National Register of Historic Places

Central High School

Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Listed
December 4, 1986
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
86003267

About this property

Central High School is a public high school in the Logan section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1836, it is a four-year university preparatory magnet school. About 2,400 students attend grades 9 through 12. Central High School is the only high school in the United States with authority granted by an 1849 Act of Assembly of the Pennsylvania General Assembly to confer academic degrees upon its graduates. This authority to grant academic degrees led Central to refer to the principal of the school as the "president" of Central High School. The current and fifteenth president of Central High School is Katharine S. Davis. Central, rather than using a general class year to identify its classes (as in "class of 2021"), uses the class graduating number system (as in "280th graduating class" or "280"). This tradition started shortly after the school's founding, when it was common to have two graduating classes per year – one in January and one in June. In June 1965, semiannual graduations were replaced by annual graduations. As of the 2025–2026 school year, the current senior class is 285.

Location

Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
40.03745, -75.13840

Categories

EDUCATIONARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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The Civil War
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The Soldiers
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Native Heritage
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Settlement
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The Community
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Nearby Historic Sites

Frank, Henry S., Memorial Synagogue
Industrial
0.3 mi
Howe, Julia Ward, School
Industrial
0.3 mi
Suffolk Manor Apartments
Modern
0.4 mi
Lowell, James Russell, School
Industrial
0.5 mi
Birney, Gen. David B., School
Industrial
0.6 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Germantown (approach actions)
1777Revolutionary War
1.8 mi
Battle of Germantown
1777Revolutionary War
1.9 mi
Battle of Germantown — Chew House
1777Revolutionary War
2.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Central High School listed on the National Register?

Central High School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 4, 1986.

What type of historic resource is Central High School?

Central High School is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Central High School?

The period of significance for Central High School is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Central High School?

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