Central Elementary School currently serves the district’s first grade students. The storied history associated with Central School began in 1891, when the area where the school now stands became the site of the first school in the Henderson School District, which had been created in 1889 but had not offered classes until 1891. (The Henderson school community had been having classes in town since 1877.) During the construction of the two-story frame building with a high porch and belfry, the two hundred twenty-six students and two teachers had classes in the Henderson College, which was on the corner of College and South Main. The first graduates of the school district were five girls, who graduated in 1899.

In 1913, a school bond election passed, allowing for the construction of a three-story brick building to be built adjacent to the frame school that already stood. This building remains today as part of Central Elementary school. An excerpt from the 1913 Rusk County News describes the laying of the cornerstone for the new building:

The laying of the corner store of Henderson's new public school building on last Tuesday afternoon by Clinton Lodge No. 23, A.F. & A. M., was an interesting as well as important occasion, witnessed by several hundred people. Visiting Masons came from Tyler, Troup, Overton, Pine¬hill, Mt. Enterprise and other places to witness and take part in the ceremonies. Present as the representative of the Grand Master of Texas, Grand Junior Warden D. S. McMillan, of Whiteright, Texas, presided over the ceremonies, acting as the Most Worshipful Grand Master. Other of¬ficers acting as representatives of the Grand Lodge were J. P. McClarty, Deputy Grand Master; Charles L. Brachfield, Grand Senior Ward; Joe E. Arnold, Grand Junior Warden; Keenan Barrett, Grand Secretary; B. Brach¬field, Grand Treasurer; Rev. C. A. Tower, Grand Chaplain; Homer Higgen¬bothan and N. C. Smith, Grand Stewards; J. E. Easly, Grand Senior Deacon; John Lawson, Grand Junior Deacon; W. F. Johnson, Grand Tiler; R. T. Brown, Grand Marshall.

Within the cript of the stone, enclosed in a hermetically sealed copper box, were placed a bible, roster of the membership and officers of Clinton Lodge and officers of the Grand Lodge of Texas, also a roster of the Board of Trustees of the Henderson schools, school faculty and graduating class for 1913-14, pastors of local churches, local county officers, the Henderson bar and medical profession, a vial each of wheat, wine and oil, Masonic apron and gloves, copy Revised Constitution and Edicts of the Grand Lodge of Texas, a number of silver and copper coins, and a copy each of the Henderson Times and the Rusk County News.

At the conclusion of the ceremonies Judge John R. Arnold made a short speech, introducing Hon. Henry Edwards, of Troup, the orator for the occasion, who delivered a most interesting and inspiring oration.

Central Elementary currently serves as a first grade only
campus and was a 2005-2006 TEA Recognized Campus.