Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Independence, Missouri - 29 schools
An equity score of 48/100 ranks Independence 30 #227 of 433 districts in Missouri (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,302 per pupil, Independence 30 ranks #325 of 552 Missouri districts by per-pupil spending (Missouri districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
Independence 30 operates 29 public schools serving 14,406 students, placing it in the mid-size range in Missouri. The school portfolio breaks down into 21 combined, 4 middle, 3 high, 1 elementary schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Jackson County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,302 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 552 Missouri districts by per-pupil spending. See how Missouri compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 42.9% local, 35.3% state, and 21.8% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 48/100, ranked #227 of 433 in Missouri against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 3 of 29 schools offering Advanced Placement (18 AP courses district-wide), a 376.5:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 27.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 45.8% White, 26.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Randall Elem., with a diversity index of 72.7/100.
Its largest campus is Truman High, enrolling 1,720 students (12% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Sunshine Center, at 106 students, a 16x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Enrollment across the district's NCES-reporting campuses held roughly steady from 2022-23 to 2023-24 (14,406 to 14,168 students, -1.7%), per the NCES Common Core of Data annual universe files.
Of the district's $221,844,000 in reported FY2023 expenditures, 40% went to instruction, 35.6% to support services, and 13.8% to capital outlay, support-services-heavy relative to typical districts, reflecting spending on transportation, administration, or student services. Figures come from the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey's function-level breakdown, not the aggregate per-pupil figure above.
Independence 30 school enrollment ranges from 106 students (lowest) to 1,720 students (highest), a spread of 1,614 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
The reported share clears the 50% majority mark. Title I operates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), but its statutory allocation uses additional LEA-level counts and rules not represented by this average. This percentage is an economic-need context measure; it does not establish a Title I award, show dollars received, or describe how funds are distributed among campuses.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within Independence 30 is typically wider than the Independence 30-aggregate figure suggests.
This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.
Average demographic composition across 29 schools in Independence 30.
Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.
Average Simpson diversity index across Independence 30's schools, above the Missouri average of 31.0.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.
| School | Enrollment |
|---|---|
| Truman High | 1,720 |
| William Chrisman High | 1,417 |
| Van Horn High | 1,067 |
| Clifford H. Nowlin Middle | 902 |
| Bridger Middle | 744 |
| Pioneer Ridge Middle | 731 |
| Bingham Middle | 730 |
| Sycamore Hills Elem. | 574 |
| William Southern Elem. | 458 |
| Korte Elem. | 444 |
| Glendale Elem. | 417 |
| Thomas Hart Benton Elem. | 401 |
| Ott Elem. | 384 |
| Santa Fe Trail Elem. | 364 |
| Blackburn Elem. | 363 |
| John W. Luff Elem. | 362 |
| Cassell Park Elementary | 362 |
| Three Trails Elem. | 328 |
| Fairmount Elem. | 313 |
| Randall Elem. | 284 |
| Abraham Mallinson Elementary | 282 |
| Spring Branch Elem. | 278 |
| Little Blue Elementary | 263 |
| Mill Creek Elem. | 250 |
| Procter Elem. | 221 |
| Bryant Elem. | 193 |
| Hanthorn Early Education | 180 |
| Sugar Creek Elem. | 134 |
| Sunshine Center | 106 |
The Missouri districts closest to this one in total enrollment.
| District | Enrollment | Spending | Funding Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City 33 | Similar size | Higher spending | More locally funded |
| Blue Springs R-Iv | Similar size | Similar spending | More locally funded |
| Hazelwood | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Liberty 53 | Similar size | Similar spending | More locally funded |
| Park Hill | Similar size | Higher spending | More locally funded |
Comparisons are relative to Independence 30's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by per-pupil expenditure, not the same-state lists above.
See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.
Compare vs Springfield R-Xii →Independence 30 has 29 schools, including 3 high, 4 middle, 21 combined, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 14,406 students.
Independence 30 spends $12,302 per student. The district has an equity score of 48/100, ranking #227 in Missouri.
Independence 30 students are 45.8% White, 26.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% African American, 0.7% Asian, averaged across 29 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
Independence 30 has an equity score of 48/100, ranking #227 out of 433 districts in Missouri.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.