The Central Outdoor Classroom serves as an extension of the regular classroom where Central ISD students in grades K - 12 participate in field science investigation experiences. The classroom structure was built through grant funding and is maintained through fund raisers and grants. The Outdoor Classroom has served as a summer academy for Gear-Up students, as a teaching site for Stephen F. Austin University Environmental Science classes and has hosted Region VII Educational Center workshops. Each year, Central 2nd graders participate in a "Cowboy Unit" at the Outdoor Classroom site. Other school events include an annual Easter Egg hunt for Kindergarten and a 7th grade Community Day. The Outdoor Classroom serves as a center where students can learn how to deal with their environment and its effect on their lives.

Central Junior High students are active participants in the many areas of the University Interscholastic League, an extension of The University of Texas at Austin. UIL offers the most comprehensive literary and academic competitive program in the nation. These activities, which exist to complement the academic curriculum, are designed to motivate students as they acquire higher levels of knowledge, to challenge students to confront issues of importance, and to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of specific skills. Acting as a sort of NCAA for public school competitions, the UIL is one of the oldest and most respected systems of school competition in the nation and the largest in the number of participating students.

GEAR UP is a federal grant program of the Department of Educations enacted in 1998. In it’s first year, over 450,000 students participated nationwide. GEAR UP teams with over 1,000 different organizations nationwide. Our GEAR UP is a federal grant program that is a cooperative partnership of the Department of Education, C.I.S.D., Angelina College and Stephen F. Austin State University. We are here to provide students with the tools, information, and motivation necessary to successfully navigate through High School and on into the promising world of College. GEAR UP’s purpose is to ensure each and every student who participates in our program will not only graduate, but will attend the college of their choice. So what are you waiting for? Get GEARed UP for College Today!