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Alternative charter high school · Bay · Panama City, Florida

Central High School

Central High School rates 2.5 on our scale, which leans on how many students test on grade level; on Florida's learning-gains rating it is Maintaining.

High schools, 1 to 10This alternative campus against every public high school around it rated on verified state test data, not only alternative ones.
2.5this school

2.5 on a one-to-ten scale; the Bay median is 5.1.

#3,789 of 3,811 schools in Florida · Bay: 10 high schools rated, median 5.1 · Florida School Improvement Rating 2025-26: Maintaining, on learning gains

The brief

A Bay alternative charter high school where students score 45 points below what's typical for similar communities.

Florida rates Central High School on learning gains, not on how many students test on grade level. Its 2025-26 School Improvement Rating is Maintaining, on 42% of possible points (Maintaining spans 26% to 49%). In reading, 44% of eligible students made learning gains, and in math, 40%; 84% of students were tested. Its previous rating was Commendable, in 2024-25.

Central High School is a charter school: it enrolls by application rather than by address, so check its enrollment process directly before choosing a neighborhood for it.

Math6%43 points below the Florida average of 49%High-school course exams · 36 students tested · 2026 FAST
Reading15%46 points below the Florida average of 61%Grade 10 · 13 students tested · 2026 FAST
Proficiency has held near 10% across the 12-year record (2015–2026).2026 FAST; 21 test records from FL state assessments and EdFacts (NCES).

What the rating is made of, each out of 10

Student Progress
1.4
25% of the rating
Academics
1.7
25% of the rating
College Readiness
5.1
30% of the rating
Resources & Environment
1.2
20% of the rating

Academics is status: the share of students testing on grade level. Florida's School Improvement Rating counts learning gains instead, and Student Progress is our school-wide proficiency trend, not Florida's measure of each student's gains.

About this school's data1 correction under review · rating: low confidence · 7 sources, 2019–2026

Every number on this page comes from a published source with a stated period. Where a source is partial, aging, an estimate, or describes a surrounding area rather than the school, that limitation is named here.

Attendance data is under correction. This existing Resources & Environment score and overall rating may still reflect an unverified attendance input.

Full Profile · 4/4 metrics

Multi-year averages used by the rating model: math 13% (multi-year average, 2016-2026) · reading/ELA 17% (multi-year average, 2015-2026).

School directory (enrollment, grades, staff, contact)
NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) · SY 2023–24 · Medium confidence
  • Source period: SY 2023–24. A newer release may be available.
MySchoolScout rating and rank
MySchoolScout ranking model · Low confidence
  • Vintage not available. Do not use this measure alone.
  • Derived as a weighted blend of the component scores shown in Academics from state assessment, EdFacts growth, and NCES resource records.
Math proficiency
State department of education · 2026 FAST · Medium confidence
  • Available for part of the eligible units; results may not represent the full area.
  • Derived from source records rather than read directly from one field.
Reading/ELA proficiency
State department of education · 2026 FAST · Medium confidence
  • Available for part of the eligible units; results may not represent the full area.
  • Derived from source records rather than read directly from one field.
Student progress (growth)
State assessments · Mixed source periods · Low confidence
  • Vintage not available. Do not use this measure alone.
  • Available for part of the eligible units; results may not represent the full area.
  • Derived as the fitted year-over-year slope of proficiency from multi-year assessment records.
Neighborhood (income, housing, education)
U.S. Census ACS 5-year estimates · ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates · Low confidence
  • Older source: ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates. Use as historical context.
  • Reported for the ZCTA for ZIP 32405; this does not measure the attendance area.
Programs (AP/IB, athletics, gifted)
CRDC via Urban Institute · SY 2021–22 · Medium confidence
  • Available for part of the eligible units; results may not represent the full area.
  • Source period: SY 2021–22. A newer release may be available.

Evidence periods: Rating mixed/unknown input periods; assessments multi-year average, 2016-2026, multi-year average, 2015-2026; directory SY 2023–24

About our dataHow we calculate scores

The neighborhood

Where it sits, and what the area looks like.
Central High School and the 20 nearest high schools, each pin colored by its score.Pins are locations, not attendance boundaries. Verify the enrollment path with the district.

The area

Median income
$71,002
Median home value
$255,100
Median rent
$1,418/mo
College educated
29.4%
Homeownership
59.8%
Poverty rate
14.7%

U.S. Census ACS 5-year estimates · ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates for the ZCTA associated with school ZIP 32405; this is area context, not an attendance boundary.

Getting around

Walk Score
41
Car-Dependent
Bike Score
55
Bikeable
City reported crime
1,607/100K
Reported Part-1 offenses (violent + property + arson) per 100,000 residents, from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting program for Panama City. This is a city-level reported-crime measure, not a school safety rating.

