Centennial High School is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

in Compton, California, part of the

Los Angeles metropolitan area Greater Los Angeles is the second-largest metropolitan region in the United States with a population of 18.5 million in 2021, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino C ...

. Construction of Centennial High School began in 1953, and it was erected in 1954, with its first graduating class in 1954. It is the smallest of the three high schools in the

Compton Unified School District Compton Unified School District is a school district headquartered in Compton, California, United States. The district serves Compton, portions of Paramount, portions of Carson, and the unincorporated Los Angeles County neighborhoods of We ...

, which also includes

Compton High School Compton High School is a high school in Compton, California, United States, part of the Compton Unified School District. History The school opened in 1896 as Compton Union High School and was later re-established as Compton Senior High School i ...

and Manuel Dominguez High School.

Student population and demographics

Approximately 1,230 students attend Centennial High School. * 9th Grade: 450 * 10th Grade: 329 * 11th Grade: 319 * 12th Grade: 272 The ethnic composition of the student body is: * 64%

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

* 33%

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

* 1% Two or more races * 2% Other, multiple, declined to state, or non-response. Students speak English and/or Spanish. 48% of the students are Second-Language Learners (SLL) with 33% of the total enrollment classified as

Limited English Proficiency Limited English proficiency (LEP) is a term used in the United States that refers to a person who is not fluent in the English language, often because it is not their native language. Both LEP and English-language learner (ELL) are terms used by th ...

(LEP). Special Education students comprise 11% of the total enrollment. Of this, 5% are identified as Resource Specialist Program ( RSP) and 6% as Special Day Class (SDC). All students in attendance qualify for the

National School Lunch Program The Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (79 P.L. 396, 60 Stat. 230) is a 1946 United States federal law that created the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) to provide low-cost or free school lunch meals to qualified students through ...

receiving free or reduced breakfast and lunch.

Certificated staff profile

The certificated staff and faculty at Centennial High School is ethnically composed of the following as of 2009: * 43%

* 1% American Indian or Alaska Native * 6%

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

n * 27%

Caucasian Caucasian may refer to: Anthropology *Anything from the Caucasus region ** ** ** ''Caucasian Exarchate'' (1917–1920), an ecclesiastical exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Caucasus region * * * Languages * Northwest Caucasian l ...

* 3%

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

* 11%

* 1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

* 7% Multiple or No Response. The California Department of Education mandates a qualification for subject teaching known as a "Clear Credential". 91% of certificated staff hold a Clear Credential and all except for five staff members met the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requirements of "Highly Qualified Teacher".

Academics

The school offers eleven Advanced Placement courses.

Accountability Progress Reporting (APR) 2009–2010 CDOE

Centennial High School is designated by the Compton Unified School District as a

Title I The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was passed by the 89th United States Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on April 11, 1965. Part of Johnson's "War on Poverty", the act has been one of the most far-rea ...

school. For over 5 years, the school has remained a Program Improvement (PI) school. As of the 2009-2010 school year, Centennial is in state rank 1 and also ranks 1 with similar schools. Centennial High School has not met its state-identified goals for student progress in all areas each year since 2006. Students failed to meet the No Child Left Behind Act's Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirements in English Language Arts (ELA) or Mathematics for all significant subgroups. Centennial remains in year 5+ of school-wide Program Improvement (PI).

2010 data

CAHSEE The California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) was an examination created by the California Department of Education, that was previously mandated to administer in high schools statewide in order to graduate. The examination was suspended in ...

English Language Arts (ELA): In 2010, of 270 sophomores, 177 passed the ELA examination, or 66%. Of this number, 52 of 82 African-American students passed, or 63%. 122 of 182 Latino students passed, or 67%. * CAHSEE Mathematics: In 2010, of 275 sophomores, 163 passed the Math examination, or 59%. Of this number, 43 of 83 African-American students passed, or 52%. 116 of 185 Latino students passed, or 63%. * California Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program: California requires a minimum

Academic Performance Index The Academic Performance Index (API) was a measurement of academic performance and progress of individual schools in California, United States. The API was one of the main components of the Public Schools Accountability Act passed by the Californ ...

(API) score of at least 650. As of 2010, Centennial High School's API was 573, well below the statewide performance target of 800. Test scores indicate that the vast majority of students are not proficient or advanced and many of them are far below grade level in all core academic areas.

