The school is 17 miles west of Chicago and serves a suburban residential area of approximately 35,000 people.

The Central campus draws its students from all of the village of Hinsdale, majority of Clarendon Hills and Oak Brook, and small parts of Burr Ridge, Darien, Willowbrook and Westmont.

The first high school class graduated in 1883 and had four students: Alice Warren, Minnie Hinds, Grace Redfield, and Florence Webster.

By the 1930s, a site for a new school to serve the growing community was purchased south of town at the corner of 55th & Grant Streets.

Though a new football field was dedicated on this property in 1932, Depression and World War II constraints postponed construction until 1948.

Hinsdale South High School opened in 1965 at the corner of Clarendon Hills Road and 75th Street in Darien.

The other property at the corner of Midwest Road and 31st Street in Oak Brook, for a potential Hinsdale North High School, was later determined to be not needed, and was sold.

In 2004, the school underwent additional construction to alleviate crowded hallways and rebuild deteriorating parts of the building.

The reconstruction included a new 5 million dollar library, extended cafeteria, and connected hallways greatly opening up the campus and improving the flow of traffic.

[8] Many Hinsdale Central Students were in favor of the referendum, citing outdated infrastructure and mold, and supported the Vote Yes campaign.

The basement of the school, where Career and Technical Education was taught, also received renovation, giving it wider spaces for woodworking, metalworking, and robotics classes.

In the same year, 62% of students identified as non-Hispanic white, 22% were Asian or Asian-American, 10% were Hispanic or Latino, 4% were multiracial, and 2% were black or African-American.

[13] Current sports include boys' and girls' lacrosse, basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and water polo.

The following IHSA sponsored competitive activities have finished in the top 4 of their respective state tournament:[16] After their April 2022 4th place win in the State finals, the Illinois High School Association awarded one member of the Scholastic Bowl team with a trip to Africa.

Hinsdale Central has integrated their server with Microsoft's SharePoint Services solution as opposed to their original use of Blackboard in the 2003-2004 school year.