Enrollment
2,289
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 061182001302
Independence High — San Jose, CA
Federal NCES profile for Independence High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 12
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 22
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: East Side Union High · California
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)
114.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.1:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
-37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Independence High compares with California 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 High reports 2,289 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 114.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 22.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% above the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 39% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 35.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 37% below the California average and 32% below the national baseline. The school offers 25 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 327 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 31.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding East Side Union High spends $21,090 per pupil district-wide, above the California average of $18,039 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 48.5% from local sources (property taxes), 44.9% from the state, and 6.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D), calculated from 5 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 High compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against California state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 22.1:1 | ▲ 2% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.1% | ▼ 37% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 2,289 | top 98% | — | — |
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
35.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 37% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
22.1:1
students per teacher
— 2% above state mean
Top 51% in California — lower ratio than 49% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
31.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$21,090
per pupil, district-wide
— above California avg of $18,039
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors7.0 FTE
Per 327 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 117 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 8 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 2,289 Top 98% in California — larger than 2% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 114.0
Students per teacher 22.1:1 +2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 35.1% -37% vs state
NCES ID 061182001302
Student demographics
Asian 51.9%
Hispanic or Latino 39.5%
White 3.1%
Two or More 2.7%
African American 1.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Asian at 51.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 25
Counselors (FTE) 7.0
Students per counselor 327:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 31.3%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 117
Expulsions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for East Side Union High, which includes Independence High.
$21,090
Per student
+17%
vs California
Avg $18,039
+8%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 48.5%
State 44.9%
Federal 6.6%
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
- 2,703
- Students per teacher
- 24.3:1
- Enrollment
- 2,139
- Students per teacher
- 24.6:1
- Enrollment
- 2,134
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,918
- Students per teacher
- 22.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,612
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
Similar high schools in San Jose
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Evergreen Valley High
Standard public school
2,703 students 24.3:1 students per teacher
Silver Creek High
Standard public school
2,139 students 24.6:1 students per teacher
Santa Teresa High
Standard public school
2,134 students 22.6:1 students per teacher
Piedmont Hills High
Standard public school
1,918 students 22.9:1 students per teacher
Leigh High
Standard public school
1,884 students 24.8:1 students per teacher
Branham High
Standard public school
1,820 students 24.3:1 students per teacher
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 High
How many students attend Independence High?
Independence High has 2,289 students enrolled. It is a high school in San Jose, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Independence High?
The student-teacher ratio at Independence High is 22.1:1, which is 2% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 39% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Independence High?
35.1% of students at Independence High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Independence High?
The largest demographic group at Independence High is Asian at 51.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in San Jose, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Independence High?
Independence High has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.