Central High School

Best and the brightest students. Wonderful education. Caring teachers. Productive Home and School Association. Amazing President, Dr. Pavel.
--Submitted by a parent

I am a member of the 271st graduating class and I love Central dearly. The people are all amazing, the student and staff included. You won't find anywhere nearly as diverse and it introduces you to a new way of interacting with your peers. The work is hard, but it is Central, I don't know what else to expect. A was taught to expect a challenge and most teachers will provide one; whether they choose to help is a different story. If you're a student that needs constant attention and help this is not the place for you. There is tutoring of many different forms available to everyone however most teachers will not tutor, there are simply too many students to take out the extra time to review things that can be found in our textbooks or call 90 different parents to talk about grades. All in all, you won't find any better public school in Philadelphia.
--Submitted by a student

as a parent of a student in 272, i must say i have been disappointed since day one. my child loves CHS, but the lack of competent teachers, blows my mind. i think no one in this school cares about any of the students, but this is Central. i know i'm not alone feeling this way...since most of the parents i know feel the same way too. hopefully, the next 2 years will go fast........
--Submitted by a parent

I am a graduate of Central. 259th graduating class. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of the education I received at Central. Yes it was tough, no I did not get the grades that I had been getting in my middle school, but that was my own fault. For anyone who says that the teachers do not care than they probably didn't even try to talk with the teacher. I had a teacher who would not let me take the easy way out my senior year. He knew I could do the work and was not going to let me be lazy. My experience at Central helped me become the person I am today. The diverse population of the school allows for differences of all kinds. I had friends from all races and religions. Yes there is a strong focus on academics, but there is also support for clubs and sports. Central is a community. This school is not for the lazy or the closed-minded.

Central is a very large school with much diversity. I think it needs to be equally diverse and all students need to respect one another. My older daughter attended and made many friends outside of her race. She is now in graduate school and doing exceptional and says the teachers at Central prepared her by being hard on her. She appreciated the push she received and states that Central made college a breeze. But things have changed. The problem is, some of the cultures try to overwhelm other cultures by being bullies...This being said, I think Dr. Pavel should get more involved with eliminating those bullies, those uncooperative children who speak a language that is not recognizable and travel in clicks with a bad attitude towards teachers and those kids who push themselves to do better. These children with the bad attitudes have made my younger daughter's experience at Central uneasy...she doesn't want to trust students of a particular cultural persuasion. Both of my daughter's are very bright and always do well at school but I feel my younger daughter would be doing even better if the bullish brats were controlled.
--Submitted by a parent

Central is a very busy school. I attended for 2 years and decided that it wasn't for me. I'm glad I made the switch because my hard work wasn't paying off. There are also WAY too many students to get quality one-on-one attention from staff.
--Submitted by a student

As for the kid who has mentioned they aren't having a good time at central, i'm very suprised. and if they hate it so much, they should'nt have stayed there for 4 years. i'm 272 and i absolutely love Central. theres no other school in the world i'd be if i could, because i know i belong here. Okay, maybe not all the teachers are amazing but Central isn't known as the school with the nicest teachers ever, it's known as the school with the smartest kids. If the teacher's aren't pushing you to do good, thats not their problem. It's yours because you are in Central because you know how to mtivate yourself,because you want to be successful. Good look to anyone applying! best school in philadelphia!!!
--Submitted by a student

Central is a very ethnically diverse school that teaches some of the brightest minds in the Philadelphia Public School system. Though the school is very big, the obivous camaraderie is so exceptional that the size of the school begins to diminish for kids that came from very small school environments. The children that attend Central are ones who maintained high standards in their former schools and have the desire to continue to do so, with aspirations of attending colleges and universities. The school also enforces that aside form academics, one should have a sense of community and desire to give back what they have been blessed with. Therefore community serviceis a requirement that is met with anticipation. The school also provides ample opportunites for students to be involved in service. I believe children at Central not only go away with an outstanding education that prepares them for college, but also prepares them for life beyond that. The diversity of the student body provides an opportunity for students to become knowledgeable and accepting of others and teaches them how they can work together to achieve much for themselves and for others in the world.
--Submitted by a parent

I am a member of Central's 270th graduating class. Previous attending Central, I had attended private school. My elementary and middle school experiences at private school were very positive. Unfortunately, my time at Central High School has not been nearly as positive. In my three years at Central, I have had one teacher who I would consider on par with the standard of teacher I had encountered at my previous school. I have had many teachers who seem to simply not care about their students. I have found this to be a general theme at Central; the students are not the priority. The administration makes no attempt to help struggling students, they simply let them struggle. The fact that Central is considered to be one of the top schools in the city speaks to the sad state of the city's public education system.
--Submitted by a student

my daughter is part of the class of 271 and im so glad she attends one of the best schools in the city..she is growing into this beautiful you women and give thanks for the positive enviornment that Central provides. i love that is multi-cultral as well i give Central five stars!!
--Submitted by a parent