Enrollment
602
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Bethel Park, PA
Independence Ms
Federal NCES profile for Independence Ms, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 420351000061
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 79
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Independence Ms earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% of Pennsylvania schools.
- #7 of 7
- public schools in Bethel Park · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.6:1
- small classes for Pennsylvania
- 17.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Independence Ms has class sizes smaller than 78% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Independence Ms ranks #7 of 7 public schools in Bethel Park, PA.
School address
District: Bethel Park Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 420351000061 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
52.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.6:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
17.7%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-70% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Independence Ms compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Independence Ms
Independence Ms is a lower-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, enrolling 602 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 17.7% free-meal eligibility runs 70% below the Pennsylvania average.
Enrollment of 602 puts it in the larger third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 463 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #206.
Its student body is predominantly White (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 26/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 301 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance holds up well here: only 8.3% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Bethel Park Sd also operates Bethel Park Hs (1,244 students) and Neil Armstrong 5-6 Ms (597 students) alongside Independence Ms.
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 Ms compares
Independence Ms on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.6:1 | ▼ 15% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 17.7% | ▼ 70% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 602 | top 29% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.6:1
Leaner classes than 79% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
602
Bigger than 73% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
17.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 70% below the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
11.6:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 22% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 78% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
8.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$20,721
per pupil, district-wide
- above Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 301 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 32 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.3 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.
Student demographics
White 85.4%
Asian 6.0%
Two or More 4.2%
African American 3.0%
Hispanic or Latino 1.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 85.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 26.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 26.4, Independence Ms is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bethel Park Sd, which includes Independence Ms.
$20,721
Per student
+15%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 69.5%
State 26.4%
Federal 4.1%
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 Ms Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bethel Park Hs | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Neil Armstrong 5-6 Ms | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Abraham Lincoln El Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bethel Memorial El Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Benjamin Franklin El Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Independence Ms's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,244
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 597
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 348
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 66/100
- Enrollment
- 342
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 65/100
- Enrollment
- 338
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 63/100
Similar middle schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Pennsylvania, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~602 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Independence Ms's federal record.
- Compare Independence Ms against another school. Compare schools
- Bethel Park Sd'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 Ms
How many students attend Independence Ms?
Independence Ms has 602 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Bethel Park, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Independence Ms?
The student-teacher ratio at Independence Ms is 11.6:1, which is 15% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 26% 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 Ms?
17.7% of students at Independence Ms are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Independence Ms?
The largest demographic group at Independence Ms is White at 85.4% of enrollment, in Bethel Park, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Independence Ms?
Independence Ms has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Independence Ms rank among public schools in Bethel Park?
By Resource Investment Index, Independence Ms ranks #7 of 7 public schools in Bethel Park, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Bethel Park on the city page.
Is Independence Ms a good school?
Independence Ms earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% of Pennsylvania 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 Bethel Park Sd?
Besides Independence Ms, Bethel Park Sd also operates Bethel Park Hs (1,244 students), Neil Armstrong 5-6 Ms (597 students), and Abraham Lincoln El Sch (348 students). See the Bethel Park Sd 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.