New Centennial High in Compton Groundbreaking Celebration
On Thursday, May 7th, the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Centennial High School officially marked the beginning of construction on a state-of-the-art $270 million high school in California.
It was a significant day in Compton, bringing joy to many attendees, including Centennial High School alumni, Compton Unified School District Board Members, CUSD Superintendent Dr. Darin Brawley, CUSD Executive Cabinet Members, the Mayor and Council Members of Compton, Centennial students, families, friends, and residents.
Notable alumni such as Dr. Dre and Kendrick Lamar were present at the ceremony. The new Centennial High School will be the latest high school built in California, following the successful opening of the brand-new Compton High School in August 2025. Scheduled to welcome its first class of students in August 2029, the new Centennial High School will feature: – A 32-acre campus – Facilities for over 1,800 students – A 220,000 square foot space distributed across multiple buildings – A state-of-the-art, 42,000 square foot performing arts center – A new CIF pool – California-native and adaptive landscaping This new campus will replace the previous Centennial High School, which was built in 1954 and had been in use for over 70 years.
Compton Unified School Board President Micah Ali hosted the ceremony and brought the message of pride for the school district and the city of Compton. He personally invited Dr. Dre and Kendrick Lamar to ensure these former Centennial Apaches were there for this great groundbreaking ceremony. There were also speeches by Dr. Dre, School Superintendent Darin Brawley, school board members, students, and alumni.
Centennial is a very unique school. It borders the City of Los Angeles and was built at a time when there was white flight in the 50s, and it served a predominantly Black community. The name Apaches was given to Centennial by Aaron Wade, a former teacher, coach, school superintendent, and board member. Throughout the years, the scholars who came through those doors lived up to the Apache name, and for many years, the school excelled in all sports because of the fighting spirit it inspired. Prior to the groundbreaking, former students met on campus to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new. Alumni from as far back as 1963 attended the event. The “Ten” will always be remembered, and it will live on in a new school with new and modern facilities.
