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Independence Junior Senior High School

Q: Is Independence Junior Senior High School a good school?

Independence Junior Senior High School ranks 183 rd of 340 Iowa high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-12

183^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 340 Iowa High Schools

Better than 46% of Iowa high schools

Summary

Independence Junior Senior High School is a public high school serving grades 7-12 in Independence, Iowa, which is part of the Independence Community School District. The school has seen fluctuations in its statewide ranking, ranging from 42nd out of 336 Iowa high schools in 2022-2023 to 183rd out of 340 in 2024-2025.

Independence Junior Senior High School has had relatively strong four-year graduation rates, ranging from 80.3% to 91.4% in recent years, which is generally on par with or slightly above the state average. However, the school has also seen fluctuations in chronic absenteeism, with rates ranging from 14.2% to 23.4%, which is higher than the state's target of 10% or less. The school's test scores on the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP) are mixed compared to state averages, with some subject areas and grade levels performing above the state average, while others fall below.

When comparing Independence Junior Senior High School to nearby high schools, some interesting patterns emerge. Schools like North-Linn Senior High School and Jesup High School consistently outperform Independence on state assessments and have higher statewide rankings. In contrast, schools like Oelwein High School and East Buchanan High School tend to have lower test scores and rankings compared to Independence. The school's higher spending per student, at approximately $15,700, does not necessarily translate to higher academic outcomes.

712

Students ?

15.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,700

Per pupil spending ?

29.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

700 20th Ave SW
Independence, IA 50644

(319) 334-7405

District: Independence Community School District

Feeder schools for Independence Junior Senior High School:

Elementary:	East Elementary School
	West Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

90.4%

Hispanic:

4.4%

Two or more races:

3.9%

See top rated Iowa high schools

Compare Independence Junior Senior High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 49th percentile in 2015 → 46th in 2025

Strengths

✓95% graduate in 4 years — above the Iowa average (89%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school70%

District avg70%

Iowa avg71%

Middle school

287^th of 344

Iowa public middle schools ?

Bottom 17%▼ down 21 pts since 2015

From bottom 38% (2015) to bottom 17% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

183^rd of 340

Iowa public high schools ?

Bottom 46%▼ down 3 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Iowa High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

250^th of 313Independence Community School District among Iowa districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Iowa percentile	Rating
2025	25.1	287 of 344	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.4	249 of 337	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	52.3	181 of 334	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.0	215 of 337	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	56.1	154 of 324	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.1	166 of 342	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.9	155 of 318	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	48.2	190 of 327	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	34.9	254 of 343	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	46.0	217 of 349	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2014	65.2	120 of 337	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	47.5	219 of 350	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	34.9	275 of 349	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Iowa percentile	Rating
2025	54.0	183 of 340	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	66.2	113 of 338	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	78.5	42 of 336	87.5%	★★★★☆
2022	73.2	70 of 332	78.9%	★★★★☆
2021	77.7	48 of 327	85.3%	★★★★☆
2019	66.6	114 of 327	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.2	120 of 320	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	69.5	94 of 325	71.1%	★★★★☆
2016	32.7	242 of 320	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	55.4	166 of 324	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2014	28.3	262 of 322	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	52.3	207 of 351	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	48.7	231 of 351	34.2%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts72%-3 vs state

Mathematics69%~ state avg

Science66%-3 vs state

3.0

4 ratings · 3 written reviews

5★1

4★1

3★0

2★1

1★1

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Wednesday, July 5, 2017

These people are very caring and love the kids. They have an awsome counseling group, and wonderful principle. They all work together to make it a great school! Close Quote

by a student
Tuesday, December 23, 2014

They have nice new buildings and some good teachers. However, the superintendent lacks transparency in the administration. The school also puts a higher level of importance on extra curricular activities than it does on advancing the students' intelligence. There are plenty of good teachers, but they are not always the most effective. Close Quote

by a citizen
Thursday, December 11, 2014

Poor leadership at top- superintendent, as well as school board itself// not transparent with many of going on in school Close Quote

