Similar nearby schools
Most similar nearby schools
Buford High → Chesterfield High → Andrew Jackson High → Cheraw High → North Central High → McBee High → W.J. Keenan High → Legion Collegiate Academy →At a glance
- Dual-enrollment program (college credit while in HS)
- Gifted & talented program
- AP rigor: Bottom 40% of US high schools
- SAT/ACT participation: Bottom 42% by test-taker volume
- 4-yr grad rate: 82% in 2019 (Bottom 29% of US high schools by 4-yr grad rate)
Composed from federal CRDC offerings, EDFacts graduation data, and other public data. Full breakdowns below.
How Central High compares for families
Solid mid-tier academic profile.
- ▸ LocallySC sits right at the US average on NAEP 8th-grade math — local school quality will set your kid apart.
- ▸ vs Similar SchoolsThe closest comparables nearby: Buford High, Chesterfield High, Andrew Jackson High and 5 more. See the sidebar to compare side-by-side.
For Parents
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Objective, government-grade data — no school pays us for placement.
SAT / ACT participation
CRDC federal data · 2020-21Bottom 42% by test-taker volume
Source: federal Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC 2020-21). Volume — not score — is what's reported here. A higher count means more students at this school are entering the college admissions pipeline. Note: 2020-21 was COVID-disrupted; some districts (especially those that stayed remote longer) report unusually low or zero takers.
4-year graduation rate · federal EDFacts
What % of students graduate on time?
Bottom 29% of US high schools by 4-yr grad rate
Source: federal EDFacts ACGR (Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate), 2019 vintage via Urban Institute. EDFacts publishes a range (low-high) to preserve privacy on small cohorts; we display the midpoint.
Teacher workforce · federal CRDC
Teacher experience & reliability
Source: federal Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC 2017-18 — the most recent vintage that publishes per-school teacher quality fields; the 2020-21 sweep had them suppressed). "Inexperienced" = teachers in their first or second year. "Chronic absence" = teachers absent 10+ days/year.
Your state's public flagship
University of South Carolina-Columbia
The in-state tuition gap is the flagship's biggest draw — most in-state families pay far less than the out-of-state sticker. Average net price after aid runs about $22,811/yr. Admission odds depend on your student's GPA and test scores, not which high school they attend.
Source: IPEDS admissions, tuition & enrollment + College Scorecard net price. Flagship = the state's primary public research university.
Chronic absenteeism
Why this matters to enrollment: Chronic absence is the most reliable early indicator that a student will leave a school — either by transferring out, dropping out, or matriculating to a charter or private alternative. At this level, today's absentees become next year's enrollment loss and the year-after's revenue loss.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection 2020–2021. Rate = students chronically absent ÷ 2021 total enrollment.
Counselor capacity
Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection 2020-2021. Counselor ratio = the school's most recent total enrollment ÷ counselor FTE. The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommends a 250:1 maximum; the US national median across schools with on-staff counselors is roughly 430:1.
Enrollment trend & projection
Total enrollment + grade 12, NCES Common Core of Data (2021–2024).
If the recent trend holds…
At its recent rate of +2.1%/year, projecting from 2024's 657 students:
An extrapolation of the recent trajectory, not a forecast of the school's plans; ignores one-off shocks.
Revenue upside
At $13,825 per student in district revenue, the 72 students projected to be gained by 2029 represent ≈ $995,400/year in additional funding.
District total revenue ÷ enrollment, NCES F-33. Public funding largely follows enrollment, so a shrinking class is a recurring budget hit.
Most similar nearby high schools
The schools most like this one — same type, blended on distance and size — and where their enrollment is heading. These are the schools families here weigh against each other.
| School | Type | Miles | HS enrollment | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buford High Lancaster |
Public | 15.1 | 532 | -5.5% |
| Chesterfield High Chesterfield |
Public | 15.2 | 485 | -1.2% |
| Andrew Jackson High Kershaw |
Public | 19.1 | 557 | -10.5% |
| Cheraw High Cheraw |
Public | 25.6 | 603 | -5.0% |
| North Central High Kershaw |
Public | 24.1 | 563 | +2.7% |
| McBee High McBee |
Public | 20.8 | 335 | +6.0% |
| W.J. Keenan High Columbia |
Public | 57.6 | 675 | -7.9% |
| Legion Collegiate Academy Rock Hill |
Public · charter | 38.0 | 637 | — |