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Independence High School

Q: Is Independence High School a good school?

Independence High School ranks 122 nd of 232 Mississippi high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-12

122^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 232 Mississippi High Schools

Better than 47% of Mississippi high schools

Summary

Independence High School is a public high school located in Coldwater, Mississippi, serving grades 7-12 with a total enrollment of 539 students. The school is part of the Tate County School District, which is ranked 73 out of 130 districts in Mississippi and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Independence High School faces significant challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 23.9% to 33.2% in recent years, lower-than-average test scores on the MAAP exams, and a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 72.54% to 99.35%. When compared to nearby schools, such as Olive Branch High School, Hernando High School, and Lewisburg High School, which are part of the higher-performing Desoto County School District, Independence High School significantly underperforms on various metrics.

The school's statewide ranking has declined over the past several years, from 104 out of 231 Mississippi high schools in 2020-2021 to 122 out of 232 in 2024-2025, suggesting a concerning trend of declining performance relative to other schools in the state. The high percentage of economically disadvantaged students at Independence High School highlights the need for additional support and resources to address the socioeconomic challenges faced by the student population.

507

Students ?

13.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,248

Per pupil spending ?

70.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3184 Hwy 305
Coldwater, MS 38618

(662) 233-4691

District: Tate County School District

Feeder schools for Independence High School:

Elementary:

East Tate Elementary

Racial breakdown:

African American:

45.4%

White:

39.8%

Hispanic:

9.7%

See top rated Mississippi high schools

Compare Independence High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 20th percentile in 2015 → 47th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 27 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Mississippi average (47% vs 54% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (33% vs 24% Mississippi)

!English Language Arts scores 12 pts below the Mississippi average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school47%

District avg46%

Mississippi avg54%

Middle school

159^th of 266

Mississippi public middle schools ?

Bottom 40%▲ up 14 pts since 2019

From bottom 27% (2019) to bottom 40% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

122^nd of 232

Mississippi public high schools ?

Bottom 47%▲ up 28 pts since 2015

From bottom 20% (2015) to bottom 47% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2High Schools in the Tate County School District

73^rd of 130Tate County School District among Mississippi 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	Mississippi percentile	Rating
2025	42.2	159 of 266	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	16.1	228 of 264	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.4	163 of 243	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.5	159 of 257	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	31.7	165 of 257	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	26.7	194 of 264	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Mississippi percentile	Rating
2025	48.3	122 of 232	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.4	144 of 228	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.4	136 of 226	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.7	121 of 228	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	52.5	104 of 231	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.1	136 of 233	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.7	119 of 233	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	42.5	134 of 237	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	38.4	144 of 231	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2015	18.4	181 of 226	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	49.9	123 of 236	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	54.4	108 of 238	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2012	68.0	68 of 241	71.8%	★★★★☆
2011	57.1	108 of 244	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2010	50.9	123 of 235	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2009	42.3	153 of 235	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2008	50.1	129 of 235	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	43.3	151 of 232	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2006	20.5	212 of 232	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	10.3	223 of 232	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	11.8	219 of 232	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Mississippi (2024-2025) ?

