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Independence Elementary

Q: Is Independence Elementary a good school?

Independence Elementary ranks 465 th of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

465^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 661 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 30% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Independence Elementary is a public school in Rock Hill, SC, serving 583 students in grades PK-5 within the York 03 school district, where 100% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch.

Over the past decade, Independence Elementary has seen a significant decline in its statewide ranking, dropping from the 75th percentile in 2015-2016 to the 29th percentile in 2025-2026. The most recent school year showed sharp drops across nearly all subjects and grades, with 5th grade math being a particular concern—only 29.7% of students were proficient, compared to the district average of 40.4% and state average of 49.1%. This represents a 20-point drop from the prior year. Chronic absenteeism is also above the district average (22% vs. 18.1%), and the school spends less per student ($14,473) than most nearby schools, despite serving a higher-need population. For context, Ebinport Elementary spends $17,268 per student, and Oakdale Elementary spends $15,312.

The contrast with nearby Cherry Park Elementary School of Language Immersion is striking—just 4.15 miles away, Cherry Park ranks in the 85th percentile statewide, has a chronic absenteeism rate of only 6.9%, and achieves 54.5% proficiency in 5th grade math. While Independence has shown some historical strength in serving African American students, recent declines across all demographic groups suggest systemic challenges. The school's student-teacher ratio (13.8) is actually better than Cherry Park's (17.3), indicating that class size alone doesn't explain the performance gap. For parents considering this school, it's important to understand that Independence has been on a steady downward trajectory since 2017-2018, and the most recent data suggests the school may need targeted intervention to reverse this trend.

583

Students ?

13.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,473

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

132 West Springdale Road
Rock Hill, SC 29730

(803) 981-1135

District: York 03

Students who attend Independence Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Castle Heights Middle
High:	Rock Hill High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

42.2%

White:

27.3%

Hispanic:

17.0%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare Independence Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 75th percentile in 2016 → 30th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (46% vs 58% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 45 percentile points since 2016

!Mathematics scores 14 pts below the South Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school46%

District avg55%

South Carolina avg58%

465^th of 661

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 30%▼ down 45 pts since 2016

From top 25% (2016) to bottom 30% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

11^th of 14Elementary Schools in the York 03

30^th of 75York 03 among South Carolina 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	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	29.6	465 of 661	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	45.9	336 of 639	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.7	402 of 643	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.5	363 of 644	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.8	425 of 625	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	52.6	289 of 622	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.6	348 of 643	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.3	300 of 624	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2017	62.8	220 of 639	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	71.5	156 of 619	74.8%	★★★★☆
2015	56.1	257 of 638	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	62.4	245 of 630	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	57.7	279 of 599	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	62.1	238 of 594	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	55.9	284 of 597	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2010	56.8	269 of 589	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2009	53.9	289 of 580	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	52.6	303 of 577	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2007	48.2	329 of 566	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2006	43.5	360 of 559	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2005	48.9	320 of 557	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2004	50.8	300 of 550	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2003	63.7	201 of 542	62.9%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	41.9	220 of 384	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	61.8	123 of 380	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.8	183 of 369	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.5	137 of 394	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.4	219 of 393	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	63.2	96 of 350	72.6%	★★★★☆
2019	57.0	160 of 421	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	73.2	72 of 412	82.5%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.3	101 of 156	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.2	68 of 174	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	21.3	130 of 151	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.7	144 of 189	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	68.3	31 of 161	80.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	28.7	444 of 599	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	40.8	344 of 580	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.2	371 of 568	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.2	353 of 580	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.2	390 of 573	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.6	278 of 554	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.2	283 of 588	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.2	288 of 570	49.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	27.8	479 of 634	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	41.9	350 of 612	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.1	383 of 602	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.5	296 of 608	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	37.1	386 of 600	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	53.3	267 of 580	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	37.4	398 of 600	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.8	275 of 588	53.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	29.5	422 of 591	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	47.8	305 of 585	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.3	366 of 571	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.9	328 of 582	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.2	405 of 579	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	55.1	244 of 561	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	35.3	392 of 590	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.9	294 of 571	48.5%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	45.5	272 of 459	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	21.2	377 of 446	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.4	348 of 463	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.5	329 of 455	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	57.4	192 of 439	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	36.4	322 of 472	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.4	332 of 457	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)43rd percentile+13 vs school

White (2025)41st percentile-7 vs school

Disabled (2026)35th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)29th percentile~ school

Female (2026)26th percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)24th percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts54%-10 vs state

Science41%-11 vs state

Mathematics39%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Independence Elementary

