Enrollment
102
Idaho · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 160027000689
Independence Alternative High School — Blackfoot, ID
Federal NCES profile for Independence Alternative High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 57/100.
👥 Class size 60
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 80
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Blackfoot District · Idaho
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.9:1
vs 17.3:1 Idaho avg
-43% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
55.0%
vs 29.3% Idaho avg
+88% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Independence Alternative High School compares with Idaho and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Independence Alternative High School reports 102 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 17.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 9.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 43% below the Idaho state mean of 17.3:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 38% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 55.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 88% above the Idaho average and 6% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 102 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Blackfoot District spends $11,663 per pupil district-wide, below the Idaho average of $12,943 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 13.8% from local sources (property taxes), 61.4% from the state, and 24.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (C), calculated from 3 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Independence Alternative High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Idaho state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Idaho | Idaho avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9.9:1 | ▼ 43% | 17.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.0% | ▲ 88% | 29.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 102 | top 15% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
55.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 88% above the Idaho average of 29.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
9.9:1
students per teacher
— 43% below state mean
Top 7% in Idaho — lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Funding equity
$11,663
per pupil, district-wide
— below Idaho avg of $12,943
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 102 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 47 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 46.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 102 Top 15% in Idaho — larger than 85% of 778 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 17.0
Students per teacher 9.9:1 -43% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 55.0% +88% vs state
NCES ID 160027000689
Student demographics
White 40.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 34.3%
Hispanic or Latino 23.5%
Asian 1.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.0%
Largest group: White at 40.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 102:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 47
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Blackfoot District, which includes Independence Alternative High School.
$11,663
Per student
-10%
vs Idaho
Avg $12,943
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 13.8%
State 61.4%
Federal 24.8%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,170
- Students per teacher
- —
- Enrollment
- 526
- Students per teacher
- —
- Enrollment
- 403
- Students per teacher
- —
- Enrollment
- 359
- Students per teacher
- —
- Enrollment
- 277
- Students per teacher
- —
Similar other schools in Blackfoot
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Blackfoot Charter Community
Standard public school
433 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
I T Stoddard Elementary School
Standard public school
403 students
Ridge Crest Elementary School
Standard public school
359 students
Idaho Science and Technology Charter School
Standard public school
301 students 13.2:1 students per teacher
Moreland Elementary School
Standard public school
238 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Donald D Stalker Elementary
Standard public school
237 students
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Independence Alternative High School
How many students attend Independence Alternative High School?
Independence Alternative High School has 102 students enrolled. It is a other school in BLACKFOOT, ID.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Independence Alternative High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Independence Alternative High School is 9.9:1, which is 43% lower than the Idaho average of 17.3:1 and 38% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Independence Alternative High School?
55.0% of students at Independence Alternative High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Idaho average of 29.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Independence Alternative High School?
The largest demographic group at Independence Alternative High School is White at 40.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in BLACKFOOT, ID.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Independence Alternative High School?
Independence Alternative High School has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (C) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.