Lowdown

Started In 1838 And Was Then Only The Second Public High School In The Nation. When Central First Opened Its Doors, It Admitted Four Teachers And Sixty-three Students. From That Fledgling Beginning, Central Has Now Grown To Over 2300 Students And 110 Teachers. In The Philadelphia Public School District, Central Is Considered A Magnet School, With Admissions Requirements For Allincoming Students. This Practice Is Used To Insure That All Of The Incoming Class Will Continue Central's Long-standing Tradition Of Academic Excellence. Incoming Freshman Are Required To Have All A'sand B's (with The Exception Of One C), For Their 7th Grade Year. They Must Also Score In At Least The 85th Percentile In Both English And Math In The Philadelphia City-wide Standardized Tests.