Enrollment
99
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Panama City, FL
Central High School
Federal NCES profile for Central High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 120009008471Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 0
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central High School earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of Florida schools.
- #2 of 4
- high schools in Panama City · Resource Index
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 49.5:1
- large classes for Florida
- 47.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Central High School has class sizes larger than 99% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Central High School ranks #2 of 4 high schools in Panama City, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
2.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
49.5:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
+178% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
47.3%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central High School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Central High School
Central High School is a small charter high school in Panama City, Florida, enrolling 99 students.
Class loads run heavy: 49.5:1 is larger than about 99% of Florida schools and 178% above the 17.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 47.3% lands close to the Florida typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 99 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 60 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #40.
Its student body is led by White (48%) and Hispanic or Latino (22%) (diversity index 68/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Its district draws 21.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Bay also operates A. Crawford Mosley High School (1,864 students) and Deane Bozeman School (1,690 students) alongside Central High School.
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 School compares
Central High School on the metrics families compare, against Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 49.5:1 | ▲ 178% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 47.3% | ▼ 9% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 99 | top 89% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
49.5:1
Leaner classes than 0% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
99
Bigger than 10% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
47.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 9% below the Florida average of 52.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
49.5:1
students per teacher
- 178% above state mean
Top 99% in Florida - lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Funding equity
$10,446
per pupil, district-wide
- below Florida avg of $11,167
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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
White 47.5%
Hispanic or Latino 22.2%
African American 18.2%
Two or More 12.1%
Largest group: White at 47.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 67.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 67.7, Central High School is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bay, which includes Central High School.
$10,446
Per student
-6%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 46.0%
State 33.0%
Federal 21.0%
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.
How Central High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Crawford Mosley High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Deane Bozeman School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| J.R. Arnold High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Rutherford High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Bay High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Central High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,864
- Students per teacher
- 24.5:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 1,690
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,629
- Students per teacher
- 24.7:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 1,394
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
- Enrollment
- 1,289
- Students per teacher
- 26.3:1
- Resource Index
- 11/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Florida, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~99 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central High School's federal record.
- Compare Central High School against another school. Compare schools
- Bay'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 School
How many students attend Central High School?
Central High School has 99 students enrolled. It is a high school in Panama City, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central High School is 49.5:1, which is 178% higher than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 215% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central High School?
47.3% of students at Central High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central High School?
The largest demographic group at Central High School is White at 47.5% of enrollment, in Panama City, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 67.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central High School?
Central High School has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Central High School rank among high schools in Panama City?
By Resource Investment Index, Central High School ranks #2 of 4 high schools in Panama City, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Panama City on the city page.
Is Central High School a good school?
Central High School earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of Florida 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 Bay?
Besides Central High School, Bay also operates A. Crawford Mosley High School (1,864 students), Deane Bozeman School (1,690 students), and J.R. Arnold High School (1,629 students). See the Bay 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.