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Centennial High · ComptonPublic

Centennial High: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.

Centennial posts 30% meeting the standard and 6.8% exceeding it, against 43% and 19.8% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

2606 North Central Avenue, 90222 (opens in new tab)·Compton Unified·Compton·Grades 9-12·908 students·90% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(310) 635-2715·Website
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope5254
% Exceeded7%20%
% Met+30%43%
Grad rate96.5%92.5%
College readiness65.4%43.0%
Absence23.3%23.1%
Suspension3.9%3.3%
Scope Score
52
🌱 Building Momentum · Solid
ranked #865 statewide · #6 of 7 in Compton Unified

Centennial High scores 52 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 60th percentile of 1,647 California high schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →

🌱 Building Momentum — This label means the data doesn't clearly sort the school one way or the other — ask what the school is proud of, and what it's working on.

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “30% proficient” and call it done. Centennial deserves a closer read. The school sits in Compton, where four in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

Centennial's low-income kids hit 54.1% proficiency in ELA — a number the same group reaches at 38.2% statewide. If you're trying to read past zip-code-driven test scores, that's the signal worth weighing.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 1,647 high schools statewide

Has stayed near the 60th percentile since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELAYellow(Increased)MathRed(Declined)

The pandemic drop is behind this school: 30% of students meet the standard today, above the 20% who did in 2019.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1134%28%31%43%52%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 116%7%8%12%9%

The story this school is actually telling

Proficient by 11th grade
30%
State 43%
Graduate
97%
State 92%
Pass an AP exam
65%
State 43%

Of 100 students here: 30 are proficient by 11th grade → 97 graduate → 65 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

54.1%
Low-income · ELA · met standard

Centennial's most underrated number

54.1% of low-income students met the ELA standard — versus 38.2% for the same group statewide. That's the strongest kind of signal a school can post: it holds across income lines.

Centennial low-income: 54.1%State low-income: 38.2%Centennial EL: 9.1%State EL: 10.4%

The 7 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
96.5%
State 92.5%
4.0pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
6.8%
State 19.8%
13.0pp below state avg
College readiness
65.4%
State 43.0%
AP course or exam readiness above state avg
Met or exceeded
30.5%
State 43.2%
12.7pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
23.3%
State 23.1%
0.3pp above state avg
Suspension rate
3.9%
State 3.3%
0.6pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
18.3%
State 18.0%
0.3pp above state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.

  • Ask whether extra support — tutoring, counseling, small groups — reaches kids across income lines, not just the students already ahead.
  • Ask whether the tour can step into a working classroom — watch how the teacher handles a student who's stuck.
  • Ask to tour while school's in session, and notice how hallways and transitions feel — culture shows up between classes, not just in them.
  • Ask how the school communicates with families when a child starts to struggle.
  • Ask what a typical day looks like for a new student in the first few weeks.

How every group of students does here

At Centennial High in Compton, 54.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 50.6% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Centennial High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 3.5 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (9.1% Math proficient); Hispanic students (54.8% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 44.6 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 183 students tested.

All students at this school: 30% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 30%, district —, state 43%30%
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 31%, district 46%, state 32%31% · +1 vs school
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 32%, district 47%, state 32%32% · +2 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 28%, district 47%, state 44%28% · −3 vs school
MaleMale: this school 33%, district 45%, state 42%33% · +3 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 7%, district 18%, state 11%7% · −23 vs school
Black/African AmericanBlack/African American: this school 18%, district 39%, state 26%18% · −13 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 4%, district 17%, state 15%4% · −27 vs school
FilipinoFilipino: too few students to report‹11
American Indian/Alaska NativeAmerican Indian/Alaska Native: too few students to report‹11
Foster YouthFoster Youth: too few students to report‹11
HomelessHomeless: too few students to report‹11
this school district, same group California, same group
AP access · 2020-21 federal civil rights snapshot (structural, dated — newest published; biennial)
Shown, never scored
Hispanic83.8% AP · 74.5% enroll.
American Indian/Alaska Native0.7% AP · 0.2% enroll.
Asian0.0% AP · 0.0% enroll.
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander0.0% AP · 0.1% enroll.
Black15.5% AP · 24.1% enroll.
White0.0% AP · 0.3% enroll.
Two or more races0.0% AP · 0.8% enroll.
English learners8.1% AP · 20.6% enroll.
Students with disabilities6.1% AP · 18.2% enroll.

