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Independence Middle

Q: Is Independence Middle a good school?

Independence Middle ranks 186 th of 419 Virginia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

186^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 419 Virginia Middle Schools

Better than 56% of Virginia middle schools

Summary

Independence Middle is a public middle school in Virginia Beach, Virginia, serving 1,208 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Virginia Beach City Public Schools district, which is ranked 25 out of 129 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating.

Academically, Independence Middle consistently ranks in the top half of Virginia middle schools, with performance on state assessments generally on par with or slightly below the district average, but above the state average in most subjects. The school excels in advanced math courses like Algebra I and Geometry, but struggles more with overall Mathematics proficiency. Interestingly, the school's performance varies significantly across different student subgroups, with Hispanic and English Language Learner students outperforming African American and military-connected students.

Compared to nearby schools, Larkspur Middle and Lynnhaven Middle perform similarly to Independence Middle, while the magnet Old Donation School significantly outperforms the other Virginia Beach schools. In contrast, Norview Middle and Azalea Gardens Middle in the neighboring Norfolk City Public Schools district have much lower academic performance and higher percentages of students from low-income backgrounds.

1,193

Students ?

15.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,654

Per pupil spending ?

47.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1370 Dunstan Ln
Virginia Beach, VA 23455-4960

(757) 648-4600

District: Virginia Beach City Public Schools

Feeder schools for Independence Middle:

Elementary:	Hermitage Elementary
	Malibu Elementary
	Pembroke Elementary
	Pembroke Meadows Elementary
	More...
	Thalia Elementary
	Windsor Woods Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

44.8%

African American:

26.1%

Hispanic:

14.1%

See top rated Virginia middle schools

Compare Independence Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 66th percentile in 2015 → 56th in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the Virginia median (56th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Near the bottom of Virginia Beach City Public Schools's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school73%

District avg78%

Virginia avg69%

186^th of 419

Virginia public middle schools ?

Top 44%▼ down 10 pts since 2015

From top 34% (2015) to top 44% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

11^th of 14Middle Schools in the Virginia Beach City Public Schools

25^th of 129Virginia Beach City Public Schools among Virginia districts

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

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	58.6	186 of 419	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.1	146 of 417	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.8	168 of 422	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.7	172 of 415	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.4	136 of 419	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.5	146 of 424	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.0	143 of 413	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	65.1	97 of 415	76.6%	★★★★☆
2016	61.5	122 of 409	70.2%	★★★★☆
2015	60.7	141 of 412	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2014	53.8	174 of 416	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2013	52.2	174 of 416	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	58.1	133 of 413	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	48.2	221 of 413	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2010	50.0	205 of 408	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	51.5	181 of 390	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2008	54.8	170 of 391	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	52.1	186 of 387	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2006	59.1	129 of 383	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2005	63.4	130 of 340	61.8%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	49.5	160 of 297	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	57.1	134 of 299	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.6	154 of 298	48.3%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	55.4	74 of 136	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	81.5	3 of 128	97.7%	★★★★★
2023	35.8	97 of 132	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2024	59.2	105 of 281	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.6	123 of 278	55.8%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2024	96.0	4 of 122	96.7%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	53.9	202 of 403	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.1	158 of 407	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.9	187 of 411	54.5%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	74.0	57 of 279	79.6%	★★★★☆
2024	73.6	61 of 272	77.6%	★★★★☆
2023	67.8	67 of 275	75.6%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	64.5	132 of 403	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.7	123 of 402	69.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	60.7	160 of 404	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.3	128 of 407	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.1	145 of 409	64.5%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	44.6	80 of 130	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.1	61 of 123	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.7	63 of 114	44.7%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	56.0	109 of 244	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.9	81 of 237	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.0	100 of 231	56.7%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	54.8	185 of 400	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.5	152 of 396	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.5	192 of 402	52.2%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

English Language Learner (2024)97th percentile+32 vs school

Hispanic (2025)80th percentile+24 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)67th percentile+12 vs school

Disabled (2024)63rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)60th percentile+5 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)55th percentile~ school

White (2025)54th percentile~ school

Female (2025)50th percentile-6 vs school

African American (2025)46th percentile-9 vs school

Asian (2025)46th percentile-10 vs school

Military Connected (2025)38th percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2024-2025) ?