U.S. History181%+12 vs state

Algebra I71%+4 vs state

Biology66%+4 vs state

Science53%~ state avg

Mathematics47%-5 vs state

English II44%-6 vs state

English Language Arts28%-12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Independence High School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MAAP English Language Arts (2025)		MAAP Mathematics (2025)		MAAP Algebra I (2025)	MAAP English II (2025)	MAAP Science (2025)	MAAP Biology (2025)	MAAP U.S. History1 (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	MAAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MAAP Algebra I End of Course	MAAP English II End of Course	MAAP Science 8th Grade	MAAP Biology End of Course	MAAP U.S. History1 End of Course	Total
Independence High School	Public	7-12	3184 Hwy 305	Coldwater	38618	Tate County	Tate County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 233-4691	507	38	13.1	70.2%	202 (39.8%)	230 (45.4%)	49 (9.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.1%)	48.3	122^nd of 232 public high schools	47.4%		39.4	144^th of 228 public high schools	36.8%	22	23.8	32.9	51.1	41.6	71.1	43.8	53.3	66.3	81.4	$11,248
Senatobia High School	Public	9-12	221 Warrior Drive	Senatobia	38668	Tate County	Senatobia Municipal School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 562-4230	468	32	14.8	61.1%	168 (35.9%)	268 (57.3%)	16 (3.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.2%)	40.1	143^rd of 232 public high schools	38.4%		50.4	121^st of 228 public high schools	46.9%	22					67.8	40.2		61.0	74.5	$14,697
Senatobia-Tate Career Technical Center	Public	10-12	165 West Central Avenue	Coldwater	38618	Tate County	Tate County School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 622-5142	0	6	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
North Panola Vocational Comp	Public	7-12	601 Railroad Street	Como	38619	Panola County	North Panola	No	No	No	No	(662) 526-5804	0	0	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Hernando High School	Public	9-12	805 Dilworth Lane	Hernando	38632	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 429-4170	1,529	89	17.1	23.0%	1,127 (73.7%)	173 (11.3%)	149 (9.7%)	17 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.2%)	60 (3.9%)	90.6	12^th of 232 public high schools	94.8%		89.4	5^th of 228 public high schools	97.8%	7					89.8	70.1		84.3	88.4	$9,559
Lewisburg High School	Public	9-12	1755 Craft Road	Olive Branch	38654	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 890-6708	1,330	82	16.2	18.3%	1,006 (75.6%)	155 (11.7%)	84 (6.3%)	36 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.2%)	46 (3.5%)	90.8	10^th of 232 public high schools	95.7%		90	4^th of 228 public high schools	98.2%	6					94.0	70.2		83.1	86.7	$10,033
Byhalia High School	Public	9-12	278 Highway 309 North	Byhalia	38611	Marshall County	Marshall County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 838-2206	428	33	12.8	99.3%	70 (16.4%)	221 (51.6%)	120 (28.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.5%)	34	153^rd of 232 public high schools	34.1%		32.5	157^th of 228 public high schools	31.1%	4					60.5	39.7		44.8	64.1	$13,353
North Panola High School	Public	9-12	500 HWY 51 North	Sardis	38666	Panola County	North Panola	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 487-1070	329	33	10.1	99.1%	4 (1.2%)	282 (85.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (12.8%)	12.2	204^th of 232 public high schools	12.1%		9.3	213^th of 228 public high schools	6.6%	9					42.5	25.7		50.0	50.5	$14,510
Olive Branch High School	Public	9-12	9366 Sandidge Road	Olive Branch	38654	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 893-3344	1,058	76	13.8	51.6%	300 (28.4%)	559 (52.8%)	127 (12.0%)	13 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	58 (5.5%)	71	70^th of 232 public high schools	69.8%		70	65^th of 228 public high schools	71.5%	5					85.0	52.5		83.6	76.7	$10,774
Strayhorn High School	Public	7-12	86 Mustang Dr.	Sarah	38665	Tate County	Tate County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 562-9246	404	29	14.0	68.3%	253 (62.6%)	86 (21.3%)	44 (10.9%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	17 (4.2%)	41.5	140^th of 232 public high schools	39.7%		39.5	143^rd of 228 public high schools	37.3%	3	28.1	28.1	47.2	29.6	42.6	44.0	42.2	42.8	66.7	$11,281

Frequently Asked Questions about Independence High School

How many students attend Independence High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 507 students attended Independence High School.

What district is Independence High School in?

Tate County School District

What is the racial makeup of Independence High School?

Students at Independence High School are 45% African American, 40% White, 10% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

What schools feed into Independence High School?

Independence High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : East Tate Elementary

Is Independence High School a good school?

Independence High School ranks 122^nd of 232 Mississippi high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Independence High School!

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MSMississippi District Rankings

Schools in Coldwater, MS

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