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Independence Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-4

1338^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,560 Ohio Elementary Schools

Better than 14% of Ohio elementary schools

Summary

Independence Elementary School is a PK–4 school in Lima, OH, serving 272 students in the Lima City school district. In 2025–2026, it ranked 1,338th of 1,560 Ohio elementary schools (14th percentile, 1 star), placing it in the bottom quartile statewide and below the Lima City district’s rank of 579th of 773 districts (25th percentile, 1 star). Its recent trajectory has slipped from 24th percentile in 2023–2024 to 10th in 2024–2025 and 14th in 2025–2026, and every reported year carries a 1-star rating.

In 2025–2026, proficiency was below the state average in all four tested areas: Math Grade 3 was 23.5%, Math Grade 4 was 42.9%, ELA Grade 3 was 38.2%, and ELA Grade 4 was 40.8%. Compared with same-district schools, the school was lower than Unity Elementary School, Liberty Arts Magnet K-8, Freedom Elementary School, Lima South Science-Technology Magnet K-8, and Heritage Elementary School in Math Grade 3 and ELA Grade 3; in Math Grade 4 it trailed all of those peers, while in ELA Grade 4 it beat Unity Elementary School and Heritage Elementary School but trailed Liberty Arts Magnet K-8, Freedom Elementary School, and Lima South Science-Technology Magnet K-8. Chronic absenteeism was 34.5%, lower than the district’s 39.3% but the highest among these same-district schools, whose rates ranged from 13.5% to 32.3%.

Compared with nearby districts, the contrast is stark. Bath Elementary School had roughly 84–91% proficiency and 10.5% chronic absenteeism, and Maplewood Elementary School had 64–76% proficiency and 6.9% absenteeism, even though both spent less per student than the school’s $10,270 in 2018–2019. Elida Elementary was closer to state averages but still well above the school in most areas. Heir Force Community School had a similarly low academic profile. The school’s student–teacher ratio was 18.1 in 2024–2025, up from 14.1, and state subgroup rankings show special education and low-income students in the bottom percentiles. Overall, the school remains a bottom-quartile school with clear challenges in Math Grade 3, absenteeism, and serving some student groups effectively, despite some grade-level gains in 2025–2026.

272

Students ?

18.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,793

Per pupil spending ?

90.1%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

96.3%

Kindergartners complete for all required vaccines (2025-26)

Exemptions: 3.7% (any vaccine)

615 Tremont Ave
Lima, OH 45801

(419) 996-3330

District: Lima City

Students who attend Independence Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Lima North Middle School
	Lima West Middle School
High:	Lima Senior High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

42.3%

African American:

29.8%

Two or more races:

16.9%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 23rd percentile in 2016 → 14th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Ohio average (36% vs 64% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (14th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 9 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school36%

District avg47%

Ohio avg64%

1,338^th of 1,560

Ohio public elementary schools ?

Bottom 14%▼ down 9 pts since 2016

From bottom 23% (2016) to bottom 14% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Ohio Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 6Elementary Schools in the Lima City