● share of AP enrollment vs share of total enrollment, this school only · not part of the Scope Score

Data source: U.S. Dept. of Education Office for Civil Rights, Civil Rights Data Collection, 2020-21 (biennial; newest published)

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 23.3%, district 12.9%, state 23.1%23.3% · +0.3pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 3.9%, district —, state 3.3%3.9% · +0.6pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 9–1222.7%

Where the path goes

The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.

K-12 Feeder Path
▼
High School
Centennial High
52/100
This school

Estimated path based on proximity within the same district. Contact your school district for official feeder information.

Where graduates go

Context — never part of the Scope Score
56%
College-going rate, class of 2023

Where they went after graduation

Of Centennial's class of 2023, 56% enrolled in college somewhere within a year — a CSU, a community college, a UC, or out of state.

College destination mix, class of 2023

Class of 2023: 199 completers, 56% enrolled somewhere within a year

University of California 6 (3%)California State University 53 (27%)California community college 37 (19%)In-state private 10 (5%)Out-of-state, 4-year 5 (3%)Out-of-state, 2-year 1 (1%)Not enrolled 87 (44%)

Percentages are computed by SchoolScope (count ÷ completers) from CDE-reported counts, not a CDE-native rate.

Data source: California Department of Education, 2023 cohort — the newest published; National Student Clearinghouse match.

UC application funnel — one destination of six, tracked in detail because UC is the only source with 30 years of history

In fall 2025, 17 of Centennial's 220 graduates enrolled in the University of California system — Los Angeles the most common landing, with 4 enrollees.

Applied68fall 2025, universitywide
Admitted54
Enrolled17
Where they landed (fall 2025)

6 of 9 campuses are masked below UC's privacy floor — a protection, not a verdict.

campuses never sum to the universitywide figure — students apply to several

UC enrollees, universitywide, 2014–2025

UC publishes this trend back to 1994 — no other destination has a comparable multi-year record

UC is one road of many — the full destination mix for the class of 2023 is below. And who applied isn't who the school taught: the ratio between the two reflects the self-selected pool of students who chose to apply, not what happened in the classroom. By the state's 2023 count, 56% of this class's predecessors enrolled in college somewhere within a year. More of the class of 2023 enrolled at community colleges (37) than at UC (6).

Data source: University of California Office of the President (UC Information Center), fall 2025 admissions cycle · college-going rate: California Department of Education, 2023 cohort.

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 20:1, district 25:120:1
PrincipalBobby Walker
Teaching staff48 teachers
Avg. experience13.8 years
Fully credentialed84%
First-year teachers2%
Intern / emergency permit0.3%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$52,034 – $117,259
Principal salary$153,629 – $173,397
Superintendent salary$319,400

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

Course Breadth
AP exam qualifiers119 studentsCCI, participation not authorization
CTE pathway completers87 students
Advanced Coursework

Centennial's teachers are authorized to teach 16 of the 40 AP subjects the College Board offers — above the 14-subject median among California schools that offer AP at all — including Calculus AB, Computer Science Principles, and Biology.

