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Best Public Schools in Independence, IA

At a glance

Schools

1,366

Students

Districts

Top rankedIndependence Junior Senior High School183^rd of 340 Iowa high schools

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Summary:

The city of Independence, Iowa is home to 5 schools, including 4 elementary schools and 1 high school, serving students from early childhood through 12th grade. The schools in this area display a mix of academic performance, with some standout institutions like Independence Junior Senior High School and West Elementary School performing well, while others like East Elementary School face challenges.

Independence Junior Senior High School has seen a significant decline in its statewide ranking, dropping from 42nd in 2022-2023 to 183rd in 2024-2025, despite maintaining a relatively high 4-year graduation rate of 88.3% for the 2023-2024 school year. In contrast, West Elementary School has consistently ranked in the top half of Iowa elementary schools, though its ranking has declined slightly from 285th in 2023-2024 to 350th in 2024-2025. The small, rural Perry #1 Elementary School stands out for its high district ranking (32nd out of 313 in Iowa) and 5-star rating from SchoolDigger, though its academic performance metrics are not provided.

Across the district, the schools face some common challenges, such as a significantly higher-than-average chronic absenteeism rate of 21.6% and relatively high free/reduced lunch rates at the elementary schools, ranging from 20.51% at the Early Childhood Center to 45.55% at East Elementary School. The district also displays a wide range in spending per student, from $7,564 at Perry #1 Elementary School to $15,700 at Independence Junior Senior High School, suggesting potential inequities in resource allocation.

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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 3rd Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 4th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 5th Grade	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 3rd Grade	ISASP Mathematics 4th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 5th 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 5th Grade	ISASP Science 8th Grade	ISASP Science 10th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
East Elementary School	Public	K-2	1103 First Street West	Independence	50644	Buchanan County	Independence Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 334-7425	265	22	12.2	40.0%	241 (90.9%)	3 (1.1%)	6 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (5.7%)								(n/a)																						$13,327	$339	$12,988
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
West Elementary School	Public	3-6	1301 1st St W	Independence	50644	Buchanan County	Independence Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 334-7430	360	32	11.2	39.4%	320 (88.9%)	1 (0.3%)	18 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	20 (5.6%)	47.4	350^th of 576 public elementary schools	39.2%		56.2	285^th of 557 public elementary schools	48.8%	65	60.2	72.6	77.0	79.1						68.7	62.3	78.4	75.6						64.9			$12,958	$330	$12,628
Perry #1 Elementary School	Public	K-8	1726 Fairbank Amish Blvd	Independence	50644	Buchanan County	Jesup Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 827-1700	29	2	14.7	10.3%	29 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																						$7,564	$118	$7,446

Cities Near Independence

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Winthrop	8.1 mi	3	248^th
Hazleton	8.27 mi	1
Jesup	8.65 mi	3	57^th
Fairbank	9.55 mi	6
Oelwein	14.07 mi	5	395^th

See the top IA Iowa cities

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.