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Independence High (Alternative)

Public Grades 9-12

1910^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 12% of California high schools

Summary

Independence High (Alternative) is a small public high school in Merced, California, serving grades 9-12 and part of the Merced Union High School District. Despite its proximity to several other high schools in the district, Independence High (Alternative) consistently underperforms its neighbors, ranking in the bottom 10-20% of California high schools.

The school's academic performance is significantly lower than the district and state averages. In the 2024-2025 school year, only 20.51% of 11th-grade students were proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 42.44% for the Merced Union High School District and 56.96% for the state of California. In mathematics, 0% of 11th-grade students were proficient or better, compared to 13.46% for the district and 30.5% for the state. Independence High (Alternative) also has a lower four-year graduation rate and a higher dropout rate than nearby high schools.

Additionally, the school has a significantly higher chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 20.4% to 36.4% in recent years. While the school has a relatively high spending per student, this additional funding does not appear to be translating into improved academic outcomes. The data suggests that addressing the unique needs of the student population, improving attendance, and ensuring equitable access to educational opportunities will be critical for Independence High (Alternative) to enhance its performance and better serve its community.

Students ?

8.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$45,701

Per pupil spending ?

88.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1900 G St.
Merced, CA 95340-5043

(209) 325-1600

District: Merced Union High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

70.1%

White:

14.9%

African American:

10.3%

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Compare Independence High (Alternative) to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 24th percentile in 2015 → 12th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 8 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (8% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (12th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (38% vs 19% California)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school8%

District avg26%

California avg41%

1,910^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 12%▼ down 13 pts since 2015

From bottom 24% (2015) to bottom 12% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 8High Schools in the Merced Union High

1134^th of 1,543Merced Union High among California 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	California percentile	Rating
2025	12.1	1910 of 2162	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.4	1921 of 2159	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.3	1799 of 2170	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.1	1706 of 2123	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.5	1117 of 1290	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.9	1556 of 2133	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.9	1376 of 2017	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	13.1	1659 of 2021	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	15.3	1606 of 2039	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	19.0	1510 of 1994	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	21.8	1587 of 2426	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	28.1	1354 of 2354	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2011	20.3	1628 of 2367	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	18.4	1683 of 2281	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	25.8	1585 of 2238	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	22.9	1417 of 2117	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	20.5	1487 of 2063	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	20.4	1413 of 1968	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	22.5	1305 of 1901	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2004	18.7	1330 of 1653	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	7.4	1855 of 1906	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.9	1710 of 1915	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.1	1600 of 1915	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.7	1608 of 1858	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	10.4	1754 of 1900	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.3	1671 of 1902	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.5	1520 of 1917	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.8	1518 of 1861	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	10.6	1841 of 2013	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.0	1804 of 2026	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.5	1692 of 2030	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.7	1608 of 1943	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.4	1365 of 1937	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.9	1332 of 1862	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	21.3	1498 of 1942	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.1	1791 of 1948	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.0	1700 of 1963	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.1	1498 of 1916	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	4.9	1102 of 1155	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.3	1139 of 1204	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Male (2025)23rd percentile+11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)9th percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)8th percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)5th percentile-7 vs school

Female (2025)3rd percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy21%-28 vs state

Science5%-28 vs state

Mathematics0%-37 vs state

★

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Schools Near Independence High (Alternative)

