earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #3 of 5
- high schools in Compton · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19.7:1
- students per teacher
- 62.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Centennial High has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Centennial High ranks #3 of 5 high schools in Compton, CA.
School address
District: Compton Unified · California
NCES ID 060962000975 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
46.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.7:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
62.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
+12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Centennial High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Centennial High
Centennial High is a higher-need, large high school in Compton, California, enrolling 908 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 62.2% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 908 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,163 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #204.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 32/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 10 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 273 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 42.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Compton's high schools, it stands alongside Dominguez High (1,582 students): Centennial High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (19.7:1 vs 21.4:1).
Compton Unified also operates Dominguez High (1,582 students) and Compton High (1,438 students) alongside Centennial High.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Centennial High compares
Centennial High on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.7:1 | ▼ 8% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.2% | ▲ 12% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 908 | top 14% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.7:1
Leaner classes than 17% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
908
Bigger than 89% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
62.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 12% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
19.7:1
students per teacher
- 8% below state mean
Top 33% in California - lower ratio than 67% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
42.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,270
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.3 FTE
Per 273 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 47 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 80.9%
African American 17.4%
Two or More 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
White 0.1%
Asian 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 80.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.5, Centennial High is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 10
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Compton Unified, which includes Centennial High.
$15,270
Per student
-8%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 15.5%
State 70.8%
Federal 13.8%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Centennial High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dominguez High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Compton High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Clinton William Jefferson | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kelly Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dickison Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Centennial High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,582
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,438
- Students per teacher
- 24.8:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 692
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 685
- Students per teacher
- 25.4:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 681
- Students per teacher
- 26.2:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
Similar high schools in Compton
4 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Dominguez High
Standard public school
1,582 students 21.4:1 students per teacher
Compton High
Standard public school
1,438 students 24.8:1 students per teacher
Compton Early College High
Standard public school
556 students 30.9:1 students per teacher
Cesar Chavez Continuation High
Alternative education program
263 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~908 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Centennial High's federal record.
- Compare Centennial High against another school. Compare schools
- Compton Unified's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Centennial High
How many students attend Centennial High?
Centennial High has 908 students enrolled. It is a high school in Compton, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Centennial High?
The student-teacher ratio at Centennial High is 19.7:1, which is 8% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 25% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Centennial High?
62.2% of students at Centennial High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Centennial High?
The largest demographic group at Centennial High is Hispanic or Latino at 80.9% of enrollment, in Compton, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Centennial High?
Centennial High has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Centennial High rank among high schools in Compton?
By Resource Investment Index, Centennial High ranks #3 of 5 high schools in Compton, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Compton on the city page.
Is Centennial High a good school?
Centennial High earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Compton Unified?
Besides Centennial High, Compton Unified also operates Dominguez High (1,582 students), Compton High (1,438 students), and Clinton William Jefferson (692 students). See the Compton Unified district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.