Champaign Central High School

Champaign Central High School
Address
610 West University Ave.

Champaign
,
Illinois

United States
Information
Former namesWest Side High School Champaign Senior High School
TypePublic
Established1870
School districtChampaign Community Unit 4 School District
PrincipalJoe Williams
Grades9-12
GenderCo-Ed
Number of students1,509 (2022–23)
Color(s)  maroon
  white
Athletics conferenceBig 12
MascotMax Maroon (Bear) The Color of Maroon
NicknameMaroons
RivalCentennial High School Urbana High School
WebsiteCentral Website

Champaign Central High School is a high school located in Champaign, Illinois. It has 1,509 students in grades 9-12. The principal is Joe Williams. It is part of the Champaign Unit 4 School District school system. Its sports teams are the Champaign Maroons.

History

Champaign High School, now Champaign Central High School, began serving the public in 1870. The present school site, 610 W. University Avenue, was donated by J.P. White to the public schools of Champaign in 1868 and has housed Central High School since 1956. During the 1963-64 school year, due to over-crowding approximately 300 students were assigned on a half-day basis to Jefferson Middle School. These students attended three academic classes at Jefferson plus three classes at the senior high school. During the 1965-66 school year, approximately 550 sophomores attended classes in the first phase of the Senior High School Annex. They attended classes on the same schedule as those at Champaign High School. The 1966-67 school year found an equal distribution of sophomore and junior students at both Champaign Senior High School and the Annex. So in 1968-69, the Champaign Board of Education officially established two district high schools, Central and Centennial. On April 1, 1997, the taxpayers of Champaign approved a bond issue that included an addition and extensive remodeling to Central High School. The main features of the new addition and remodeling were a large modern media center, a child development/day care center, foods laboratory, an expanded student services area, and three large state of the art biological science laboratories. An open house and dedication of the new facilities was held on September 13, 1998. Central's mascot is a maroon bear, Max Maroon, and the school colors are maroon and white.

In 2011, the Champaign school board began looking into replacing Champaign Central High School, citing concerns over the school's current facilities. Central has shared Centennial High School's football, softball, and soccer fields since the 1960s. By 2014 the district had purchased farmland on Champaign's north end with the intent of building a new Central high school there. However, local opposition led to the district in 2016 approving a renovation plan keeping both Central and Centennial in their current locations, while building additions to the two high schools. Central's renovations were completed in early 2023 at a cost of over $102 million dollars and involved the demolition of multiple historic buildings in the surrounding neighborhood, including the former YMCA and Burnham mansion. As a result, Central now has its own sports facilities spread out within a mile of the school, but McKinley field, Central's home football field has not been allowed to host Central's football games due to neighborhood concerns and the field itself only having a capacity of 500 spectators.

Athletics

  • Baseball (Boys)
  • Basketball
  • Cross Country
  • Football
  • Golf
  • Soccer
  • Softball (Girls)
  • Swimming
  • Tennis
  • Track & Field
  • Volleyball (Girls)
  • Wrestling

Notable alumni

References


External links

  • Champaign Central High School Official Site

40°6′58.86″N 88°15′7.16″W / 40.1163500°N 88.2519889°W / 40.1163500; -88.2519889

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