Enrollment
88
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Alhambra, CA
Independence High (Alternative)
Federal NCES profile for Independence High (Alternative), including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 060015310932
👥 S:T ratio 50
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 82
📋 Attendance 94
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Independence High (Alternative) earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% of California schools.
- #1 of 3
- high schools in Alhambra · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.6:1
- small classes for California
- 58.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Independence High (Alternative) has class sizes smaller than 93% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Independence High (Alternative) ranks #1 of 3 high schools in Alhambra, CA.
School address
District: Alhambra Unified · California
NCES ID 060015310932 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
7.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-41% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
58.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
+5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Independence High (Alternative) compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Independence High (Alternative)
Independence High (Alternative) is a higher-need, small high school in Alhambra, California, enrolling 88 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 12.6:1, Independence High (Alternative) is leaner than roughly 93% of California schools and 41% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 58.0% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 91% of California schools, with 88 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 98% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 246 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #19, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 88 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 2.3% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Alhambra's high schools, it stands alongside Mark Keppel High (2,201 students): Independence High (Alternative) is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.6:1 vs 26.2:1).
Alhambra Unified also operates Mark Keppel High (2,201 students) and Alhambra High (2,056 students) alongside Independence High (Alternative).
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Independence High (Alternative) compares
Independence High (Alternative) on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.6:1 | ▼ 41% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 58.0% | ▲ 5% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 88 | top 91% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.6:1
Leaner classes than 70% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
88
Bigger than 9% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
58.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 5% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.6:1
students per teacher
- 41% below state mean
Top 7% in California - lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
2.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$16,930
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 88 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Alhambra Unified, which includes Independence High (Alternative).
$16,930
Per student
+3%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+2%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.5%
State 63.4%
Federal 14.1%
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.
How Independence High (Alternative) Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Keppel High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Alhambra High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| San Gabriel High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Martha Baldwin Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Monterey Highlands Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Independence High (Alternative)'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,201
- Students per teacher
- 26.2:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 2,056
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,761
- Students per teacher
- 22.3:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 923
- Students per teacher
- 25.6:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 917
- Students per teacher
- 24.8:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
Similar high schools in Alhambra
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~88 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Independence High (Alternative)'s federal record.
- Compare Independence High (Alternative) against another school. Compare schools
- Alhambra Unified's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Independence High (Alternative)
How many students attend Independence High (Alternative)?
Independence High (Alternative) has 88 students enrolled. It is a high school in Alhambra, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Independence High (Alternative)?
The student-teacher ratio at Independence High (Alternative) is 12.6:1, which is 41% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 20% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Independence High (Alternative)?
58.0% of students at Independence High (Alternative) are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Independence High (Alternative)?
Independence High (Alternative) has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Independence High (Alternative) rank among high schools in Alhambra?
By Resource Investment Index, Independence High (Alternative) ranks #1 of 3 high schools in Alhambra, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Alhambra on the city page.
Is Independence High (Alternative) a good school?
Independence High (Alternative) earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% of California schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Alhambra Unified?
Besides Independence High (Alternative), Alhambra Unified also operates Mark Keppel High (2,201 students), Alhambra High (2,056 students), and San Gabriel High (1,761 students). See the Alhambra Unified district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.