Evansville Central High School, also known as Central High, is a public high school on the north side of Evansville, Indiana. It is the oldest high school in continuous operation west of the Allegheny Mountains. It was established in 1854 as Evansville High School. The name was changed to Central High School in 1918 when FJ Reitz High School was built.
Central moved to its current location on the far north side of Evansville in the early 1970s. It is sometimes called "Vanderburgh Central" because of its location near the geographic center of Vanderburgh County, in addition to its status as the county's oldest high school. For many years, it was the northernmost high school in the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation; it was four miles northwest of Evansville North High School. However, with the completion of the new North High School campus in northern Vanderburgh County, geographic correctness was restored to the name.
Academics
Central High School received an "A" as its final letter grade for school accountability.[2]
As of October 2024, Central High School is ranked 62nd in Indiana, and 2nd in the EVSC by USNews. 37% of students participate in an AP course.[3]
Notable alumni
Andy Benes (born 1967), Major League Baseball player[4]
Founded in 2011, Academy of Science and Medicine, also known as ASM, is a public half-day high school program hosted within and sharing faculty with Central High School. The program is open to students in the EVSC, as well as schools in the surrounding area. The program employs roughly 16 teachers and enrolls over 250 students from area schools.[11] ASM was founded as the Medical Professions Academy, or MPA, but was renamed in 2023 to Academy of Science and Medicine. The EVSC purchased a building in downtown Evansville to be used as a future expansion to the program.[12] The goal of the program is to prepare students for college and post-secondary education, with a focus on careers and degrees in medicine and science. The program integrates science, english, and technology into its curriculum.[13][14] ASM has partnerships with local universities including University of Southern Indiana, University of Evansville, Ivy Tech Community College, Purdue University, IU School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Johns Hopkins University, and Lipscomb University. The partnerships offer college visits and scholarships to prospective students.[15]
References
^ abc"Central High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
^"Lowell Galloway is Cannelton Cage Coach". Messenger-Inquirer. Owensboro, KY. May 31, 1948. p. 8. Mr Galloway graduated from Central High School, Evansville, where he played basketball for four years... He was in military service and on his discharge he played professional basketball for a year with Kautskys
^Haase, David L (July 9, 1992). "No No. 2 spot for Hamilton". The Indianapolis News. p. A2. A young Lee Hamilton led the Evansville Central High School basketball team to the 1948 boys finals
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