Central High School (Kansas City, Missouri)

Public secondary school in Kansas City, Missouri, United States

Central High School

Address

3221 Indiana Avenue

Kansas City

Missouri

United States

Information
Type| Public secondary
Established| 1867
School district| KCMSD/KCPS
Principal| Anthony Holland, Jr.
Teaching staff| 36.95 (FTE)[1]
Grades| 9–12
Enrollment| 535 (2022-2023)[1]
Student to teacher ratio| 14.48[1]
Color(s)| Blue and White
Athletics conference| Interscholastic League
Mascot| Blue Eagles
Website| www.kcpublicschools.org/central

Central High School is a high school located at 3221 Indiana Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri. It is part of the Kansas City Public Schools.[2] Central was established in 1867 in order to help educate the growing population of Kansas City. Formally located in downtown Kansas City, Missouri on 11th and Locust St, Central moved to its current location in 1912. The school colors are blue and white and the school's athletic teams are referred to as the "Eagles". Central has an enrollment of approximately 500 students annually.

## School background

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The high school is located in west of Central Middle School building at the corner of Linwood Boulevard and Indiana Avenue. It features a large, one-acre square field house, Greek-style theatre, and an Olympic-sized swimming pool with one- and three- meter diving boards.

Central High School[3] was also part of the now defunct magnet program which was a response to a court-mandated, forced desegregation plan that was designed to try and lure students from the suburbs with targeted programs. As part of this effort, Central High School[4] was rebuilt and renamed to Central Computers Unlimited / Classical Greek Magnet High School.

The two magnet themes were not complementary to each other and most of the money spent on the new facility went to the Classical Greek theme for sports-related facilities like a fully outfitted weight room (inspired by the weight room of the Kansas City Chiefs), two indoor racquetball courts, a field house, a fully equipped gymnastics training facility, and an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

The Computers Unlimited theme brought with it a fully networked classroom environment with computers in most classrooms and a Novell NetWare v3.11 network. There was also a small robotics lab; a video, photography, and graphics lab; and a CAD lab. The cost to taxpayers for the new facility was over $32 million. It was completed in 1991. Unfortunately, the new facilities and programs were not enough to bring in and retain suburban students in this and other magnet program schools. The program was an abject failure by any measure and was abandoned. The references to the magnet themes were removed from the school's name, and it was returned to a normal curriculum.

## Name change

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In July 2012, KCPS unanimously approved the proposal to change the school's name from Central High School to Central Academy of Excellence. The name change officially went into effect for the 2012-2013 school year.[5] The proposal had been heavily promoted by the school's former principal Linda Collins, who strives "to put a new name on what the principal hopes will be a transformed school on the inside." There are also hopes for getting more technology into the classrooms and instilling stronger discipline. Central High School became the official name after the KCPS Board of Directors unanimously approved the change in 2019.

## Notable alumni

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* Ralph Barton, 1920s cartoonist
* Kutt Calhoun, rapper signed with Strange Music
* George Creel, journalist and head of the WWI-era Committee on Public Information
* Walt Disney, animator; multiple Oscar Award winner; innovator
* Robert A. Heinlein Science Fiction Author; Aeronautical Engineer; Naval Officer, Class of 1924[6]
* Derek Hood, professional basketball player, class of 1995
* Muna Lee, Olympic sprinter, class of 2000
* Irene C. Peden, first female American engineer or scientist to conduct research in the Antarctic[7][8]
* William Powell, actor; three-time nominee for Academy Award for Best Actor
* Lee Shippey, writer and columnist
* Casey Stengel, Hall of Fame Major League Baseball player and manager; led the New York Yankees to 7 World Series Championships
* Joe Shannon, Representative for Missouri's 5th congressional district and Democratic political boss[9]

## References

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1. ^ a b c "CENTRAL ACADEMY OF EXCELLENCE". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
2. ^ "Achievement First". Archived from the original on 2008-12-19. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
3. ^ "Central High School". Central Kansas City.
4. ^ "Central High School". U.S. News.
5. ^ Robertson, Joe. "KC's Central High School renamed". KC Star. Archived from the original on 2012-07-29. Retrieved 2012-07-30.
6. ^ https://kchistory.org/islandora/object/kchistory:66998?solr_nav[id]=5b79e23d56114412d667&solr_nav[page]=0&solr_nav[offset]=2 [bare URL]
7. ^ SWE (13 March 2008). "Irene Peden". Engineering Pioneers. Society of Women Engineers. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
8. ^ Peden, Irene (2 March 2002). "SWE Pioneers" (PDF). Society of Women Engineers (Interview). Interviewed by Kata, Lauren. p. 6\. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 February 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
9. ^ Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.), 04 July 1897. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86063615/1897-07-04/ed-1/seq-3/

## External links

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* Official website
* Central High School at the Wayback Machine (archive index)

39°04′01″N 94°32′31″W﻿ / ﻿39.067°N 94.542°W﻿ / 39.067; -94.542

* v
* t
* e

High schools in Kansas City, Missouri

This list is incomplete and may not be fully accurate.
Italicized schools are not in KCMO proper but have the city in their attendance boundaries.

Kansas City Public Schools

Zoned schools|

* Central
* East
* Northeast
* Southeast

Magnet schools|

* Lincoln College Preparatory Academy
* Paseo Academy

Public schools not in KCPS

Center School District|

* Center

Hickman Mills C-1 School District|

* Ruskin

Independence Public School District|

* Van Horn (Independence)

North Kansas City School District|

* North Kansas City
* Oak Park
* Staley
* Winnetonka

Park Hill School District|

* Park Hill
* Park Hill South
* Lead Innovation Studio

Platte County School District Number 3|

* Platte County (Platte City)

Independently-operated high schools

Catholic|

* Archbishop O'Hara
* Notre Dame de Sion School, Kansas City
* Saint Pius X
* St. Teresa's Academy
* Rockhurst High School

Secular|

* The Barstow School
* The Pembroke Hill School

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* United States

Geographic|

* NCES

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