Manchester High School Central

This article is about the secondary school in New Hampshire, United States. For the former school of the same name in Manchester, England, see Manchester Academy (Moss Side).
Manchester Central High School
Address
Map
207 Lowell Street

Manchester
,
New Hampshire
03104

United States
Coordinates42°59′35″N 71°27′14″W / 42.993°N 71.454°W / 42.993; -71.454
Information
School typePublic High School
FoundedMarch 30, 1846; 178 years ago (1846-03-30)[1]
School districtManchester School District
SuperintendentJenn Gillis
CEEB code300355
PrincipalDebora Roukey
Staff87.40 (FTE)[2]
Grades9–12
Enrollment1,168 (2022–2023)[2]
Student to teacher ratio13.36[2]
LanguageEnglish
Color(s)   Green and White
Athletics conferenceNHIAA
Division I
MascotLittle Green
RivalsManchester Memorial High School, Manchester West High School
AccreditationNEASC
NewspaperThe Little Green, MCHS Oracle
Communities servedManchester
Formerly: Candia
Feeder schoolsHenry J. McLaughlin Middle School
Hillside Middle School
Southside Middle School
Middle School at Parkside
Formerly: Henry W. Moore School (K-8) in Candia
Websitecentral.mansd.org
Last updated: January 1, 2018

Manchester High School Central is a public high school in Manchester, New Hampshire. Located in the city's downtown, it has an enrollment of approximately 1,200 students.[3] Students attend from Manchester Hooksett. The name was changed from Manchester High School in 1922 when Manchester West High School opened. Including Central, Manchester has a total of four public high schools, all a part of the Manchester School District.

Its athletics teams are nicknamed the Little Green (after Dartmouth's Big Green) and the school colors are green and white. Sports Illustrated named the school's athletic department as the best in the state of New Hampshire in 2005.[4]

The school originally had crimson red as its school color, but Concord High School had taken the color soon after. After the start of the 20th century, the two schools decided that the winner of a league championship would keep its colors; Concord won, and Manchester Central chose forest green as its new color.

Ronald Mailhot was named interim principal at the end of 2011, following the retirement of former principal John R. Rist, but returned as full-time principal in 2012. Mailhot later resigned in the middle of the 2013-2014 school year and was replaced by John Rist for his second stint as principal of Central. Rist retired at the end of the 2014 school year and was succeeded by John M. Vaccarezza. After Vaccarezza’s departure in 2021, Debora Roukey became the school’s first female principal.

Central High School's student newspaper The Little Green was commended by Columbia Scholastic Press and featured in the Manchester Daily Express as well as the New Hampshire Union Leader.[5] In 2012, the New England Scholastic Press Association (NESPA) awarded its Highest Achievement award in Scholastic Editing and Publishing to the newspaper for the 2011-2012 school year.

Bronze statue of Abraham Lincoln by John Rogers in front of the Burns Building at Central High School.
  1. ^ "Central Turns 170 - Central High School". Central High School. Archived from the original on August 12, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Manchester Central High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  3. ^ "Central High School". central.mansd.org. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  4. ^ "2005 Best Sports High Schools By State". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on May 13, 2005. Retrieved 2009-03-15.
  5. ^ "High School Journalism Awards". New Hampshire Union Leader. Retrieved 2009-03-15.