579^th of 773Lima City among Ohio 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	Ohio percentile	Rating
2026	14.5	1338 of 1560	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	10.4	1398 of 1558	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.7	1199 of 1577	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.6	1197 of 1596	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.5	1237 of 1588	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.2	1211 of 1610	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.4	1190 of 1676	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.0	1261 of 1636	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	34.6	1187 of 1651	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	23.9	1292 of 1678	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	18.6	1408 of 1684	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	20.9	1399 of 1687	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	13.0	1515 of 1701	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	26.8	1389 of 1709	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	27.5	1352 of 1686	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	39.7	1216 of 1662	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	34.7	1240 of 1610	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	41.4	1131 of 1582	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	33.0	1255 of 1609	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	27.5	1238 of 1504	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	24.1	1261 of 1501	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2026	48.2	291 of 631	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.4	223 of 610	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.5	168 of 533	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	21.5	518 of 598	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2022	12.3	810 of 824	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	27.6	796 of 1021	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2026	20.6	1170 of 1452	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	6.0	1373 of 1452	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.7	1271 of 1466	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.3	1174 of 1483	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.4	1197 of 1488	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.7	1111 of 1467	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.4	1022 of 1502	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	21.1	1235 of 1518	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2026	18.2	1231 of 1467	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	12.7	1314 of 1473	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.2	1079 of 1484	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.9	1007 of 1447	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.5	1047 of 1419	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.0	1007 of 1404	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	49.8	836 of 1465	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.5	1047 of 1465	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2026	12.3	1295 of 1467	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	12.4	1287 of 1466	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.2	1047 of 1485	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.0	1117 of 1498	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.5	1232 of 1518	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.1	1228 of 1499	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.5	1118 of 1535	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.2	1157 of 1536	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2022	8.2	156 of 162	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	52.1	74 of 166	55.4%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2026	15.7	850 of 914	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	16.8	868 of 935	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2026	1.6	1168 of 1181	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	1.7	1158 of 1175	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.0	1101 of 1190	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.2	1111 of 1215	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	16.2	1088 of 1249	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.0	996 of 1271	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.6	1160 of 1309	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)54th percentile+40 vs school

Female (2026)19th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)16th percentile~ school

Male (2026)12th percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2026)7th percentile-7 vs school

Multi-racial (2022)4th percentile-18 vs school

Disabled (2022)2nd percentile-20 vs school

White (2026)1st percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs Ohio (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts40%-23 vs state

