The Central High School collection contains a number of different series. There are photographs, newspaper clippings, examples of school work, school newspapers, alumni notes and scrapbooks. The school newspapers chronicle a large time span, while many of the other things concentrate on either the late 1800s to early 1920s, or the mid to late 1970s and beyond. Because of the class project there is a bulk of information involving 1979.

The collection includes a comprehensive set of the Helios, the school newspaper turned yearbook, as well as a number of photographs of such things as sports teams, students and faculty members. There is also alumni information, newspaper clippings of sporting events and programs for commencement and spring musicals. There are also a number of scrapbooks that contain information from the late 1880s through the early 1920s.

Some small accessions of related materials have been attached to this collection since it was originally received, including reunion materials for the Classes of 1926, 1986, 1991 and 1993 and a 1913 publication by Grace F. Ellis. However, since the formation of the generic GRPL High Schools collection, #316, other Central High and Grand Rapids High School materials, not originally received with this collection, can be found there.