Opened in 1924 as Crystal Lake Community High School, Crystal Lake Central offers students a comprehensive 9-12 grade education including more than 200 courses. These include specialized Advanced Placement, dual credit, Project Lead the Way (PLTW), and Virtual Enterprises International (VEI) course offerings. The school is consistently ranked among the best public high schools in Illinois. In fact, in its most recent annual ranking of all 677 Illinois public high schools, the Chicago Sun-Times listed Crystal Lake Central as the 150th best school in the state. The school also appeared on the 2014 Washington Post list of the country's most challenging schools.

Along with the other District 155 schools, Crystal Lake Central appeared on the College Board's 2014 AP District Honor Roll for the third consecutive year. The honor roll recognizes districts that increased AP participation while maintaining student success rates on the exams. Only 547 districts in the United States and Canada appeared on the 2014 honor roll.