Enrollment
242
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Los Angeles, CA
Central High
Federal NCES profile for Central High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 062271002908
👥 S:T ratio 61
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 71
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central High earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% of California schools.
- #8 of 122
- high schools in Los Angeles · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.7:1
- small classes for California
- 77.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Central High has class sizes smaller than 96% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Central High ranks #8 of 122 high schools in Los Angeles, CA.
School address
District: Los Angeles Unified · California
NCES ID 062271002908 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.7:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-55% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
77.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
+39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Central High
Central High is a high-poverty, mid-sized high school in Los Angeles, California, enrolling 242 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.7:1, Central High is leaner than roughly 96% of California schools and 55% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 77.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 242 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 99% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 803 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #5, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 21/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 145 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
The surrounding Los Angeles Unified spends $21,940 per pupil, 33% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 19.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Los Angeles's high schools, it stands alongside Venice Senior High (2,293 students): Central High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (9.7:1 vs 24.4:1).
Los Angeles Unified also operates Grover Cleveland Charter High (2,719 students) and North Hollywood Senior High (2,444 students) alongside Central 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 Central High compares
Central 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 | 9.7:1 | ▼ 55% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 77.4% | ▲ 39% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 242 | top 80% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.7:1
Leaner classes than 90% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
242
Bigger than 24% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
77.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 39% 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
9.7:1
students per teacher
- 55% below state mean
Top 4% in California - lower ratio than 96% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$21,940
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.7 FTE
Per 145 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.2 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 88.4%
African American 6.6%
White 2.1%
Asian 1.2%
Two or More 1.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 88.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 21.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 21.3, Central High is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Los Angeles Unified, which includes Central High.
$21,940
Per student
+33%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 26.3%
State 54.5%
Federal 19.2%
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 Central High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grover Cleveland Charter High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Hollywood Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Phineas Banning Senior High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| San Pedro Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Venice Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Central High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,719
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,444
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,422
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 2,398
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 2,293
- Students per teacher
- 24.4:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
Similar high schools in Los Angeles
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Venice Senior High
Standard public school
2,293 students 24.4:1 students per teacher
James a. Garfield Senior High
Standard public school
2,237 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Alexander Hamilton Senior High
Standard public school
2,055 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
John C. Fremont Senior High
Standard public school
1,889 students 18.3:1 students per teacher
John Marshall Senior High
Standard public school
1,842 students 19.6:1 students per teacher
Theodore Roosevelt Senior High
Standard public school
1,678 students 18.6:1 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 (~242 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central High's federal record.
- Compare Central High against another school. Compare schools
- Los Angeles 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 Central High
How many students attend Central High?
Central High has 242 students enrolled. It is a high school in Los Angeles, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central High?
The student-teacher ratio at Central High is 9.7:1, which is 55% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 38% lower 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 Central High?
77.4% of students at Central High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central High?
The largest demographic group at Central High is Hispanic or Latino at 88.4% of enrollment, in Los Angeles, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central High?
Central High has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Central High rank among high schools in Los Angeles?
By Resource Investment Index, Central High ranks #8 of 122 high schools in Los Angeles, 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 Los Angeles on the city page.
Is Central High a good school?
Central High earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% of California schools. 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 Los Angeles Unified?
Besides Central High, Los Angeles Unified also operates Grover Cleveland Charter High (2,719 students), North Hollywood Senior High (2,444 students), and Phineas Banning Senior High (2,422 students). See the Los Angeles 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.