Enrollment
676
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Norton, VA
Central High
Federal NCES profile for Central High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 510408001789
👥 S:T ratio 34
📚 AP courses 85
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 34
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central High earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of Virginia schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Virginia schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Norton · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.5:1
- large classes for Virginia
- 80.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Central High has class sizes larger than 87% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Central High ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Norton, VA.
School address
District: Wise County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510408001789 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
+19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
80.7%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central High compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Central High
Central High is a high-poverty, mid-sized high school in Norton, Virginia, enrolling 676 students.
Class loads run heavy: 16.5:1 is larger than about 87% of Virginia schools and 19% above the 13.9:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 80.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 676 puts it in the larger third of Virginia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Among 383 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Virginia schools statewide, it ranks #292, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (93% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 13/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 17 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 338 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Wise County Public Schools spends $11,634 per pupil, 21% below the Virginia average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 19.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 7 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Wise County Public Schools also operates Union Primary (809 students) and Wise Primary (603 students) alongside Central High.
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 compares
Central High on the metrics families compare, against Virginia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Virginia | Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.5:1 | ▲ 19% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 80.7% | ▲ 40% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 676 | top 34% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.5:1
Leaner classes than 34% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
676
Bigger than 79% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
80.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 40% above the Virginia average of 57.6%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.5:1
students per teacher
- 19% above state mean
Top 87% in Virginia - lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
26.3%
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
$11,634
per pupil, district-wide
- below Virginia avg of $14,649
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 338 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
85
in-school suspensions + 29 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 7 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
White 93.2%
Hispanic or Latino 2.4%
Two or More 1.9%
African American 1.3%
Asian 1.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 93.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 13.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 13.0, Central High is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 17
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wise County Public Schools, which includes Central High.
$11,634
Per student
-21%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 23.2%
State 57.1%
Federal 19.7%
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 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union Primary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Wise Primary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Union High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Union Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| J.W. Adams Combined | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Central High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 809
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 603
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 564
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 561
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 523
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Virginia, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~676 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central High's federal record.
- Compare Central High against another school. Compare schools
- Wise County Public 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
How many students attend Central High?
Central High has 676 students enrolled. It is a high school in Norton, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central High?
The student-teacher ratio at Central High is 16.5:1, which is 19% higher than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 5% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central High?
80.7% of students at Central High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central High?
The largest demographic group at Central High is White at 93.2% of enrollment, in Norton, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central High?
Central High has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher 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 rank among public schools in Norton?
By Resource Investment Index, Central High ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Norton, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Norton on the city page.
Is Central High a good school?
Central High earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of Virginia schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Virginia 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 Wise County Public Schools?
Besides Central High, Wise County Public Schools also operates Union Primary (809 students), Wise Primary (603 students), and Union High (564 students). See the Wise County Public 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.