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Independence High School

Q: Is Independence High School a good school?

Independence High School ranks 148 th of 224 Mississippi high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-12

148^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 224 Mississippi High Schools

Better than 34% of Mississippi high schools

Summary

Independence High School serves 507 students in grades 7–12 in Coldwater, Mississippi, a rural community within the Tate County School District, which currently holds a 1-star district rating. The school itself has earned a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger and, despite ranking 148th out of 224 Mississippi high schools in 2025–2026 (down from 122nd the previous year), it remains the stronger of the two high schools in its district, significantly outperforming Strayhorn High School on most academic measures.

Where Independence truly shines is on end-of-course exams. In 2024–2025, the school exceeded state averages in Algebra I (71.1% vs. 67.3%), Biology (66.3% vs. 62.0%), and U.S. History (81.4% vs. 69.7%) — the only school in its immediate rural peer group, which includes Strayhorn, North Panola High School, Byhalia High School, and Senatobia High School, to do so. U.S. History was a standout, with proficiency more than 11 points above the state average and ahead of several larger, wealthier nearby schools.

The school's biggest challenges lie in the middle grades. In 2025–2026, 7th and 8th grade ELA and math proficiency lagged the state by roughly 20–30 percentage points. Chronic absenteeism is also a concern, with 33.2% of students missing significant instructional time in 2023–2024, though that's down from 50% two years earlier. On a positive note, the graduation rate has climbed from 79.3% to 85.7% over four years. The gap with nearby DeSoto County schools like Hernando High School and Lewisburg High School remains stark — those schools post Algebra I proficiency rates near 90% — but Independence's smaller class sizes and strong EOC results show real potential.

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: Holding steady — 38th percentile in 2016 → 34th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Mississippi average (36% vs 53% meeting standards)

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

!Mathematics scores 26 pts below the Mississippi average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school36%

District avg34%

Mississippi avg53%

Middle school

239^th of 263

Mississippi public middle schools ?

Bottom 9%▼ down 17 pts since 2019

From bottom 27% (2019) to bottom 9% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

148^th of 224

Mississippi public high schools ?

Bottom 34%▼ down 4 pts since 2016

From bottom 38% (2016) to bottom 34% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

108^th of 133Tate 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
2026	15.2	239 of 263	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	35.8	148 of 224	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
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 (2025-2026) ?

Algebra I60%-6 vs state

Biology54%-9 vs state

English II40%-9 vs state

Science40%-18 vs state

Mathematics28%-26 vs state

English Language Arts21%-17 vs state

★

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Schools Near Independence High School

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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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MAAP English Language Arts (2026)		MAAP Mathematics (2026)		MAAP Algebra I (2026)	MAAP English II (2026)	MAAP Science (2026)	MAAP Biology (2026)	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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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	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%)	35.8	148^th of 224 public high schools	33.9%		48.3	122^nd of 232 public high schools	47.4%	26	16.9	25.2	28.2	28.7	60.0	40.5	40.2	53.9	$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%)	68.7	70^th of 224 public high schools	68.8%		40.1	143^rd of 232 public high schools	38.4%	73					80.6	49.6		71.5	$14,697
Senatobia-Tate Career Technical Center	Public	8-12	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	8-12	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	1200 McIngvale Road	Nesbit	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%)	87.5	12^th of 224 public high schools	94.6%		90.6	12^th of 232 public high schools	94.8%						88.5	69.9		78.1	$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%)	90.4	5^th of 224 public high schools	97.8%		90.8	10^th of 232 public high schools	95.7%	5					90.7	70.6		82.1	$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%)	39.7	134^th of 224 public high schools	40.2%		34	153^rd of 232 public high schools	34.1%	19					63.3	44.8		51.3	$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%)	32.1	153^rd of 224 public high schools	31.7%		12.2	204^th of 232 public high schools	12.1%	51					71.8	28.1		47.0	$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%)	72.9	47^th of 224 public high schools	79.0%		71	70^th of 232 public high schools	69.8%	23					83.6	47.0		81.9	$10,774
Strayhorn High School	Public	7-12	86 Mustang Dr.	Sarah	38665	Panola 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%)	7.8	212^th of 224 public high schools	5.4%		41.5	140^th of 232 public high schools	39.7%	72	17.9	28.4	34.4	44.4		18.9	33.3	39.7	$11,281

Frequently Asked Questions about Independence High School

What district is Independence High School in?

Tate County School District

How many students attend Independence High School?

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

Is Independence High School a good school?

Independence High School ranks 148^th of 224 Mississippi high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into Independence High School?

Independence High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : East Tate Elementary

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.

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MSMississippi High School Rankings

MSMississippi District Rankings

Schools in Coldwater, MS

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Latest Mississippi data All new data »

2025–26 MAAP test scoresAug 21, 2026

2023–24 school spending dataSep 26, 2025

2023–24 through 2024–25 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 26, 2025

2023–24 graduation ratesSep 23, 2025

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.