Homes in the
Naperville Central HS district.

Naperville Central traces its roots to Naperville High School, which was established in 1916. The oldest part of the current building on Aurora Avenue, known locally as the 3-Story Wing, was constructed in 1950, with additions following in 1955, 1963, 1968, 1987, 1992, and 2009. After voters passed a 43 million dollar referendum, the school broke ground on a major renovation in May 2009 that rebuilt roughly 75% of the building's footprint, and the fully renovated school reopened at the start of the 2011 school year. The campus sits just outside downtown Naperville, within walking distance of the Riverwalk and directly across the street from the historic Naper Settlement.

Naperville Central is consistently recognized for strong academics and has been ranked in the top 3% of high schools nationally by U.S. News & World Report. In the U.S. News Best High Schools rankings it placed 22nd in Illinois, with an AP participation rate of 57% and a graduation rate of 97%, versus the Illinois state average of 87%. The school has also appeared on Newsweek's list of the top public high schools in the country.

Naperville Central competes in the DuPage Valley Conference and is a member of the Illinois High School Association, with teams known as the Redhawks in red and white. The Redhawks have won IHSA state championships across a wide range of sports, including girls basketball (back-to-back titles in 2003 and 2004 in the Candace Parker era), football, baseball, boys and girls swimming and diving, boys and girls volleyball, tennis, and boys water polo. One of the school's most famous traditions is Butch, an ancient Egyptian mummy displayed in a glass case on the second floor.