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Independence High School

Q: Is Independence High School a good school?

Independence High School ranks 63 rd of 105 West Virginia high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

63^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 105 West Virginia High Schools

Better than 40% of West Virginia high schools

Summary

Independence High School in Sophia, WV, is a public high school serving 597 students in grades 9-12 within the Raleigh County Schools district, which is ranked 14th out of 54 districts in West Virginia.

Independence High School has shown remarkable strengths alongside significant challenges. The most notable bright spot is its exceptional performance with Special Education students, ranking 4th out of 82 schools statewide (top 5%) in the most recent year—a dramatic leap from the previous year's 43rd place. This suggests a targeted program that's working well for these students. However, the school's overall performance has been volatile, swinging from a peak of 34th place statewide in 2024-2025 to 63rd place the following year. This instability is also reflected in gender-based results: in 2024-2025, female students ranked 23rd statewide while males ranked 56th, though both groups declined in the most recent year. The school also consistently graduates students at rates below district and state averages (87.2% vs. 92.1% district and 92.8% state).

Academically, Independence shows a clear pattern: English Language Arts proficiency is relatively strong (48-58%), but math (14-20%) and science (16-27%) lag significantly behind state averages. When compared to nearby schools, Independence ranks at the bottom of its district—Shady Spring High leads the district at 13th statewide with a 96% graduation rate and nearly double the math proficiency, while Woodrow Wilson High and Liberty High both rank in the 37-38 range. The school's 2024-2025 peak appears to have been driven by a particularly strong cohort rather than systemic improvements, as performance returned to prior levels the following year. For parents, this school offers a potentially excellent experience for Special Education students but shows inconsistent results overall, particularly in STEM subjects and for male students.

597

Students ?

16.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,452

Per pupil spending ?

55.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

850 Independence Rd
Sophia, WV 25921

(304) 683-3228

District: Raleigh County Schools

Feeder schools for Independence High School:

Elementary:	Coal City Elementary
Middle:	Independence Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

95.5%

Two or more races:

1.8%

African American:

1.5%

See top rated West Virginia high schools

Compare Independence High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 26th percentile in 2016 → 40th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 14 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the West Virginia average (26% vs 32% meeting standards)

!Graduation rate below the West Virginia average (87% vs 93%)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school26%

District avg33%

West Virginia avg32%

63^rd of 105

West Virginia public high schools ?

Bottom 40%▲ up 14 pts since 2016

From bottom 26% (2016) to bottom 40% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of West Virginia High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4High Schools in the Raleigh County Schools

14^th of 54Raleigh County Schools among West Virginia 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	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	35.2	63 of 105	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	62.7	34 of 111	69.4%	★★★★☆
2024	45.8	58 of 112	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.7	63 of 112	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	21.6	91 of 112	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.2	102 of 113	9.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.1	88 of 114	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.4	83 of 115	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	31.0	101 of 122	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	35.9	88 of 119	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	31.0	90 of 117	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	25.0	102 of 115	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	21.5	101 of 114	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	30.1	87 of 113	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	39.0	76 of 113	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2010	51.0	58 of 112	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	55.0	51 of 111	54.1%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2017	41.5	52 of 82	36.6%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2022	57.0	35 of 91	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	37.1	51 of 84	39.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	33.6	67 of 104	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	70.8	23 of 107	78.5%	★★★★☆
2024	53.7	50 of 110	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.0	32 of 108	70.4%	★★★★☆
2022	24.4	87 of 108	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.1	94 of 110	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.5	76 of 109	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.0	73 of 111	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	27.8	103 of 119	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	35.3	71 of 104	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	81.0	16 of 109	85.3%	★★★★☆
2024	48.2	61 of 110	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.1	62 of 107	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.0	83 of 109	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.2	77 of 111	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.8	78 of 112	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	24.5	106 of 121	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	37.7	66 of 104	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.5	56 of 106	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.1	68 of 109	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	22.4	92 of 108	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.2	80 of 108	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.6	98 of 110	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.9	81 of 109	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.1	88 of 111	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	37.0	89 of 122	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2018	6.7	17 of 18	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	57.9	16 of 62	74.2%	★★★★☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2017	45.6	3 of 6	50.0%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	87.3	4 of 82	95.1%	★★★★★
2025	47.9	45 of 92	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.0	43 of 89	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	13.5	82 of 89	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.3	79 of 85	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.8	81 of 103	21.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	58.4	29 of 118	75.4%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	35.5	65 of 105	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	64.2	37 of 111	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.8	60 of 111	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.5	67 of 112	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	21.0	88 of 111	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.2	104 of 113	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	19.6	95 of 112	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.4	84 of 113	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	30.8	101 of 122	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2026)95th percentile+55 vs school

