Central High, Chattanooga: zone, report card and calendar

Last checked Oct. 18, 2026. Sources: Central High, Hamilton County Schools, the Tennessee Department of Education’s State Report Card and 2024-25 and 2026 data files, the federal NCES school directory and the TSSAA.

Central High School is a Hamilton County Schools high school on Highway 58. Its mailing address says Harrison, but Census Bureau maps place the campus inside Chattanooga city limits. The TSSAA lists the school as Chattanooga Central High School.

• Address: 5728 Highway 58, Harrison, TN 37341
• Main office: 423-344-1447
• Grades: 9 to 12
• School hours: 7:20 a.m. to 2:20 p.m.
• Website: chs.hcde.org

Who to call

• Front office: 423-344-1447
• Enrolling a new student: the district’s registration page, or the Family Connection Center, 423-843-4799, at 3074 Claude Ramsey Parkway
• Checking a zone: the School Zone Finder or the county’s school zone lookup map
• Buses: the district’s transportation hotline, 423-498-5555, and its Bus Stop Finder

Principal

Principal Dr. Justin McCulley, according to the school’s website. The assistant principals are Ronald Simmons and Brielle Farrow.

Enrollment

The federal NCES directory counted 670 students in the 2023-24 school year, with 44 full-time-equivalent teachers, about 15 students per teacher. The Tennessee Department of Education’s 2024-25 school profile file has a newer count of 617 students.

State report card

Tennessee grades every public school A to F. The department says School Letter Grades give “a snapshot of how each school in the state is performing, including student achievement and academic growth measures for all schools, as well as a measure of college and career readiness just for high schools.”

From the state’s 2024-25 letter grade file, 2025 graduation rate file and 2024-25 ACT file:

The state’s spring 2026 test file has the share of Central High students who met or exceeded expectations on each test. On the high school end-of-course exams, English II 38.5%, Biology 37%, Geometry 28.3%, English I 18.6%, Algebra I 13.7%, Algebra II 12.9% and U.S. History 6.7%. The 2025-26 letter grades have not been published yet.

The State Report Card page for Central High holds the full detail: results by subject and grade, chronic absenteeism and results for each group of students.

Attendance zone and feeder schools

Hamilton County Schools zones by address, and zones do not follow city limits. Check an address in the School Zone Finder, which shows the zoned school for the current school year, or the county’s school zone lookup map of the 2026-27 zones. The district’s printable zone maps are on its School Zones page.

Comparing the district’s 2026-27 high school zone map with Census Bureau city limits, the Central High zone lies mostly outside Chattanooga city limits, with a smaller part inside the city.

The 2026-27 zone maps put all or part of the Hunter Middle and Brown Middle middle school zones inside the Central High zone, so those are its feeder middle schools.

We found no rezoning approved by the Hamilton County Board of Education that changes this school’s zone for 2026-27.

Calendar and school hours

Hamilton County Schools’ 2026-27 school calendar (PDF, linked from the district’s calendar page, board-approved May 8, 2025) has these dates next:

• Monday, Oct. 19: second quarter begins
• Friday, Oct. 23: first-quarter report cards
• Nov. 25-27: Thanksgiving break
• Friday, Dec. 18: second quarter ends
• Dec. 21 to Jan. 1: winter break
• Jan. 4-5, 2027: professional development days, no school for students
• Monday, Jan. 18: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Monday, Feb. 15: Presidents Day
• March 22-25: spring break, followed by the Good Friday holiday on Friday, March 26
• Wednesday, May 19, 2027: fourth quarter ends; last day for students

School hours are 7:20 a.m. to 2:20 p.m., according to the district’s 2026-27 bell schedule, which lists early dismissal at 10:50 a.m. on half days.

Sports and activities

For 2026-27, the TSSAA football classification list puts the team in Division I, Class 3A, Region 3, with Brainerd, Chattanooga Prep and Tyner. Basketball is in Class 3A, Region 3, District 6, with Brainerd, East Ridge, Hixson, Red Bank, Signal Mountain and Soddy Daisy.

The school’s athletics page lists volleyball, football, girls and boys soccer, cheerleading, boys and girls basketball, wrestling, bowling, cross country, softball, tennis, track, flag football, a JROTC Raiders team and baseball. Ronald Simmons is athletic director; the page says the bowling team’s home lanes are at Spare Time in Hixson.

More

• The school’s own site: chs.hcde.org, listed on the district’s School Websites page
• Every public school in town: Chattanooga public schools
• Calendars, enrollment and the school board: our Chattanooga schools guide
• Game nights: Friday night football and the scoreboard

Frequently asked questions

What grades does Central High serve?

Ninth through 12th grade. The main office number is 423-344-1447.

What is Central High’s state report card grade?

Central High received a D overall in Tennessee’s 2024-25 School Letter Grades, according to the Tennessee Department of Education. Its 2025 graduation rate was 89.2%.

Which middle schools feed Central High?

Hunter Middle and Brown Middle, according to the district’s 2026-27 zone maps. Check a specific address in the district’s School Zone Finder.

What time does Central High start?

School runs from 7:20 a.m. to 2:20 p.m., according to the district’s 2026-27 bell schedule.

What TSSAA class is Central High football in?

Division I, Class 3A, Region 3 for 2026-27, with Brainerd, Chattanooga Prep and Tyner, according to the TSSAA classification list.