Is Independence High School a good school?

Independence High School ranks in the bottom 7.5% of New York high schools.

How many students attend Independence High School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 265 students attended Independence High School.

What is the racial makeup of Independence High School?

Students at Independence High School are 66% Hispanic, 29% African American, 2% Asian, 1% White.

Independence High School

Summary:

Independence High School is a public high school located in New York City, New York, serving grades 9-12 with a student population of 233. The school is part of the New York City Geographic District #2, which is ranked 335 out of 865 districts in New York and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Despite its relatively small size, Independence High School has consistently struggled academically, ranking in the bottom 10% of New York high schools over the past decade. The school's 4-year graduation rate has been below 85% in recent years, and it has had high dropout rates ranging from 4.9% to 22.8%. Additionally, Independence High School has grappled with high chronic absenteeism, with rates as high as 92.3%. Proficiency rates on Regents/Common Core exams are significantly lower than the state and district averages across all subject areas, with many subject areas having proficiency rates below 50%. The school serves a predominantly economically disadvantaged student population, with 84% to 90% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.

Interestingly, the schools located closest to Independence High School, such as High School For Environmental Studies, Manhattan Bridges High School, and Urban Assembly Gateway School For Technology, generally perform better academically, with higher graduation rates, lower dropout rates, lower chronic absenteeism, and better test scores. Despite relatively high per-student spending and small class sizes, Independence High School has been unable to improve its academic outcomes, indicating the need for more comprehensive interventions and support to address the complex challenges facing the school and its students.

Detail:

Public 9-12

850 10th Ave
New York, NY 10019

(212) 262-8067

District: New York City Geographic District # 2

SchoolDigger Rank:
1149^th of 1,242 New York High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $28,038

Student/teacher ratio: 10.8

Number of students: 265

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

66.0%

African American:

29.4%

Asian:

2.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 93.6%

See top rated New York high schools

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Independence High School ranks worse than 92.5% of high schools in New York. It also ranks last among 56 ranked high schools in the New York City Geographic District # 2. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 9.36. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Independence High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (66%), African American (29.4%), Asian (2.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 93.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Independence High School is 10.8, which is the 30^th best among 56 high schools in the New York City Geographic District # 2. (See more...)

Compare Independence High School employs 24.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Independence High School is $28,038, which is the 7^th highest among 56 high schools in the New York City Geographic District # 2.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Independence High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Independence High School 1149^th of 1242 New York public high schools. (See Independence High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

New York City Geographic District # 2:

SchoolDigger ranks New York City Geographic District # 2 335^th of 865 New York school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Independence High School

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Rank History for all students at Independence High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2009	17.37	925^th	1086	14.8%
2010	20.08	935^th	1117	16.3%
2011	19.66	969^th	1165	16.8%
2012	9.29	1081^st	1198	9.8%
2013	4.95	1145^th	1217	5.9%
2014	5.77	1178^th	1237	4.8%
2015	6.16	1222^nd	1255	2.6%
2016	16.57	1125^th	1255	10.4%
2017	4.93	1188^th	1221	2.7%
2018	1.68	1203^rd	1210	0.6%
2019	3.06	1183^rd	1207	2.0%
2022	2.16	1184^th	1190	0.5%
2023	8.88	1125^th	1228	8.4%
2024	9.36	1149^th	1242	7.5%

See the entire list of New York High School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Independence High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	17.20	512^th	546	6.2%
2019	14.34	552^nd	565	2.3%
2024	38.14	397^th	637	37.7%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Independence High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	12.08	1065^th	1095	2.7%
2019	21.74	943^rd	1132	16.7%
2023	20.04	980^th	1130	13.3%
2024	22.39	962^nd	1144	15.9%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Independence High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	2.02	1148^th	1154	0.5%
2019	1.41	1169^th	1179	0.8%
2024	9.12	1091^st	1170	6.8%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Homeless students at Independence High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	7.26	495^th	498	0.6%
2019	6.09	492^nd	493	0.2%
2024	26.83	460^th	564	18.4%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for Female students at Independence High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	1.37	1171^st	1176	0.4%
2019	1.91	1183^rd	1193	0.8%
2023	6.62	1145^th	1197	4.3%
2024	7.30	1170^th	1219	4.0%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Independence High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	3.05	1161^st	1176	1.3%
2019	6.11	1125^th	1190	5.5%
2023	15.36	987^th	1191	17.1%
2024	11.33	1095^th	1211	9.6%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Independence High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	3.38	675^th	679	0.6%
2019	7.82	665^th	686	3.1%
2023	23.58	536^th	671	20.1%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Independence High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	2.79	789^th	791	0.3%
2019	6.88	786^th	815	3.6%
2023	11.33	794^th	851	6.7%
2024	16.37	766^th	865	11.4%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: NY State Education Department, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: NY State Education Department

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Enrollment information for Independence High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2008	19	175	12	210	0	n/a	n/a	0	416
2009	9	160	12	230	3	n/a	n/a	0	414
2010	10	171	16	241	1	n/a	n/a	0	439
2011	10	143	19	247	0	0	0	0	419
2012	7	131	12	235	2	5	0	0	392
2013	6	145	6	219	5	7	0	0	388
2014	5	110	10	143	5	0	0	0	273
2015	6	102	9	118	3	0	0	0	238
2016	5	88	11	128	5	0	0	0	237
2017	18	93	6	149	4	1	1	0	272
2018	30	92	6	168	3	1	2	0	302
2019	18	83	3	156	1	0	1	0	262
2020	14	95	8	189	1	0	0	0	307
2021	8	88	7	143	3	1	0	0	250
2022	10	87	10	147	3	0	0	0	257
2023	10	60	4	157	1	0	1	0	233
2024	3	78	6	175	1	1	0	1	265

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Independence High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2008	416	30.5	13.6	72.6
2009	414	24.8	16.7	69.1
2010	439	23.0	19.0	n/a
2011	419	24.0	17.4	80
2012	392	22.0	17.8	77.8
2013	388	20.0	19.4	81.2
2014	273	18.0	15.1	81.7
2015	238	18.0	13.2	86.6
2016	237	17.0	13.9	81.4
2017	272	17.9	15.1	83.1
2018	302	17.0	17.7	91.7
2019	262	20.0	13.0	84.7
2020	307	18.9	16.1	86.6
2021	250	22.9	10.8	90.4
2022	257	22.8	11.2	86.4
2023	233	25.0	9.3	88.8
2024	265	24.5	10.8	93.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Independence High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2008	416	30.5	13.6	72.6
2009	414	24.8	16.7	69.1
2010	439	23.0	19.0	n/a
2011	419	24.0	17.4	80
2012	392	22.0	17.8	77.8
2013	388	20.0	19.4	81.2
2014	273	18.0	15.1	81.7
2015	238	18.0	13.2	86.6
2016	237	17.0	13.9	81.4
2017	272	17.9	15.1	83.1
2018	302	17.0	17.7	91.7
2019	262	20.0	13.0	84.7
2020	307	18.9	16.1	86.6
2021	250	22.9	10.8	90.4
2022	257	22.8	11.2	86.4
2023	233	25.0	9.3	88.8
2024	265	24.5	10.8	93.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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