Graduation rate

Identified as a Tier 1 school in the Spring of 2010 by the California Department of Education (CDOE), Centennial High School had a standing graduation rate of 58.9% and since then has been reclassified as a “persistently low-achieving school” by the Assessment and Accountability Division, with graduation rates below 60% for three years or more. California State and Federal Government guidelines for high school graduation rates dictate that all schools should be at 83%, or grow .01% over the past year or .02% over the past 2 years. Currently, the graduation rate at Centennial High School is 58.9%. Therefore, Centennial has chosen the "Transformation Intervention Model" in an effort to increase retention of students, student achievement and the site’s graduation rate.

Sports

The Centennial Apaches compete in the

Bay League The Bay League is a high school athletic conference in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California affiliated with the CIF Southern Section. Member schools * Culver City High School * Mira Costa High School * Palos Verdes High School * P ...

of the

California Interscholastic Federation The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) is the governing body for high school sports in the U.S. state of California. CIF membership includes both public and private high schools. Unlike most other state organizations, it does not have a ...

(CIF).

Notable alumni

Arron Afflalo Arron Agustin Afflalo (born October 15, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. As a junior, he was named a consensus All-America ...

(class of 2004), basketball player *

Larry Allen Larry Christopher Allen Sr. (born November 27, 1971) is an American former American football, football Guard (gridiron football), guard who played in the National Football League (NFL) for fourteen seasons, primarily with the Dallas Cowboys. H ...

, former NFL player (transferred before graduating) * Brittany Barber (Class of 2004), Singer/ Songwriter * Big Fase 100, rapper *

Omar Bradley Omar Nelson Bradley (February 12, 1893April 8, 1981) was a senior officer of the United States Army during and after World War II, rising to the rank of General of the Army. Bradley was the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and over ...

(Class of 1976; voted "Mr. Apache" in senior class poll), mayor of Compton (1993-2001) * Deonte Burton (Class of 2010), basketball player * Ken Dennis Masters world record sprinter *

Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...

, rapper & music producer *

Charles Dumas Charles Everett "Charlie" Dumas (February 12, 1937 – January 5, 2004) was an American high jumper, the 1956 Olympic champion, and the first person to clear 7 ft.(2.13 m) While attending Compton College, near Los Angeles, D ...

, high jumper * Allan Ellis, former NFL player * Tony Franklin, (Class of 1968) baseball player *

Donte Gamble Donte Kavon Gamble (born July 14, 1978) is a former American football defensive back who played one season with the Ottawa Renegades of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He first enrolled at El Camino Junior College before transferring to San D ...

, former CFL player * Mitch Johnson, former NFL player *

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his progressive musical styles and socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generat ...

, record producer & rapper *

Paul Lowe Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

, former NFL player *

Don Wilson (baseball) Donald Edward Wilson (February 12, 1945 – January 5, 1975) was a professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of nine seasons in Major League Baseball with the Houston Astros.

, (Class of 1963) former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Houston Astros *

Lenny Randle Leonard Shenoff Randle (born February 12, 1949) is a former Major League Baseball player. He was the first-round pick of the Washington Senators in the secondary phase of the June 1970 Major League Baseball draft, tenth overall. Early years Born ...

, (Class of 1967) former Major League Baseball player *

Reggie Smith Carl Reginald Smith (born April 2, 1945) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder and afterwards served as a coach and front office executive. He also played in the Nippon Profe ...

, baseball player *

Wayne Simpson Wayne Kirby Simpson (December 2, 1948), is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1970–75 and in 1977. He played for the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Philadelphia Phillies, and California Angels. ...

, former Major League Baseball pitcher * Bobby Thompson, former NFL player * Frank K. Wheaton, (Class of 1969; senior class president) sports agent *

Roy White Roy Hilton White (born December 27, 1943) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played his entire career in Major League Baseball as an outfielder for the New York Yankees between 1965 and 1979. With the Yankees, he won ...

, (Class of 1961) baseball player

References

External links

Official Athletics Website for the Centennial Apaches

Centennial High Alumni: Social Networking Website

Centennial High School Alumni Association (C.H.S.A.A.): Website
{{authority control High schools in Los Angeles County, California Public high schools in California Compton, California Educational institutions established in 1954 1954 establishments in California