Enrollment
550
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 200765001121
Independence Sr High — Independence, KS
Federal NCES profile for Independence Sr High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 46
📚 AP courses 25
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 41
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: Independence · Kansas
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)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.4:1
vs 14.4:1 Kansas avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.4%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
+9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Independence Sr High compares with Kansas 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 Sr High reports 550 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 42.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% below the Kansas state mean of 14.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 16% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 46.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 9% above the Kansas average and 10% below the national baseline. The school offers 5 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 275 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 23.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Independence spends $14,453 per pupil district-wide, below the Kansas average of $17,342 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 19.8% from local sources (property taxes), 71.5% from the state, and 8.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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 Sr High compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Kansas state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Kansas | Kansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.4:1 | ▼ 7% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.4% | ▲ 9% | 42.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 550 | top 86% | — | — |
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
46.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 9% above the Kansas average of 42.7%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.4:1
students per teacher
— 7% below state mean
Top 46% in Kansas — lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
23.6%
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
$14,453
per pupil, district-wide
— below Kansas avg of $17,342
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 275 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
140
in-school suspensions + 47 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 25.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 34.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 6 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 550 Top 86% in Kansas — larger than 14% of 1,354 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 42.0
Students per teacher 13.4:1 -7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 46.4% +9% vs state
NCES ID 200765001121
Student demographics
White 69.3%
Hispanic or Latino 12.2%
Two or More 9.6%
African American 5.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.7%
Asian 0.9%
Largest group: White at 69.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 5
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 275:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 23.6%
In-school suspensions 140
Out-of-school suspensions 47
Expulsions 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Independence, which includes Independence Sr High.
$14,453
Per student
-17%
vs Kansas
Avg $17,342
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 19.8%
State 71.5%
Federal 8.7%
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
- 376
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Enrollment
- 356
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Enrollment
- 323
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Enrollment
- 24
- 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 Sr High
How many students attend Independence Sr High?
Independence Sr High has 550 students enrolled. It is a high school in Independence, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Independence Sr High?
The student-teacher ratio at Independence Sr High is 13.4:1, which is 7% lower than the Kansas average of 14.4:1 and 16% 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 Sr High?
46.4% of students at Independence Sr High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Independence Sr High?
The largest demographic group at Independence Sr High is White at 69.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Independence, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Independence Sr High?
Independence Sr High has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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.