 "Massacre at Central High" attracted little attention when first released, but when reissued in 1980, "New York Times" critic Vincent Canby praised it as "an original, fascinating work", and named it as one of his 20 favorite films of the year.Roger Ebert also discussed the film favorably on his television show "Sneak Previews", describing it as "intelligent and uncompromising".Dave Sindelar from "Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings" praised the film's characters, political subtext, and depth, while criticizing some of the dialogue, and soundtrack.