The Shade-Central City School District includes an elementary school and a junior-senior high school both situated in a campus setting. The school district is usually classified as a small, rural district with an enrollment of 334 students, a decrease of over approximately 30 students from the last comprehensive plan report.
The district is comprised of approximately 3000 residents, which a drop of approximately 1000 residents since the last Comprehensive Plan.  The District comprises of about 140 square miles.  There is one township (Shade) and the borough of Central City within the boundaries. The district is predominantly rural with a coal mining heritage. The residents are primarily from an Eastern European background with few minorities. Currently, the district special education population is approximately 24%.  The district has been approved as a Community Provision school.  All students receive free breakfast and free lunch.
The Shade-Central City School District will develop an emerging plan that will emphasize the importance of 21st Century Skills, the continuance of a high-performance school district, and the involvement of as many stakeholders as possible.