AP subjects taught16
Math & Computer Science (3)Calculus AB · Computer Science Principles · Precalculus
Sciences (1)Biology
English (2)English Language and Composition · English Literature and Composition
History & Social Science (6)African American Studies · Human Geography · Psychology · U.S. Government and Politics · United States History · World History: Modern
World Languages & Cultures (2)Spanish Language and Culture · Spanish Literature and Culture
Arts (1)2-D Art and Design
AP Capstone (1)Seminar

Data source: College Board AP Course Audit, 2025 - 2026 audit year (authorization, not enrollment) · IB World Schools directory, name-matched · structural depth: 2020-21 federal snapshot, table 09

What gets spent here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $27,296, CA average $14,491$27,296 · spent at this school
Federal share$1,261 per student

$1,261 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$24,278 per student

The district's current expense of education per student, from CDE's annual SACS filing — the freshest district spending figure the state publishes.

Where the district's dollars go · FY 2024–25 · CDE SACS
Instruction61%
Instruction support10%
Student services7%
Administration9%
Buildings & maintenance13%
Other1%

District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.

district detail, 2016–2020 — the newest published
2020$15,556 per pupil
2019$15,360 per pupil
2018$15,206 per pupil
2017$13,338 per pupil
2016$12,258 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Hispanic81.0%
District 80.1% · CA 56.1%
Black17.4%
District 18.0% · CA 4.8%
Other1.5%
District 1.5% · CA 9.0%
White0.1%
District 0.3% · CA 19.9%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 90.1% (26pp above CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$78K · CA $85K
Median home value$581K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+11% · CA 35%
ZIP population32,340
Median age33 years

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level

Worth Knowing

On the state's science test (CAST), 18% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 and once in high school, and it never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Centennial High a good high school?

Centennial High has a Scope Score of 52 out of 100, placing it in the 60th percentile of California high schools and ranked #865 statewide. 6.8% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 13.0 percentage points below the California average of 19.8%. The Scope Score weights 7 dimensions for high schools: graduation rate (25%), exceeded standard (22%), college/career readiness (20%), met or exceeded (proficient) (18%), chronic absenteeism (5%), suspension rate (5%), and ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.

What are Centennial High's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 30.5% of students at Centennial High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 6.8% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 23.7% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 6.8% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 399 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Centennial High rank in California?

Centennial High ranks #865 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 60th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.

What is the attendance and school culture like at Centennial High?

23.3% of students at Centennial High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 23.1%. The suspension rate is 3.9%. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.

How does Centennial High compare to other schools in Compton?

Centennial High scores 52/100 (60th percentile) among California high schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 908 students. Use the schools in Compton page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.

How does Centennial High serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Centennial High in Compton, 54.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 50.6% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Centennial High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 3.5 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (9.1% Math proficient); Hispanic students (54.8% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 44.6 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 183 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.

What AP courses are offered at Centennial High?

Centennial High's teachers are authorized to teach 16 of the 40 AP subjects the College Board offers, per the 2025 - 2026 AP Course Audit: 2-D Art and Design, African American Studies, Biology, Calculus AB, Computer Science Principles, English Language and Composition, English Literature and Composition, Human Geography, Precalculus, Psychology, Seminar, Spanish Language and Culture, Spanish Literature and Culture, U.S. Government and Politics, United States History, World History: Modern. Authorization means the school may teach a course, not that a section is running this year, and it's separate from AP exam pass rates. Data source: College Board AP Course Audit, analyzed by SchoolScope.

How many students from Centennial High go to UC?

In fall 2025, 17 Centennial High graduates enrolled at University of California campuses, universitywide. That figure can't be split into a per-campus sum — students apply to several UC campuses at once, so campus-level counts don't add up to the universitywide total. UC is one destination among many: this says nothing about graduates who chose a CSU, a private college, a community college, or work, and it is a count, not a rate or a ranking. Data source: University of California Office of the President (UC Information Center), fall 2025 admissions cycle.

Your other options

All schools in Compton →

Private alternatives nearby

Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.

