Enrollment
1,907
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 040345000284
Independence High School — Glendale, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Independence High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 37/100.
👥 Class size 5
📚 AP courses 85
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 24
📋 Attendance 0
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: Glendale Union High School District (4285) · Arizona
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)
86.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.7:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
+34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.0%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
+12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Independence High School compares with Arizona 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 School reports 1,907 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 86.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 23.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 34% above the Arizona state mean of 17.7:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 49% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 54.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 12% above the Arizona average and 4% above the national baseline. The school offers 17 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 381 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 49.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Glendale Union High School District (4285) spends $13,607 per pupil district-wide, below the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 35.6% from local sources (property taxes), 49.0% from the state, and 15.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F), 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 School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Arizona state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Arizona | Arizona avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 23.7:1 | ▲ 34% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.0% | ▲ 12% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,907 | top 97% | — | — |
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
54.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 12% above the Arizona average of 48.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
23.7:1
students per teacher
— 34% above state mean
Top 91% in Arizona — lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
49.4%
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
$13,607
per pupil, district-wide
— below Arizona avg of $15,070
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 381 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
29
in-school suspensions + 265 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,907 Top 97% in Arizona — larger than 3% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 86.0
Students per teacher 23.7:1 +34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 54.0% +12% vs state
NCES ID 040345000284
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 77.6%
White 8.2%
African American 7.1%
Asian 4.5%
Two or More 1.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 77.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 17
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 5.0
Students per counselor 381:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 49.4%
In-school suspensions 29
Out-of-school suspensions 265
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Glendale Union High School District (4285), which includes Independence High School.
$13,607
Per student
-10%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 35.6%
State 49.0%
Federal 15.4%
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
- 2,322
- Students per teacher
- 24.3:1
- Enrollment
- 2,152
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,734
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,659
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,592
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
Similar high schools in Glendale
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Copper Canyon High School
Standard public school
2,182 students 21.6:1 students per teacher
Apollo High School
Standard public school
2,152 students 23.9:1 students per teacher
Glendale High School
Standard public school
1,734 students 21.9:1 students per teacher
Glenview College Preparatory High School
Standard public school
536 students
Thrivepoint Online High School
Alternative education program
513 students
Glendale Union High School District Online Learning Academy
Alternative education program
468 students 16:1 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 School
How many students attend Independence High School?
Independence High School has 1,907 students enrolled. It is a high school in GLENDALE, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Independence High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Independence High School is 23.7:1, which is 34% higher than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 49% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Independence High School?
54.0% of students at Independence High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Independence High School?
The largest demographic group at Independence High School is Hispanic or Latino at 77.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in GLENDALE, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Independence High School?
Independence High School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F) 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.