Mathematics33%-32 vs state

★

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Schools Near Independence Elementary 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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				Ohio State Tests Science (2026)		Ohio State Tests Mathematics (2026)						Ohio State Tests English Language Arts (2026)						Vaccination (2025-26)		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	Directly certified (2024-25)	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	Ohio State Tests Science 5th Grade	Ohio State Tests Science 8th Grade	Ohio State Tests Mathematics 3rd Grade	Ohio State Tests Mathematics 4th Grade	Ohio State Tests Mathematics 5th Grade	Ohio State Tests Mathematics 6th Grade	Ohio State Tests Mathematics 7th Grade	Ohio State Tests Mathematics 8th Grade	Ohio State Tests English Language Arts 3rd Grade	Ohio State Tests English Language Arts 4th Grade	Ohio State Tests English Language Arts 5th Grade	Ohio State Tests English Language Arts 6th Grade	Ohio State Tests English Language Arts 7th Grade	Ohio State Tests English Language Arts 8th Grade	Vaccination: Kindergartners complete for all required vaccines	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Total
Independence Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	615 Tremont Ave	Lima	45801	Allen County	Lima City	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(419) 996-3330	272	15	18.1	90.1%	115 (42.3%)	81 (29.8%)	28 (10.3%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (16.9%)	14.5	1338^th of 1560 public elementary schools	14.2%		10.4	1398^th of 1558 public elementary schools	10.3%	60			23.5	42.9					38.2	40.8					96.3%	3.7%	$10,793
Heritage Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	816 College Ave	Lima	45805	Allen County	Lima City	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(419) 996-3390	448	25	18.0	79.5%	136 (30.4%)	181 (40.4%)	35 (7.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	94 (21.0%)	24.8	1197^th of 1560 public elementary schools	23.3%		20.6	1247^th of 1558 public elementary schools	20.0%	50			49.0	50.0					47.1	37.0					84%	13.6%	$10,980
Heir Force Community School	Public, Charter	K-8	216 N Elizabeth St	Lima	45801	Allen County	Heir Force Community School	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(419) 228-9241	204	6	34.0	75.0%	43 (21.1%)	103 (50.5%)	13 (6.4%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (21.6%)	17.1	1297^th of 1560 public elementary schools	16.9%		23.6	1204^th of 1558 public elementary schools	22.7%	93	31.6	26.1	0.0	42.9	31.6	55.6	44.0	30.4	20.8	28.6	26.3	38.9	56.0	30.4	71.4%	0%	$10,013
Liberty Arts Magnet K-8	Public	K-8	338 W Kibby St	Lima	45804	Allen County	Lima City	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(419) 996-3320	343	20	17.1	82.8%	97 (28.3%)	143 (41.7%)	25 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	77 (22.4%)	47.2	933^rd of 1560 public elementary schools	40.2%		33.7	1080^th of 1558 public elementary schools	30.7%	147	36.8	36.7	71.0	85.0	56.8	53.1	50.0	38.5	54.8	47.5	61.1	48.5	66.7	58.1	91.4%	8.6%	$15,147
Freedom Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	575 Calumet Ave	Lima	45804	Allen County	Lima City	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(419) 996-3380	235	15	15.6	96.6%	76 (32.3%)	73 (31.1%)	17 (7.2%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	67 (28.5%)	33	1095^th of 1560 public elementary schools	29.8%		28	1144^th of 1558 public elementary schools	26.6%	49			65.2	53.7					43.5	41.5					88.4%	4.7%	$13,763
Lima South Science-Technology Magnet K-8	Public	K-8	755 Saint Johns Ave	Lima	45804	Allen County	Lima City	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(419) 996-3190	172	20	8.6	66.3%	60 (34.9%)	70 (40.7%)	15 (8.7%)	3 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (14.0%)	67.9	570^th of 1560 public elementary schools	63.5%		59.6	740^th of 1558 public elementary schools	52.5%	170	85.7	78.9	47.4	68.4	75.0	88.9	60.0	78.6	57.9	57.9	94.7	73.7	60.0	64.3	84.2%	15.8%	$18,489
Unity Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	925 E 3rd St	Lima	45804	Allen County	Lima City	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(419) 996-3300	241	16	15.0	83.0%	50 (20.7%)	126 (52.3%)	17 (7.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (19.9%)	14.5	1333^rd of 1560 public elementary schools	14.6%		10.7	1393^rd of 1558 public elementary schools	10.6%	60			35.7	48.9					39.3	15.6					80%	6.7%	$12,451
Bath Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2450 Bible Rd	Lima	45801	Allen County	Bath Local	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(419) 221-1837	727	42	17.3	—	606 (83.4%)	19 (2.6%)	28 (3.9%)	17 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (7.8%)	85	158^th of 1560 public elementary schools	89.9%		84.5	181^st of 1558 public elementary schools	88.4%	23	87.6		87.0	91.0	86.8				87.8	84.3	75.2				84.9%	13.4%	$11,534
Elida Elementary	Public	K-5	300 Pioneer Rd	Elida	45807	Allen County	Elida Local	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(419) 338-6803	1,003	52	19.2	—	624 (62.2%)	142 (14.2%)	74 (7.4%)	7 (0.7%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	154 (15.4%)	53.2	845^th of 1560 public elementary schools	45.8%		55.5	811^th of 1558 public elementary schools	47.9%	34	59.5		62.0	73.3	61.3				62.3	50.6	69.9				89%	8.4%	$9,386
Maplewood Elementary School	Public	3-4	1670 Wonderlick Rd	Lima	45805	Allen County	Shawnee Local	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(419) 998-8076	346	18	19.2	—	270 (78.0%)	18 (5.2%)	21 (6.1%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	32 (9.2%)	65	637^th of 1560 public elementary schools	59.2%		70.6	522^nd of 1558 public elementary schools	66.5%	115			66.3	73.5					76.3	64.1							$11,459

Frequently Asked Questions about Independence Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Independence Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Independence Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Lima North Middle School
Middle : Lima West Middle School
High : Lima Senior High School

Is Independence Elementary School a good school?

Independence Elementary School ranks in the bottom 14.2% of Ohio elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Independence Elementary School?

Students at Independence Elementary School are 42% White, 30% African American, 17% Two or more races, 10% Hispanic.

How many students attend Independence Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 272 students attended Independence Elementary School.

What district is Independence Elementary School in?

Lima City

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Latest Ohio data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 immunization ratesOct 19, 2026

2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 15, 2026

2025–26 Ohio State Tests scoresSep 15, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJan 6, 2026

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