Enrollment
663
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Bolivar, TN
Central High School
Federal NCES profile for Central High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 470165000541
👥 S:T ratio 40
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 56
📋 Attendance 21
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central High School earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Bolivar · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.1:1
- students per teacher
- 663
- students enrolled
Central High School has class sizes near the Tennessee median. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Central High School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Bolivar, TN.
School address
District: Hardeman County Schools · Tennessee
NCES ID 470165000541 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.1:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
-1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central High School compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Central High School
Central High School is a mid-sized high school in Bolivar, Tennessee, enrolling 663 students.
At 15.1:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Tennessee median, within a few percentage points of the 15.3:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Enrollment of 663 puts it in the larger third of Tennessee schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is led by African American (65%) and White (31%) (diversity index 48/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 221 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 23.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 291 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 663 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 15 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Hardeman County Schools also operates Bolivar Elementary (670 students) and Middleton High School (410 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 Tennessee and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Tennessee | Tennessee avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.1:1 | ▼ 1% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 663 | top 25% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.1:1
Leaner classes than 46% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
663
Bigger than 78% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
15.1:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 54% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 46% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
31.8%
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
$11,428
per pupil, district-wide
- above Tennessee avg of $10,822
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 221 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
184
in-school suspensions + 107 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 27.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 43.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 15 expulsions.
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
African American 65.3%
White 30.6%
Hispanic or Latino 1.7%
Two or More 1.7%
Asian 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 65.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.9, Central High School is more mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hardeman County Schools, which includes Central High School.
$11,428
Per student
+6%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.2%
State 51.5%
Federal 23.3%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bolivar Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Middleton High School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Middleton Elementary | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Bolivar Middle School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Toone Elementary | Smaller | No free-lunch data | 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
- 670
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 410
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 349
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 290
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 217
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Tennessee, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~663 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central High School's federal record.
- Compare Central High School against another school. Compare schools
- Hardeman County Schools'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 663 students enrolled. It is a high school in Bolivar, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central High School is 15.1:1, which is 1% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 4% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central High School?
The largest demographic group at Central High School is African American at 65.3% of enrollment, in Bolivar, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central High School?
Central High School has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Central High School rank among public schools in Bolivar?
By Resource Investment Index, Central High School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Bolivar, TN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Bolivar on the city page.
Is Central High School a good school?
Central High School earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee 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 Hardeman County Schools?
Besides Central High School, Hardeman County Schools also operates Bolivar Elementary (670 students), Middleton High School (410 students), and Middleton Elementary (349 students). See the Hardeman County Schools 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.