Centennial High School (Compton, California)

The certificated staff and faculty at Centennial High School is ethnically composed of the following as of 2009:[3]

• 43% African-American
• 1% American Indian or Alaska Native
• 6% Asian
• 27% Caucasian
• 3% Filipino
• 11% Latino
• 1% Pacific Islander
• 7% Multiple or No Response.

The California Department of Education mandates a qualification for subject teaching known as a "Clear Credential".[4] 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".[5][6]

Centennial High School is designated by the Compton Unified School District as a Title I school. For over 5 years, the school has remained a Program Improvement (PI) school.[7][8] As of the 2009-2010 school year, Centennial is in state rank 1 and also ranks 1 with similar schools.[9][10][11]

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.[12] Centennial remains in year 5+ of school-wide Program Improvement (PI).[7]

• CAHSEE 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 (API) score of at least 650. As of 2010, Centennial High School's API was 573,[13] 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.

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,[14][15] 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"[16][17] in an effort to increase retention of students, student achievement and the site’s graduation rate.