Enrollment
1,050
Rhode Island · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Providence, RI
Central High School
Federal NCES profile for Central High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 440090000217
👥 S:T ratio 47
📚 AP courses 40
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 65
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central High School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Rhode Island median. It is also one of the largest schools in Rhode Island.
- #8 of 16
- high schools in Providence · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.3:1
- students per teacher
- 81.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Central High School has class sizes near the Rhode Island median. Computed live against every Rhode Island school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Central High School ranks #8 of 16 high schools in Providence, RI.
School address
District: Providence · Rhode Island
NCES ID 440090000217 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
79.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.3:1
vs 13.8:1 Rhode Island avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
81.0%
vs 39.6% Rhode Island avg
+105% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central High School compares with Rhode Island and U.S. medians
What stands out at Central High School
Central High School is a high-poverty, large high school in Providence, Rhode Island, enrolling 1,050 students.
At 13.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Rhode Island median, within a few percentage points of the 13.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need is high: 81.0% of students qualify for free meals, 105% above the Rhode Island average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Rhode Island, bigger than 95% of state schools at 1,050 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 308 scored Rhode Island schools.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (77%) and African American (12%) (diversity index 40/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 8 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 175 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 90.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 16.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Providence's high schools, it stands alongside Classical High School (1,116 students): Central High School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.3:1 vs 17.4:1).
Providence also operates Classical High School (1,116 students) and Mount Pleasant High (997 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 Rhode Island and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Rhode Island | Rhode Island avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.3:1 | ▼ 4% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 81.0% | ▲ 105% | 39.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,050 | top 5% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.3:1
Leaner classes than 64% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,050
Bigger than 92% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
81.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 105% above the Rhode Island average of 39.6%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.3:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 54% in Rhode Island - lower ratio than 46% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
90.1%
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
$22,536
per pupil, district-wide
- above Rhode Island avg of $20,315
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 175 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 54 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.1 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
Hispanic or Latino 76.5%
African American 12.1%
Asian 4.0%
White 3.3%
Two or More 2.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.7%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 76.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 39.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 39.7, Central High School is less mixed than the Rhode Island school average of 47.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Providence, which includes Central High School.
$22,536
Per student
+11%
vs Rhode Island
Avg $20,315
+36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.2%
State 57.9%
Federal 16.8%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classical High School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mount Pleasant High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Governor Christopher Delsesto | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Nathanael Greene Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Roger Williams Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | 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
- 1,116
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 997
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 818
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 815
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 786
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
Similar high schools in Providence
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Classical High School
Standard public school
1,116 students 17.4:1 students per teacher
Mount Pleasant High
Standard public school
997 students 13.1:1 students per teacher
Metropolitan Career Tech Ctr
Vocational / career-technical school
817 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
Hope High School
Standard public school
775 students 10.5:1 students per teacher
Providence Career Technical
Vocational / career-technical school
759 students 10.8:1 students per teacher
W B Cooley & Acad Internationa
Standard public school
685 students 24.5:1 students per teacher
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Rhode Island, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,050 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central High School's federal record.
- Compare Central High School against another school. Compare schools
- Providence'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 1,050 students enrolled. It is a high school in Providence, RI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central High School is 13.3:1, which is 4% lower than the Rhode Island average of 13.8:1 and 15% 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 School?
81.0% of students at Central High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Rhode Island average of 39.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central High School?
The largest demographic group at Central High School is Hispanic or Latino at 76.5% of enrollment, in Providence, RI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central High School?
Central High School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (typical 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).
How does Central High School rank among high schools in Providence?
By Resource Investment Index, Central High School ranks #8 of 16 high schools in Providence, RI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Providence on the city page.
Is Central High School a good school?
Central High School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Rhode Island median. It is also one of the largest schools in Rhode Island. 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 Providence?
Besides Central High School, Providence also operates Classical High School (1,116 students), Mount Pleasant High (997 students), and Governor Christopher Delsesto (818 students). See the Providence 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.