For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and nearest schools.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Graduation rate · 25%
96.5%
↑ vs CA 92.5% · 61th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
6.8%
↓ vs CA 19.8% · 40th pctile
College readiness · 20%
65.4%
↑ vs CA 43.0% · 68th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
30.5%
↓ vs CA 43.2% · 46th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
23.3%
↓ vs CA 23.1% · 56th pctile
▼ 5.6pp lower vs 2024
Suspension rate · 5%
3.9%
↓ vs CA 3.3% · 49th pctile
▼ 0.8pp lower vs 2024
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
18.3%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 53th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1119813%39%26%22%52%+3
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 112011%8%22%69%9%−15

We show the grade rows CDE publishes for this school. A missing grade or dash can mean the school does not serve that grade, no valid result was published, or the tested group was too small to report. It does not mean zero.

Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Schoolwide2050%18%73%9%

CAST is tested in grades 5 and 8, then once in grade 10, 11, or 12. This row is the school's all-student aggregate. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged18354.1%+4+16
Hispanic/Latino16854.8%+3+16
English Learners339.1%−7−1
03Nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score · Grade gap = grade 3 vs grade 5, this year, different students; Cohort growth = one school's returning cohort tracked across grades (mostly, not exactly, the same kids), in scale-score points — that's the measurement the Scope Score weights
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+Grade gapCohort growthSusp
Centennial High ←—526.8%30.5%——3.9%
Middle College High1.1 mi7742.9%79.9%——0.5%
King/Drew Medical Magnet High0.7 mi6824.4%57.0%——0.3%
Alliance Judy Ivie Burton Technology Academy High2.4 mi6624.7%53.7%——0.5%
California average—5419.8%43.2%——3.3%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
96.5%
AP Exam Prepared
65.4%
A-G Completion
75.5%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
56.3%
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrade gap
20195054#9445.8%19.7%13.9%4.7%—
20224751#10342.8%17.5%37.5%4.9%—
20234952#10423.3%19.4%34.1%4.6%—
20245363#79610.4%27.8%28.9%4.7%—
20255260#8656.8%30.5%23.3%3.9%—
Grade gap = this year's grade 3 vs grade 5 result, two different sets of students, not a trend for any one child — it is not the measurement the Scope Score's growth dimension uses. See §01 above and /methodology#verdicts for the school's actual scored (cohort) growth.
NO STATEWIDE TESTING 2020–21 (COVID) · SCORE AND PERCENTILE ARE RELATIVE TO EACH YEAR'S FIELD
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
Group20192025Δ
Female14.7%21.1%+6.4pp
Male11.5%24.2%+12.7pp
Black/African American16.1%31.0%+14.9pp
Hispanic/Latino11.5%20.5%+9.0pp
Students with Disabilities18.8%27.0%+8.2pp
English Learners10.8%20.5%+9.7pp
Foster Youth14.8%37.5%+22.7pp
Homeless8.3%48.0%+39.7pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged13.2%22.5%+9.3pp
All Students13.0%22.7%+9.7pp
06UC admissions, universitywide2014–2025 · summed across CEEB codes at query time
YearAppliedAdmittedEnrolledGPA (applied)GPA (admitted)GPA (enrolled)
20256854173.583.713.98
20246038153.513.673.88
2023402863.673.914.13
2022332143.683.93—
2021352253.513.673.96
2020482243.723.92—
2019532193.603.973.98
20183214‹33.493.76—
2017441173.333.763.71
2016241363.383.643.74
2015181043.523.77—
201423743.383.74—

‹n = UC masks counts below n · a missing year means zero or masked — never assume zero · GPA cells blank for years with more than one contributing CEEB code (a summed GPA would be fabricated math) · GPAs live here and nowhere else on this page · Applied/Admitted/Enrolled reflect who applied, not what the school taught — no admit rate is computed or implied by this table. Series shown from 2014; full record to 1994 at the UC Infocenter.

