Enrollment
1,682
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Saint Paul, MN
Central Senior High
Federal NCES profile for Central Senior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 273384001564
👥 S:T ratio 8
📚 AP courses 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central Senior High earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Minnesota schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Minnesota.
- #15 of 21
- high schools in Saint Paul · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 23:1
- large classes for Minnesota
- 43.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Central Senior High has class sizes larger than 90% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Central Senior High ranks #15 of 21 high schools in Saint Paul, MN.
School address
District: Saint Paul Public Schools · Minnesota
NCES ID 273384001564 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
73.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23:1
vs 15.8:1 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
What stands out at Central Senior High
Central Senior High is a large high school in Saint Paul, Minnesota, enrolling 1,682 students.
Class loads run heavy: 23:1 is larger than about 90% of Minnesota schools and 46% above the 15.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 43.3% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Minnesota, bigger than 98% of state schools at 1,682 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 49 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #25.
Its student body is led by White (47%) and African American (24%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 70/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 11 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 240 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 42.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Saint Paul Public Schools spends $20,457 per pupil, 34% above the Minnesota average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 21.0% 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 6 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Saint Paul Public Schools also operates Harding Senior High (1,591 students) and Highland Park Senior High (1,392 students) alongside Central Senior 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 Senior High compares
Central Senior High on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 23:1 | ▲ 46% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.3% | ▲ 1% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,682 | top 2% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23:1
Leaner classes than 8% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,682
Bigger than 97% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
23:1
students per teacher
- 46% above state mean
Top 90% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
42.0%
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
$20,457
per pupil, district-wide
- above Minnesota avg of $15,270
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially 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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 69.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 69.7, Central Senior High is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
AP courses offered 11
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Saint Paul Public Schools, which includes Central Senior High.
$20,457
Per student
+34%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
+23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Central Senior High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harding Senior High | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Highland Park Senior High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Johnson Senior High | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Capitol Hill Magnet/Rondo | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Washington Tech Secondary Magnet | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Central Senior High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,591
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,392
- Students per teacher
- 25.3:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,076
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,066
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,063
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Minnesota, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,682 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central Senior High's federal record.
- Compare Central Senior High against another school. Compare schools
- Saint Paul 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 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 23:1, which is 46% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 46% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
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% of enrollment, in Saint Paul, MN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 69.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Senior High?
Central Senior High has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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 Senior High rank among high schools in Saint Paul?
By Resource Investment Index, Central Senior High ranks #15 of 21 high schools in Saint Paul, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Saint Paul on the city page.
Is Central Senior High a good school?
Central Senior High earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Minnesota schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Minnesota. 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 Saint Paul Public Schools?
Besides Central Senior High, Saint Paul Public Schools also operates Harding Senior High (1,591 students), Highland Park Senior High (1,392 students), and Johnson Senior High (1,076 students). See the Saint Paul 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.