Algebra I99%+5 vs state

Earth Science97%+7 vs state

Geometry94%-3 vs state

English Reading80%+8 vs state

Civics and Economics80%+6 vs state

Science59%-7 vs state

Mathematics51%-5 vs state

2.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★0

4★0

3★1

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, March 19, 2022

Special needs services are lacking Close Quote

by a parent
Monday, May 28, 2018

Removed my child from public school due to the negligence of the Principals, and teachers at this school. Several teachers were proven to have lied about behaviors of children, investigations were not done properly, and the overall principal was proven to have lied about actions that he said he would take. Anytime you have a face to face meeting with anyone at this school, ensure that you send a follow up e-mail writing exactly what was discussed, because if you ever need to take up issues higher, the staff inherits a sudden case of amnesia. There is currently a petition that parents are getting signed that state that they do not feel safe with current administration at that school. Close Quote

Schools Near Independence Middle

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SOL Geometry (2025)	SOL Algebra I (2025)		SOL Mathematics (2025)						SOL Science (2025)		SOL Earth Science (2025)	SOL English Reading (2025)						SOL Geography (2025)	SOL Civics and Economics (2025)		SOL VA Studies (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	SOL Geometry 8th Grade	SOL Algebra I 7th Grade	SOL Algebra I 8th Grade	SOL Mathematics 3rd Grade	SOL Mathematics 4th Grade	SOL Mathematics 5th Grade	SOL Mathematics 6th Grade	SOL Mathematics 7th Grade	SOL Mathematics 8th Grade	SOL Science 5th Grade	SOL Science 8th Grade	SOL Earth Science 8th Grade	SOL English Reading 3rd Grade	SOL English Reading 4th Grade	SOL English Reading 5th Grade	SOL English Reading 6th Grade	SOL English Reading 7th Grade	SOL English Reading 8th Grade	SOL Geography 8th Grade	SOL Civics and Economics 7th Grade	SOL Civics and Economics 8th Grade	SOL VA Studies 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Independence Middle	Public	6-8	1370 Dunstan Ln	Virginia Beach	23455	Virginia Beach city	Virginia Beach City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 648-4600	1,193	76	15.6	47.3%	534 (44.8%)	311 (26.1%)	168 (14.1%)	45 (3.8%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.3%)	130 (10.9%)	58.6	186^th of 419 public middle schools	55.6%		65.1	146^th of 417 public middle schools	65.0%	40	94.2	100.0	98.1				59.4	49.8	40.0		58.9	97.3				79.8	81.6	79.7			79.7		$13,654	$999	$12,654
Old Donation School	Public, Magnet	2-8	4633 Honeygrove Road	Virginia Beach	23455	Virginia Beach city	Virginia Beach City Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(757) 648-3240	1,377	86	15.9	14.3%	761 (55.3%)	72 (5.2%)	95 (6.9%)	285 (20.7%)	4 (0.3%)	10 (0.7%)	150 (10.9%)	85.7	18^th of 419 public middle schools	95.7%		86.8	14^th of 417 public middle schools	96.6%	4	100.0	100.0		100.0	100.0	100.0				99.2		100.0	100.0	100.0	99.2	100.0	100.0	100.0			100.0	100.0	$12,549	$657	$11,892
Bayside 6th Grade Campus	Public	6	4722 Jericho Road	Virginia Beach	23462	Virginia Beach city	Virginia Beach City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 648-4440	329	37	8.7	99.7%	77 (23.4%)	172 (52.3%)	43 (13.1%)	13 (4.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (7.0%)								(n/a)							66.6									69.1
Bayside Middle	Public	6-8	965 Newtown Rd	Virginia Beach	23462	Virginia Beach city	Virginia Beach City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 648-4400	628	61	10.2	96.3%	100 (15.9%)	340 (54.1%)	106 (16.9%)	13 (2.1%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	65 (10.4%)	42.3	265^th of 419 public middle schools	36.8%		32.8	308^th of 417 public middle schools	26.1%	43	100.0	100.0	98.0					50.9	51.2		49.0	94.1					72.3	66.8			69.2		$16,229	$1,936	$14,293
