Enrollment
1,682
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 273384001564
Central Senior High — Saint Paul, MN
Federal NCES profile for Central Senior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 37/100.
👥 Class size 7
📚 AP courses 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Saint Paul Public Schools · Minnesota
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
73.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.2:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
+46% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.3%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central Senior High compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Central Senior High reports 1,682 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 73.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 23.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 46% above the Minnesota state mean of 15.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 46% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 43.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 1% above the Minnesota average and 16% below the national baseline. The school offers 11 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 240 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 42.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Saint Paul Public Schools spends $24,161 per pupil district-wide, above the Minnesota average of $21,113 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 25.8% from local sources (property taxes), 53.2% from the state, and 21.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Central Senior High compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Minnesota state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 23.2:1 | ▲ 46% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.3% | ▲ 1% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,682 | top 98% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
43.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 1% above the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
23.2:1
students per teacher
— 46% above state mean
Top 91% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
42.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$24,161
per pupil, district-wide
— above Minnesota avg of $21,113
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors7.0 FTE
Per 240 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 178 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 6 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,682 Top 98% in Minnesota — larger than 2% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 73.0
Students per teacher 23.2:1 +46% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 43.3% +1% vs state
NCES ID 273384001564
Student demographics
White 46.6%
African American 24.1%
Asian 10.6%
Two or More 10.6%
Hispanic or Latino 7.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Largest group: White at 46.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 11
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 7.0
Students per counselor 240:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 42.0%
In-school suspensions 7
Out-of-school suspensions 178
Expulsions 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Saint Paul Public Schools, which includes Central Senior High.
$24,161
Per student
+14%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
+24%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 25.8%
State 53.2%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,591
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,392
- Students per teacher
- 25.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,076
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,066
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,063
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
Similar high schools in Saint Paul
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Harding Senior High
Standard public school
1,591 students 20.2:1 students per teacher
Highland Park Senior High
Standard public school
1,392 students 25.3:1 students per teacher
Johnson Senior High
Standard public school
1,076 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
Como Park Senior High
Standard public school
1,034 students 20.7:1 students per teacher
Hmong College Prep Academy Hs
Standard public school
791 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
St Paul Conservatory Performing Art
Standard public school
336 students 19.9:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Central Senior High
How many students attend Central Senior High?
Central Senior High has 1,682 students enrolled. It is a high school in SAINT PAUL, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Senior High?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Senior High is 23.2:1, which is 46% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 46% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central Senior High?
43.3% of students at Central Senior High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central Senior High?
The largest demographic group at Central Senior High is White at 46.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in SAINT PAUL, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Senior High?
Central Senior High has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.