The athletic programs compete in the Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League of the 5A division according to the KSHSAA.

The present building at the intersection of Front and Crawford Streets was dedicated October 27, 1952 at 7:30 PM in the school's auditorium.

The building was quite modern by standards of the day and was considered the premiere high school facility in the state of Kansas.

The building had approximately 150,000 square feet (14,000 m2) of space divided into classrooms, recreation and public use, and stairways and halls.

The current cafeteria, non-spectator gym and the block of classrooms located at the south end of the building was added in the 1960s.

[10] In 2018, 80.61 percent of sophomores tested in the Kansas Assessment Program were below 300, the equivalent of the college ready benchmark of 22 on the ACT in math.

[11][12] Salina Central offers a wide variety of athletic programs due to the school's size.

[14] Additionally, the Mustangs had back-to-back-to-back undefeated regular seasons and held a 46-game winning-streak in district play from 1991 to 2007, until they were defeated by Topeka Seaman High School.

In the summer of 2010, Salina Central performed its second show in three years at the International Thespian Festival with the one-act The Least Offensive Play in the Whole Darn World.

[citation needed] The following school year, Troupe 639's “Antigone” directed by Barbara Hilt was chosen as a main-stage performance for Virtual Kansas Thespian Festival.