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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)				SC READY English Language Arts (2026)						SC READY Mathematics (2026)						SC READY Science (2026)		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	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2024)	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	SC READY English Language Arts 3rd Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 4th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 5th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 6th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 7th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 8th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 3rd Grade	SC READY Mathematics 4th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 5th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 6th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 7th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 8th Grade	SC READY Science 4th Grade	SC READY Science 6th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
Independence Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	132 West Springdale Road	Rock Hill	29730	York County	York 03	No	No	No	No	(803) 981-1135	583	42	13.8	100.0%	159 (27.3%)	246 (42.2%)	99 (17.0%)	13 (2.2%)	9 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (9.8%)	29.6	465^th of 661 public elementary schools	29.7%		45.9	336^th of 639 public elementary schools	47.4%	129	58.7	52.7	51.0				46.7	41.9	29.7				40.9		$14,473	$953	$956	$1,909	$11,122	$1,442	$12,564
Lesslie Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	250 Neely Store Road	Rock Hill	29730	York County	York 03	No	No	No	No	(803) 981-1910	461	32	14.4	67.6%	240 (52.1%)	28 (6.1%)	40 (8.7%)	4 (0.9%)	45 (9.8%)	0 (0.0%)	104 (22.6%)	43.7	368^th of 661 public elementary schools	44.3%		48.3	318^th of 639 public elementary schools	50.2%	50	57.3	60.3	61.6				46.7	47.4	42.5				52.6		$15,100	$1,183	$862	$2,045	$11,750	$1,305	$13,055
Mount Holly Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1800 Porter Road	Rock Hill	29730	York County	York 03	No	No	No	No	(803) 985-1650	514	36	14.2	100.0%	237 (46.1%)	172 (33.5%)	57 (11.1%)	4 (0.8%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (8.0%)	61.6	244^th of 661 public elementary schools	63.1%		53.7	283^rd of 639 public elementary schools	55.7%	39	77.7	64.8	73.9				65.3	50.0	46.4				47.3		$14,991	$840	$863	$1,703	$11,767	$1,521	$13,288
Northside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	840 North Annafrel Street	Rock Hill	29730	York County	York 03	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 981-1570	462	39	11.8	100.0%	143 (31.0%)	216 (46.8%)	71 (15.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	28 (6.1%)	26	489^th of 661 public elementary schools	26.0%		28.8	459^th of 639 public elementary schools	28.2%	30	46.9	59.1	47.2				31.2	47.9	23.7				43.6		$16,079	$1,330	$1,001	$2,331	$12,202	$1,546	$13,748
The Palmetto School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	386 East Black Street	Rock Hill	29732	York County	York 03	Yes	No	No	Yes	(803) 328-6555	63	8	8.4	27.6%	18 (28.6%)	36 (57.1%)	3 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (9.5%)								(n/a)															$24,274	$2,165	$2,152	$4,317	$15,967	$3,989	$19,957
Ebenezer Avenue Elementary: Traditional Montessori Inquiry	Public	PK, KG-5	242 Ebenezer Avenue	Rock Hill	29730	York County	York 03	No	No	No	No	(803) 981-1435	453	37	12.2	67.6%	132 (29.1%)	220 (48.6%)	50 (11.0%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (9.9%)	51.1	310^th of 661 public elementary schools	53.1%		51	304^th of 639 public elementary schools	52.4%	6	73.5	68.1	57.1				65.6	46.3	35.7				44.9		$15,785	$637	$1,061	$1,698	$12,613	$1,474	$14,087
Oakdale Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1129 Oakdale Road	Rock Hill	29730	York County	York 03	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 981-1585	487	36	13.5	100.0%	106 (21.8%)	296 (60.8%)	37 (7.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	45 (9.2%)	69.5	197^th of 661 public elementary schools	70.2%		58.7	264^th of 639 public elementary schools	58.7%	67	73.8	77.9	57.3				66.2	70.6	46.7				67.7		$15,312	$1,111	$968	$2,079	$11,875	$1,357	$13,232
Cherry Park Elementary School of Language Immersion	Public	K-5	1835 Eden Terrace	Rock Hill	29730	York County	York 03	No	No	No	No	(803) 985-2255	806	47	17.3	31.2%	369 (45.8%)	172 (21.3%)	186 (23.1%)	11 (1.4%)	7 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (7.6%)	83.5	99^th of 661 public elementary schools	85.0%		88.7	57^th of 639 public elementary schools	91.1%	42	85.2	87.1	80.5				73.9	72.4	54.5				59.5		$12,583	$428	$823	$1,252	$10,042	$1,289	$11,331
Sunset Park Center for Accelerated Studies	Public	PK, KG-5	1036 Ogden Road	Rock Hill	29730	York County	York 03	No	No	No	No	(803) 981-1260	431	32	13.4	100.0%	64 (14.8%)	307 (71.2%)	33 (7.7%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (5.6%)	43.3	373^rd of 661 public elementary schools	43.6%		43.2	355^th of 639 public elementary schools	44.4%	18	71.5	55.7	65.9				54.0	38.5	35.3				44.3		$15,207	$1,134	$1,017	$2,152	$11,473	$1,582	$13,056
Richmond Drive Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1162 Richmond Drive	Rock Hill	29732	York County	York 03	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 981-1930	467	39	11.9	100.0%	53 (11.3%)	231 (49.5%)	144 (30.8%)	19 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.3%)	10.1	630^th of 661 public elementary schools	4.7%		7.9	617^th of 639 public elementary schools	3.4%	13	38.6	40.3	38.2				32.9	29.4	23.7				29.4		$15,283	$1,288	$991	$2,280	$11,682	$1,321	$13,003

Frequently Asked Questions about Independence Elementary

Is Independence Elementary a good school?

Independence Elementary ranks 465^th of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Independence Elementary attend?

Students who attend Independence Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Castle Heights Middle
High : Rock Hill High

What district is Independence Elementary in?

York 03

How many students attend Independence Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 583 students attended Independence Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Independence Elementary?

Students at Independence Elementary are 42% African American, 27% White, 17% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 2% American Indian.

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Latest South Carolina data All new data »

2025–26 EOCEP & SC READY test scoresAug 10, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataNov 3, 2025

2024–25 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 3, 2025

2024–25 EOCEP & SC READY test scoresSep 2, 2025

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