07UC admissions by campuslatest falls on file
CampusYearAppliedAdmittedEnrolled
Berkeley2025233‹3
Berkeley202420‹3‹3
Berkeley202313‹3‹3
Berkeley202215‹3‹3
Berkeley202117‹3‹3
Davis2025169‹3
Davis2024145‹3
Davis2023168‹3
Davis20228‹3‹3
Davis20217‹3‹3
Irvine202544123
Irvine20243964
Irvine202331103
Irvine2022246‹3
Irvine20213084
Los Angeles20254654
Los Angeles20244675
Los Angeles2023313‹3
Los Angeles20222853
Los Angeles202129‹3‹3
Merced20252118‹3
Merced20241313‹3
Merced202365‹3
Merced2022109‹3
Merced2021119‹3
Riverside20254133‹3
Riverside20242415‹3
Riverside20232113‹3
Riverside20221812‹3
Riverside20211710‹3
San Diego20253110‹3
San Diego202432123
San Diego20231710‹3
San Diego2022124‹3
San Diego2021124‹3
Santa Barbara2025257‹3
Santa Barbara2024266‹3
Santa Barbara2023127‹3
Santa Barbara2022156‹3
Santa Barbara2021126‹3
Santa Cruz202528204
Santa Cruz2024226‹3
Santa Cruz2023106‹3
Santa Cruz20227‹3‹3
Santa Cruz202184‹3
Universitywide2025685417
Universitywide2024603815
Universitywide202340286
Universitywide202233214
Universitywide202135225

Σ campuses ≠ universitywide — students apply to several campuses; the Universitywide row (muted) is its own independent count, never a sum of the rows above it.

08AP course catalog2025 - 2026
SubjectTaught by
2-D Art and Designthis school
African American Studiesthis school
Biologythis school
Calculus ABthis school
Computer Science Principlesthis school
English Language and Compositionthis school
English Literature and Compositionthis school
Human Geographythis school
Precalculusthis school
Psychologythis school
Seminarthis school
Spanish Language and Culturethis school
Spanish Literature and Culturethis school
U.S. Government and Politicsthis school
United States Historythis school
World History: Modernthis school

Authorization ≠ a section running this year — the Ledger records what the school may teach, not seat counts.

09Advanced coursework — 2020-21 federal civil-rights snapshotstructural, dated — newest published; biennial
MeasureThis school
AP offeredoffered
AP course count10
AP enrollment148
IB participationnot offered
Dual enrollmentoffered · 73 enrolled
Algebra I in grade 8not reported
Calculus sections1
Physics sections2
Chemistry sections12
Total enrollment (CRDC)955

Shown, never scored — no entry to any composite. NULL/reserve codes render "not reported," never a fabricated zero. The equity block above this table (§4) is the per-subgroup view of this same collection.

10College destinationsclass of 2023 · CDE 12-mo College-Going Rate
DestinationCompleters% (derived)
University of California63.0%
California State University5326.6%
California community college3718.6%
In-state private105.0%
Out-of-state, 4-year52.5%
Out-of-state, 2-year10.5%
Not enrolled8743.7%

199 completers, class of 2023 · state-reported college-going rate 56% · % column is computed by SchoolScope (count ÷ completers), not a CDE-native rate · a missing cell is CDE suppression, never a fabricated zero · source: CDE 12-mo CGR, 2023 cohort (the newest published), National Student Clearinghouse match — a different, older vintage than the fall 2025 UC admissions rows in tables 06-07 above.

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EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=1,647 high schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2022 · UC Infocenter (annual refresh, summer) — ‹5/‹3 = masked, never summed across campuses · AP Course Ledger 2025 - 2026 (November refresh; authorization not enrollment) · CRDC 2020-21 (biennial; next expected 2021-22) · CDE 12-mo CGR 2023 cohort, National Student Clearinghouse match · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue

SchoolScope scores and verdicts are our interpretation of public California Department of Education data — independent analysis, not an official rating. How we analyze · Request a correction

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