Enrollment
796
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 010336001608
Central High School — Tuscaloosa, AL
Federal NCES profile for Central High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 33/100.
👥 Class size 32
📚 AP courses 5
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 47
📋 Attendance 13
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central High School earns an F Resource Investment Index (33/100), with class sizes near the Alabama median.
- F
- Resource Index · 33/100
- 17:1
- students per teacher
- 79.8%
- free-lunch eligible
- 796
- students enrolled
School address
District: Tuscaloosa City · Alabama
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
46.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17:1
vs 17.8:1 Alabama avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
79.8%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central High School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Central High School reports 796 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 46.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% below the Alabama state mean of 17.8:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 7% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 79.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 36% above the Alabama average and 54% above the national baseline. The school offers 1 Advanced Placement course, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 265 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 34.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Tuscaloosa City spends $14,403 per pupil district-wide, below the Alabama average of $14,500 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 39.7% from local sources (property taxes), 42.3% from the state, and 18.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Central High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Alabama state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Alabama | Alabama avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17:1 | ▼ 4% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 79.8% | ▲ 36% | 58.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 796 | top 86% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
17 smaller classes than 31% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
796 larger than 85% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
79.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 36% above the Alabama average of 58.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17:1
students per teacher
— 4% below state mean
Top 39% in Alabama — lower ratio than 61% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
34.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,403
per pupil, district-wide
— below Alabama avg of $14,500
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 265 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 253 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 32.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 796 Top 86% in Alabama — larger than 14% of 1,369 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 46.0
Students per teacher 17:1 -4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 79.8% +36% vs state
NCES ID 010336001608
Student demographics
African American 87.2%
Hispanic or Latino 6.9%
White 4.6%
Asian 0.8%
Two or More 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 87.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 1
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 265:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 34.7%
In-school suspensions 4
Out-of-school suspensions 253
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tuscaloosa City, which includes Central High School.
$14,403
Per student
-1%
vs Alabama
Avg $14,500
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 39.7%
State 42.3%
Federal 18.0%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,153
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,134
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Enrollment
- 775
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Enrollment
- 711
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Enrollment
- 671
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
Similar high schools in Tuscaloosa
3 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Central High School
How many students attend Central High School?
Central High School has 796 students enrolled. It is a high school in Tuscaloosa, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central High School is 17:1, which is 4% lower than the Alabama average of 17.8:1 and 7% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central High School?
79.8% of students at Central High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central High School?
The largest demographic group at Central High School is African American at 87.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Tuscaloosa, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central High School?
Central High School has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.