Enrollment
298
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Clifton, IL
Central High School
Federal NCES profile for Central High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 171041001256
👥 S:T ratio 40
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 29
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central High School earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Illinois median.
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 14.9:1
- students per teacher
- 298
- students enrolled
Central High School has class sizes near the Illinois median. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Central Cusd 4 · Illinois
NCES ID 171041001256 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.9:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
+6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central High School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Central High School
Central High School is a mid-sized high school in Clifton, Illinois, enrolling 298 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.9:1 puts it in the larger third of Illinois schools by student-teacher ratio.
With 298 students, its enrollment sits close to the Illinois median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,845 scored Illinois schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (84% of enrollment) (diversity index 28/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 2 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 298 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Central Cusd 4 also operates Chebanse Elem School (343 students) and John L Nash Middle School (278 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 Illinois and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Illinois | Illinois avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.9:1 | ▲ 6% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 298 | top 64% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.9:1
Leaner classes than 48% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
298
Bigger than 32% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
14.9:1
students per teacher
- 6% above state mean
Top 68% in Illinois - lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
28.5%
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
$14,205
per pupil, district-wide
- below Illinois avg of $17,042
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 298 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
12
in-school suspensions + 18 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.1 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 83.9%
Hispanic or Latino 12.4%
Two or More 3.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 83.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 28.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 28.0, Central High School is less mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
AP courses offered 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Central Cusd 4, which includes Central High School.
$14,205
Per student
-17%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 48.6%
State 41.5%
Federal 9.9%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chebanse Elem School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| John L Nash Middle School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ashkum Early Literacy Center | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher 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
- 343
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 278
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 49
- Students per teacher
- 24.5:1
- Resource Index
- 16/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Illinois, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~298 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central High School's federal record.
- Compare Central High School against another school. Compare schools
- Central Cusd 4'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 298 students enrolled. It is a high school in Clifton, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central High School is 14.9:1, which is 6% higher than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 5% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central High School?
The largest demographic group at Central High School is White at 83.9% of enrollment, in Clifton, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central High School?
Central High School has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower 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).
Is Central High School a good school?
Central High School earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Illinois 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 Central Cusd 4?
Besides Central High School, Central Cusd 4 also operates Chebanse Elem School (343 students), John L Nash Middle School (278 students), and Ashkum Early Literacy Center (49 students). See the Central Cusd 4 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.