Walk, transit and bike scores byWalk Score

FBI Uniform Crime Reporting · 2025 · city context (Panama City), not school-level safety or attendance eligibility. Source details

Source period: 2025. Freshness not available.

Programs and who goes here

What the campus offers, and who it enrolls.

Programs

Advanced STEM courses
1 of 5
Algebra II, Advanced Math, Calculus, Chemistry, Physics · CRDC via Urban Institute · SY 2021–22
Gifted and talented
Available
A program for qualifying students · CRDC via Urban Institute · SY 2021–22

Who goes here

Free or reduced lunch
54.7%
Students qualifying for federal meal assistance. Shown separately, never in the score.

NCES Common Core of Data (CCD).

Compare nearby

Grade-compatible schools using the same rating model.
Public-school ratings. Grade-compatible schools within 5 miles, best rated first.
  1. Palm Bay Preparatory Academy 6-120.8 mi · charter
    7.1Compare →
  2. Rising Leaders Academy0.7 mi · charter
    6.1Compare →
  3. Chautauqua Charter School1.5 mi · charter
    5.8Compare →
  4. Bay High School1.5 mi
    3.8Compare →
  5. Bay Virtual Instruction Program (district Provided)0.6 mi
    3.7Compare →
  6. Central High Schoolthis school
    2.5
  7. Bay Regional Juvenile Detention Center1.8 mi
    not ratedCompare →
  8. Bay Virtual Franchise0.6 mi
    not ratedCompare →
  9. Bay Virtual Instruction Program0.6 mi
    not ratedCompare →
Eight grade-compatible schools using the same rating model sit within 5 miles, and four of the five rated ones are regular schools rather than alternative schools, so the scores mostly compare different kinds of school.Public-school ratings. Straight-line distance from this campus. Pins are locations, not attendance boundaries; verify the enrollment path with the district.

Distance is proximity only; it is not attendance eligibility.

Enrollment path unverified: Potential public school; its attendance or application path has not been classified.

Charter · enrollment unverified: Potential charter option; enrollment requirements have not been verified.

The record

What is on file, and where each number came from.

Questions families ask

What grades does Central High School serve?

Central High School serves students in grades 9th through 12th.

How many students attend Central High School?

Central High School has an enrollment of approximately 106 students.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Central High School?

The student-teacher ratio at Central High School is 106:1. A lower ratio generally means more individual attention per student. The national average is approximately 16:1 for public schools.

How does Central High School rank in FL?

Central High School ranks #3,789 of 3,811 schools in FL.

What is Central High School's MySchoolScout rating?

Central High School has a current MySchoolScout rating of 2.5 out of 10. This score combines the level-appropriate components shown in the rating breakdown and leans on how many students test on grade level; equity data is shown separately for context. Florida rates Central High School on learning gains instead: its 2025-26 School Improvement Rating is Maintaining, on 42% of possible points (Maintaining spans 26% to 49%).

What are the test scores at Central High School?

Based on loaded state assessment records, Central High School has 13% math proficiency (multi-year average, 2016-2026) and 17% reading/ELA proficiency (multi-year average, 2015-2026).

Is Central High School a charter school?

Yes, Central High School is a charter school. Charter schools are publicly funded but independently operated, often with more flexibility in curriculum and teaching methods.

Is Central High School a Title I school?

No, Central High School is not currently a Title I school.

What does the Free & Reduced Lunch percentage mean for Central High School?

54.7% of students at Central High School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. This is a commonly used indicator of economic need and provides important context when interpreting test scores.

School facts

Grades
9th – 12th
Enrollment
106
Student-teacher ratio
106:1
Teachers (FTE)
1
Type
Alternative
Title I
No
Florida School Improvement Rating
Maintaining (2025-26, on learning gains)
Setting
Small City
County
Bay County
Phone
(850) 215-0770
4-year graduation
35–39%
Federal four-year cohort rate, class of 2023 (EdFacts). Counts students who need more than four years, common where students arrive mid-year and behind on credits, as not graduating.
Rank in district
#45 of 45
Schools in district
49
District spending per student
$11,117
NCES F-33 · FY 2023 · This annual source is three years behind the current year.
District child poverty rate
15.3%
Census SAIPE · 2024
Area population (ZIP 32405)
29,336
Area average commute
22.9 min
Area median age
36.5

NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) (SY 2023–24).

Sources and official links

Keep exploring

Related reading

Data from NCES Common Core of Data, Florida Dept. of Education, and U.S. Census ACS for the 2023–24 school year. Rankings computed by MySchoolScout. See all data sources.