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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)				CAST Science (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)			Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Yosemite High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	1900 G St.	Merced	95340	Merced County	Merced Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 325-1600	342	21	16.0	83.3%	39 (11.4%)	18 (5.3%)	266 (77.8%)	10 (2.9%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	7 (2.0%)	10.5	1999^th of 2162 public high schools	7.5%		9.7	2088^th of 2159 public high schools	3.3%	89		4.7		4.4		10.8	10.8		2.3	2.3	$47,529	$45,556	$1,973
Independence High (Alternative)	Public	9-12	1900 G St.	Merced	95340	Merced County	Merced Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 325-1600	87	10	8.2	88.5%	13 (14.9%)	9 (10.3%)	61 (70.1%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.4%)	12.1	1910^th of 2162 public high schools	11.7%		12.4	1921^st of 2159 public high schools	11.0%	11		5.3		4.7		20.5	20.5		0.0	0.0	$45,701	$44,854	$847
Sequoia High	Public	9-12	1900 G St.	Merced	95340	Merced County	Merced Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 325-1700	77	9	8.9	90.9%	10 (13.0%)	3 (3.9%)	63 (81.8%)	1 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Merced County Regional Occupational Program	Public	11-12	632 West 13th St.	Merced	95341	Merced County	Merced County Regional Occupational Program	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(209) 381-6740	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Merced High	Public	9-12	205 West Olive Ave.	Merced	95348	Merced County	Merced Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 325-1000	1,943	86	22.5	79.4%	262 (13.5%)	107 (5.5%)	1,326 (68.2%)	142 (7.3%)	12 (0.6%)	7 (0.4%)	84 (4.3%)	36	1358^th of 2162 public high schools	37.2%		36	1339^th of 2159 public high schools	38.0%	19		21.1		21.6		41.6	41.6		14.5	14.5	$24,070	$22,352	$1,718
Golden Valley High	Public	9-12	2121 East Childs Ave.	Merced	95344	Merced County	Merced Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 325-1800	1,917	90	21.3	85.1%	178 (9.3%)	96 (5.0%)	1,393 (72.7%)	182 (9.5%)	12 (0.6%)	4 (0.2%)	51 (2.7%)	36.4	1347^th of 2162 public high schools	37.7%		38.2	1288^th of 2159 public high schools	40.3%	59		20.1	6.3	19.6		40.8	40.8		17.1	17.1	$25,089	$23,500	$1,589
Come Back Charter	Public, Charter	9-12	350 West Yosemite Ave	Merced	95348	Merced County	Merced County Office of Education	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 386-6025	128	5	27.2	88.3%	20 (15.6%)	3 (2.3%)	99 (77.3%)	2 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	3 (2.3%)								(n/a)			4.8	4.8							$24,198	$23,996	$202
El Capitan High	Public	9-12	100 West Farmland	Merced	95348	Merced County	Merced Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 384-5500	1,793	85	21.1	76.2%	243 (13.6%)	89 (5.0%)	1,173 (65.4%)	226 (12.6%)	3 (0.2%)	7 (0.4%)	47 (2.6%)	47.5	1085^th of 2162 public high schools	49.8%		47.3	1073^rd of 2159 public high schools	50.3%	12		28.5	20.0	28.2		53.6	53.6		14.3	14.3	$25,450	$23,858	$1,592
Buhach Colony High	Public	9-12	1800 Buhach Rd.	Atwater	95301	Merced County	Merced Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 325-1400	1,704	76	22.5	78.5%	261 (15.3%)	36 (2.1%)	1,187 (69.7%)	169 (9.9%)	14 (0.8%)	2 (0.1%)	34 (2.0%)	50.3	1032^nd of 2162 public high schools	52.3%		36.7	1322^nd of 2159 public high schools	38.8%	290		31.6	40.0	31.9		53.0	53.0		15.3	15.3	$26,106	$24,400	$1,706
Valley Atwater Community	Public	6-12	1800 Matthew Ave.	Atwater	95301	Merced County	Merced County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 381-4550	122	8	15.6	94.3%	14 (11.5%)	3 (2.5%)	100 (82.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.3%)	8.2	2108^th of 2162 public high schools	2.5%		9	2122^nd of 2159 public high schools	1.7%	14	0.0	0.0		0.0	0.0	9.8	6.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	$41,493	$40,454	$1,039

Frequently Asked Questions about Independence High (Alternative)

What district is Independence High (Alternative) in?

Merced Union High

What is the racial makeup of Independence High (Alternative)?

Students at Independence High (Alternative) are 70% Hispanic, 15% White, 10% African American, 3% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Independence High (Alternative)?

In the 2024-25 school year, 87 students attended Independence High (Alternative).

Is Independence High (Alternative) a good school?

Independence High (Alternative) ranks in the bottom 11.7% of California high schools.

Rate Independence High (Alternative)!

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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