Centennial High School is a public high school serving grades 9-12 in Champaign, Illinois. It is part of Champaign Unit 4 School District. As of the 2020–21 school year, it had 1,400 students. The school is located next to Jefferson Middle School and Centennial Park.

Curriculum

The school offers a variety of courses, including AP courses in Macroeconomics, English, Calculus AB or BC, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, US History, American Government, and Statistics. In addition, many consumer science and industrial technology courses are offered. The school also offers a Young Adult Program for students 18–21 years of age, which is based at Parkland College. The student-teacher ratio is 16:1, average for the state.

Students

The school's student composition includes 26.7% low-income students. 0.7% of student are of limited English proficiency. There is a high school dropout rate of 1.8%. The ethnic background of students includes 38% African-American, 35% White, 11% Asian, 10% Hispanic, 5% Multiracial, and 0.3% Native American.

Extracurricular activities

Athletics

Centennial competes in interscholastic sports in the Big Twelve Conference (Illinois) of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA).

Fall sports

Winter sports

Spring sports

The girls tennis team won consecutive Illinois state championships in 1995 and 1996. The school's basketball team also won their first state championship game in 2009, beating Oswego 61-59. They had a repeat appearance to the state championships in 2010, taking 4th place overall.

Performance

In 2006, the school was named as one of the top 50 high schools in Illinois, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. In 2006, students' ACT scores exceeded both the state and national averages by about 2 points. In 2007, the school's scores on the Prairie State Achievement Examination (PSAE) Reading and Math tests exceeded the state averages, with around 60-65% of students meeting or exceeding state standards. Currently, the school is not making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).

Notable alumni