Disabled (2022)62nd percentile+43 vs school

Pacific Islander (2017)50th percentile+33 vs school

White (2026)38th percentile~ school

African American (2017)37th percentile+19 vs school

Male (2026)37th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)36th percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)32nd percentile-8 vs school

Multi-racial (2018)6th percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs West Virginia (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts48%-3 vs state

Science16%-8 vs state

Mathematics14%-6 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)				WV Assessment Mathematics (2026)					WV Assessment English Language Arts (2026)					WV Assessment Science (2026)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
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 (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	WV Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	WV Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	WV Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	WV Assessment Mathematics 11th Grade	WV Assessment Mathematics All Grades	WV Assessment English Language Arts 6th Grade	WV Assessment English Language Arts 7th Grade	WV Assessment English Language Arts 8th Grade	WV Assessment English Language Arts 11th Grade	WV Assessment English Language Arts All Grades	WV Assessment Science 8th Grade	WV Assessment Science 11th Grade	WV Assessment Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Independence High School	Public	9-12	850 Independence Rd	Sophia	25921	Raleigh County	Raleigh County Schools	No	No	No	No	(304) 683-3228	597	36	16.5		570 (95.5%)	9 (1.5%)	5 (0.8%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.8%)	35.2	63^rd of 105 public high schools	40.0%		62.7	34^th of 111 public high schools	69.4%	29				14.2					48.4			16.1		$11,452	$925	$10,527
Shady Spring High	Public	9-12	300 Hinton Rd	Shady Spring	25918	Raleigh County	Raleigh County Schools	No	No	No	No	(304) 256-4647	754	51	14.7		704 (93.4%)	13 (1.7%)	14 (1.9%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (2.4%)	85	13^th of 105 public high schools	87.6%		84.4	15^th of 111 public high schools	86.5%	2				25.8					62.9			29.8		$11,409	$1,040	$10,370
Academy Of Careers And Technology	Public	8-12	390 Stanaford Rd	Beckley	25801	Raleigh County	Raleigh County Schools	No	No	No	No	(304) 256-4615	0	22	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Woodrow Wilson High School	Public	9-12	400 Stanaford Rd	Beckley	25801	Raleigh County	Raleigh County Schools	No	No	No	No	(304) 256-4646	1,284	76	16.8		923 (71.9%)	204 (15.9%)	28 (2.2%)	25 (1.9%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	101 (7.9%)	58.7	37^th of 105 public high schools	64.8%		60.9	41^st of 111 public high schools	63.1%	4				18.5					49.8			26.4		$10,912	$930	$9,982
Liberty High School	Public	9-12	1700 Coal River Rd	Glen Daniel	25844	Raleigh County	Raleigh County Schools	No	No	No	No	(304) 934-5306	458	34	13.4		441 (96.3%)	1 (0.2%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.2%)	57.8	38^th of 105 public high schools	63.8%		64.8	31^st of 111 public high schools	72.1%	7				19.8					50.5			23.8		$12,191	$1,112	$11,079
Wyoming County East High School	Public	9-12	260 Warrior Way	New Richmond	24867	Wyoming County	Wyoming County Schools	No	No	No	No	(304) 294-5200	449	27	16.8		426 (94.9%)	5 (1.1%)	4 (0.9%)	3 (0.7%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.0%)	34.8	64^th of 105 public high schools	39.0%		53.5	53^rd of 111 public high schools	52.3%	11				16.8					43.2			17.9		$11,844	$1,246	$10,599
Wyoming County Career & Technical Center	Public	9-12	1201 Bear Hole Road	Pineville	24874	Wyoming County	Wyoming County Schools	No	No	No	No	(304) 732-8050	2	17	.1		2 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
6-12 Summers County Comprehensive High School	Public	6-12	37 Bobcat Dr	Hinton	25951	Summers County	Summers County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(304) 466-6040	627	51	12.2		587 (93.6%)	7 (1.1%)	8 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (4.0%)	31.7	71^st of 105 public high schools	32.4%		47.6	59^th of 111 public high schools	46.8%	12	13.2	10.7	15.3	12.1	12.7	32.1	27.4	36.1	48.5	35.6	16.7	15.2	15.9

Frequently Asked Questions about Independence High School

What is the racial makeup of Independence High School?

Students at Independence High School are 95% White, 2% Two or more races, 2% African American.

What district is Independence High School in?

Raleigh County Schools

What schools feed into Independence High School?

Independence High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Coal City Elementary
Middle : Independence Middle School

How many students attend Independence High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 597 students attended Independence High School.

Is Independence High School a good school?

Independence High School ranks 63^rd of 105 West Virginia high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Independence High School!

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Schools in Sophia, WV

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Latest West Virginia data All new data »

2025–26 WV Assessment scoresNewAug 12, 2026

2024–25 graduation ratesJan 9, 2026

2024–25 WV Assessment scoresAug 13, 2025

2023–24 graduation ratesMay 8, 2025

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