Enrollment
1,803
Connecticut · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 090045000056
Central High School — Bridgeport, CT
Federal NCES profile for Central High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 29
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 43
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 →
School address
District: Bridgeport School District · Connecticut
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)
95.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.7:1
vs 12.1:1 Connecticut avg
+46% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
66.3%
vs 36.4% Connecticut avg
+82% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central High School compares with Connecticut 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 1,803 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 95.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 46% above the Connecticut state mean of 12.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 11% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 66.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 82% above the Connecticut average and 28% above the national baseline. The school offers 22 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 301 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 22.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Bridgeport School District spends $23,852 per pupil district-wide, below the Connecticut average of $28,239 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 20.0% from local sources (property taxes), 61.5% from the state, and 18.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D), 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 Connecticut state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Connecticut | Connecticut avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.7:1 | ▲ 46% | 12.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 66.3% | ▲ 82% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,803 | top 99% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 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
66.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 82% above the Connecticut average of 36.4%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.7:1
students per teacher
— 46% above state mean
Top 98% in Connecticut — lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
22.8%
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
$23,852
per pupil, district-wide
— below Connecticut avg of $28,239
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 301 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 168 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 19 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,803 Top 99% in Connecticut — larger than 1% of 1,005 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 95.0
Students per teacher 17.7:1 +46% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 66.3% +82% vs state
NCES ID 090045000056
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 57.0%
African American 28.9%
White 8.8%
Asian 2.7%
Two or More 1.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 57.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 22
Counselors (FTE) 6.0
Students per counselor 301:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 22.8%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 168
Expulsions 19
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bridgeport School District, which includes Central High School.
$23,852
Per student
-16%
vs Connecticut
Avg $28,239
+22%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 20.0%
State 61.5%
Federal 18.5%
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
- 1,324
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,088
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Enrollment
- 1,075
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 990
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Enrollment
- 863
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
Similar high schools in Bridgeport
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Warren Harding High School
Standard public school
1,324 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
Bassick High School
Standard public school
1,075 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Bullard-Havens Technical High School
Vocational / career-technical school
819 students 11.6:1 students per teacher
Information Technology & Software Engineering Magnet High Sc
Standard public school
386 students 13.1:1 students per teacher
Biotechnology Research & Zoological Studies Magnet High Scho
Standard public school
376 students 12.6:1 students per teacher
Aerospace/Hydrospace Engineering and Physical Sciences Magne
Standard public school
324 students 11.8:1 students per teacher
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 1,803 students enrolled. It is a high school in Bridgeport, CT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central High School is 17.7:1, which is 46% higher than the Connecticut average of 12.1:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central High School?
66.3% of students at Central High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Connecticut average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central High School?
The largest demographic group at Central High School is Hispanic or Latino at 57.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Bridgeport, CT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central High School?
Central High School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D) 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.