36 public K-12 schools in Independence from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.
National city placement
According to NCES CCD 2024-25, Independence has more public-school enrollment than 91% of the 4,487 US cities in this directory. Independence sits in the broad middle of the national city distribution rather than at a single obvious extreme. Its scale, average Resource Investment Index, and staffing position need to be read together: a middle placement on one measure does not cancel a stronger or weaker result on another. The percentile panel makes those dimensions explicit, and the school table shows where the city aggregate breaks into materially different campus profiles.
22 of Independence's 36 listed schools use NCES's combined or “other” grade-level classification. Citywide averages therefore blend campuses serving unusually broad or nonstandard grade spans with conventional elementary, middle, and high schools. Grade configuration is a first-order comparison here, not a minor label.
The 35-point gap between Buckner Elem. and Fort Osage High shows the range hidden by Independence's average Resource Investment Index. The city figure is useful for national placement, but families ultimately choose among campuses with different grade spans, enrollment, district affiliations, and reported support fields. Start with schools serving the relevant grade level, then compare the index components rather than assuming the city average describes any one classroom.
Independence school enrollment ranges from 106 students (lowest) to 1,720 students (highest), a spread of 1,614 students. That spread reflects typical urban portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing and program breadth can differ sharply at opposite ends of that enrollment range, so the city average should not be treated as a typical campus.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment, push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Variation between sub-units within Independence is typically wider than the Independence-aggregate figure suggests.
| # | School | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Buckner Elem. | 57 |
| 2. | Little Blue Elementary | 56 |
| 3. | Cler-Mont Elem. | 54 |
| 4. | Blue Hills Elem. | 50 |
| 5. | Elm Grove Elem. | 50 |
| 6. | William Yates Elem. | 47 |
| 7. | Blackburn Elem. | 47 |
| 8. | Spring Branch Elem. | 46 |
| 9. | Bryant Elem. | 46 |
| 10. | Indian Trails Elem. | 45 |
| 11. | Santa Fe Trail Elem. | 45 |
| 12. | John W. Luff Elem. | 44 |
| 13. | Cassell Park Elementary | 44 |
| 14. | Fire Prairie Middle | 43 |
| 15. | Three Trails Elem. | 43 |
| 16. | Early Childhood Ctr. | 43 |
| 17. | Glendale Elem. | 42 |
| 18. | Ott Elem. | 42 |
| 19. | Randall Elem. | 41 |
| 20. | Pioneer Ridge Middle | 40 |
| 21. | Sycamore Hills Elem. | 40 |
| 22. | Bridger Middle | 38 |
| 23. | Korte Elem. | 38 |
| 24. | Thomas Hart Benton Elem. | 38 |
| 25. | Fairmount Elem. | 37 |
| 26. | Procter Elem. | 36 |
| 27. | Hanthorn Early Education | 35 |
| 28. | Bingham Middle | 34 |
| 29. | Mill Creek Elem. | 33 |
| 30. | Clifford H. Nowlin Middle | 32 |
| 31. | William Southern Elem. | 31 |
| 32. | Sunshine Center | 30 |
| 33. | Osage Trail Middle | 29 |
| 34. | Truman High | 27 |
| 35. | William Chrisman High | 25 |
| 36. | Fort Osage High | 22 |
Ranked by the Simpson student-body diversity index (0-100) from NCES race and ethnicity data, where higher means a more evenly mixed student body. It measures mix, not quality.
Buckner Elem. has the highest Resource Investment Index among the Independence schools in this federal-data comparison at 57/100. The index summarizes reported staffing, counseling, gifted-program, and attendance inputs; it is not an academic rating.
Independence has 36 public schools with a total enrollment of 17,970 students. Average student-teacher ratio: 15.1:1.
Side-by-side: Compare any two schools or districts in Missouri →
Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. The Resource Investment Index uses reported student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance; it is not an academic rating. Cities must include at least five schools to be listed. This public-data comparison is for informational purposes: verify current enrollment, attendance boundaries, and programs with the school district before acting. See the guide to understanding NCES data.