Schools Near Independence Junior Senior High School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ISASP English Language Arts (2025)						ISASP Mathematics (2025)						ISASP Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISASP English Language Arts 6th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 7th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 8th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 9th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 10th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 11th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 6th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 7th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 8th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 9th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 10th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 11th Grade	ISASP Science 8th Grade	ISASP Science 10th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Independence Junior Senior High School	Public	7-12	700 20th Ave SW	Independence	50644	Buchanan County	Independence Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 334-7405	712	45	15.8	29.4%	644 (90.4%)	8 (1.1%)	31 (4.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (3.9%)	54	183^rd of 340 public high schools	46.2%		66.2	113^th of 338 public high schools	66.6%	70		64.7	73.5	72.0	72.8	75.7		68.6	61.1	72.0	72.8	70.4	63.7	68.0	$15,700	$579	$15,121
Jesup High School	Public	9-12	531 Prospect	Jesup	50648	Buchanan County	Jesup Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 827-1700	269	18	14.8	17.8%	260 (96.7%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.2%)	74.6	60^th of 340 public high schools	82.4%		79.7	34^th of 338 public high schools	89.9%	26				86.0	80.0	77.8				82.5	83.1	82.5		73.8	$13,563	$202	$13,361
East Buchanan High School	Public	9-12	414 5th St North	Winthrop	50682	Buchanan County	East Buchanan Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 935-3367	189	18	10.6	39.2%	180 (95.2%)	3 (1.6%)	3 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.6%)	37.3	257^th of 340 public high schools	24.4%		40.5	237^th of 338 public high schools	29.9%	20				72.0	76.3	61.5				68.0	60.5	61.5		52.6	$15,562	$271	$15,292
Dunkerton High School	Public	6-12	509 Canfield	Dunkerton	50626	Black Hawk County	Dunkerton Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 822-4295	200	19	10.5	32.0%	186 (93.0%)	1 (0.5%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (5.5%)	41.2	236^th of 340 public high schools	30.6%		56	170^th of 338 public high schools	49.7%	66	92.0	80.8	75.0	70.4	69.6	80.0	92.0	84.6	83.3	63.0	56.5	60.0	70.8	65.2	$15,242	$249	$14,993
Oelwein High School	Public	9-12	315 8th Ave SE	Oelwein	50662	Fayette County	Oelwein Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 283-2731	334	26	12.8	42.5%	286 (85.6%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.3%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (7.5%)	27.9	282^nd of 340 public high schools	17.1%		20.5	293^rd of 338 public high schools	13.3%	11				62.2	70.8	47.9				52.4	61.5	57.5		73.8	$18,811	$1,466	$17,345
North-Linn Senior High School	Public	9-12	3033 Lynx Drive	Troy Mills	52344	Linn County	North Linn Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 224-3291	158	13	11.8	24.7%	151 (95.6%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.2%)	72.6	72^nd of 340 public high schools	78.8%		71.1	86^th of 338 public high schools	74.6%	14				97.4	91.4	78.0				86.8	82.9	61.0		65.7	$13,474	$183	$13,291
Union High School	Public	9-12	200 Adams St	La Porte City	50651	Black Hawk County	Union Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 342-2697	279	23	11.8	24.0%	255 (91.4%)	3 (1.1%)	13 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.9%)	69.8	90^th of 340 public high schools	73.5%		66.3	112^th of 338 public high schools	66.9%	22				94.7	76.8	82.7				84.2	68.1	80.2		68.1	$15,170	$348	$14,821
Wapsie Valley High School	Public	7-12	RR 2 2535 Viking Ave	Fairbank	50629	Bremer County	Wapsie Valley Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 638-6711	273	23	11.9	17.2%	256 (93.8%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.9%)	30.1	274^th of 340 public high schools	19.4%		34.6	261^st of 338 public high schools	22.8%	13		90.2	80.5	67.4	70.2	59.6		82.9	75.6	67.4	63.8	49.1	63.4	57.4	$13,502	$255	$13,248

Frequently Asked Questions about Independence Junior Senior High School

What is the racial makeup of Independence Junior Senior High School?

Students at Independence Junior Senior High School are 90% White, 4% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 1% African American.

What schools feed into Independence Junior Senior High School?

Independence Junior Senior High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : East Elementary School
Elementary : West Elementary School

What district is Independence Junior Senior High School in?

Independence Community School District

Is Independence Junior Senior High School a good school?

Independence Junior Senior High School ranks 183^rd of 340 Iowa high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Independence Junior Senior High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 712 students attended Independence Junior Senior High School.

Rate Independence Junior Senior High School!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Iowa Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.