Summary:
Zip code 67301 has two high schools in Independence: Independence Senior High, serving grades 9–12, and BRIDGES Academy, serving grades 6–12. The schools differ sharply in test scores and graduation outcomes: Independence Senior High has stronger results, while BRIDGES is far below state averages in its reported tests. The most important takeaway is that even the stronger local school scored below the state in every reported subject in 2025–26.
Independence Senior High leads the reported all-grade results: 40% in ELA, 34% in math and 26% in science, compared with BRIDGES’ 0%, 0% and 6%. The gaps are 40, 34 and 21 percentage points, respectively. For a more direct comparison, both schools’ 11th-grade science results are reported: Independence scored 26% and BRIDGES 8%, a gap of 19 points. In 2023–24, Independence’s graduation rate was 93%, versus 63% at BRIDGES—a 30-point difference. Independence was above the state graduation rate of 90%; BRIDGES was 27 points below it.
Independence’s scores and relative standing have weakened: its ELA result fell from 48% in 2024–25 to 40% in 2025–26, moving from 3 points above the state to 6 points below; math fell from 34% to 34% and its state gap widened from 4 to 7 points. SchoolDigger’s percentile ranking for Independence also declined from 86 to 43 between 2023–24 and 2025–26. Independence has 550 students, a 13.2 student–teacher ratio and a 66% free/reduced-lunch rate; BRIDGES has 24 students, with ratio and lunch-rate figures unavailable. Because the schools serve different grade spans, their all-grade test scores are not fully comparable; 11th-grade science is the fairest direct test comparison.
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