Great Neck Middle	Public	6-8	1848 North Great Neck Rd	Virginia Beach	23454	Virginia Beach city	Virginia Beach City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 648-4550	1,039	66	15.6	30.1%	674 (64.9%)	103 (9.9%)	130 (12.5%)	29 (2.8%)	1 (0.1%)	5 (0.5%)	97 (9.3%)	81.6	37^th of 419 public middle schools	91.2%		81.4	47^th of 417 public middle schools	88.7%	10	100.0	100.0	96.7				80.4		47.5		80.8	100.0				87.9	89.0	88.6			92.3		$13,343	$894	$12,449
Plaza Middle	Public	6-8	3080 S Lynnhaven Rd	Virginia Beach	23452	Virginia Beach city	Virginia Beach City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 648-4900	1,033	67	15.5	44.6%	474 (45.9%)	244 (23.6%)	137 (13.3%)	54 (5.2%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	120 (11.6%)	70.2	116^th of 419 public middle schools	72.3%		68.6	120^th of 417 public middle schools	71.2%	4	98.9	100.0	99.2				64.2	24.7	58.1		60.0	100.0				81.4	83.5	88.8			86.6		$14,077	$828	$13,249
Larkspur Middle	Public	6-8	4696 Princess Anne Rd	Virginia Beach	23462	Virginia Beach city	Virginia Beach City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 648-4800	1,488	87	17.1	76.3%	427 (28.7%)	529 (35.6%)	290 (19.5%)	55 (3.7%)	2 (0.1%)	5 (0.3%)	180 (12.1%)	44.6	250^th of 419 public middle schools	40.3%		50.4	226^th of 417 public middle schools	45.8%	24	91.0	98.3	96.3				60.8	40.1	39.3		45.4	97.2				69.7	71.0	75.2			73.4		$13,929	$1,339	$12,590
Lynnhaven Middle	Public	6-8	1250 Bayne Dr	Virginia Beach	23454	Virginia Beach city	Virginia Beach City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 648-4850	727	73	9.9	93.8%	356 (49.0%)	202 (27.8%)	80 (11.0%)	13 (1.8%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	73 (10.0%)	60.2	174^th of 419 public middle schools	58.5%		54.1	208^th of 417 public middle schools	50.1%	34	88.9	100.0	100.0				76.6	50.0	53.8		52.6	92.6				75.1	74.8	82.0			77.4		$19,932	$1,362	$18,570
Kempsville Middle	Public	6-8	860 Churchill Dr	Virginia Beach	23464	Virginia Beach city	Virginia Beach City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 648-4700	727	48	15.2	42.5%	348 (47.9%)	154 (21.2%)	81 (11.1%)	41 (5.6%)	2 (0.3%)	11 (1.5%)	90 (12.4%)	63.5	155^th of 419 public middle schools	63.0%		66	136^th of 417 public middle schools	67.4%	19	100.0	100.0	100.0				70.2	60.7	50.8		60.0	95.0				76.7	82.5	77.9			78.5		$15,157	$929	$14,227
Azalea Gardens Middle	Public	6-8	7721 Azalea Garden Rd	Norfolk	23518	Norfolk city	Norfolk City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 531-3000	792	52	15.2	87.8%	196 (24.7%)	321 (40.5%)	176 (22.2%)	20 (2.5%)	5 (0.6%)	4 (0.5%)	70 (8.8%)	27.5	335^th of 419 public middle schools	20.0%		26.7	333^rd of 417 public middle schools	20.1%	2	60.9	91.2	95.3				49.8	45.7	45.9		34.4	88.9				56.9	59.3	64.6	92.9	88.3	45.1		$7,416	$221	$7,195

Frequently Asked Questions about Independence Middle

What is the racial makeup of Independence Middle?

Students at Independence Middle are 45% White, 26% African American, 14% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

How many students attend Independence Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,193 students attended Independence Middle.

What district is Independence Middle in?

Virginia Beach City Public Schools

Is Independence Middle a good school?

Independence Middle ranks 186^th of 419 Virginia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Independence Middle!

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