Is Independence High School a good school?

Independence High School ranks 58 th of 112 West Virginia high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Independence High School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 572 students attended Independence High School.

What is the racial makeup of Independence High School?

Students at Independence High School are 96% White, 1% African American, 1% Two or more races, 1% Hispanic.

What schools feed into Independence High School?

Independence High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Coal City Elementary Middle : Independence Middle School

Independence High School

Summary:

Independence High School is a public high school located in Sophia, West Virginia, serving grades 9-12 with a student population of 572. The school is part of the Raleigh County Schools district, which is ranked 12th out of 55 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While Independence High School has a significantly higher percentage of white students (95.8%) compared to the state and nearby schools, its academic performance has consistently ranked in the bottom half of West Virginia high schools over the past 10 years, with a ranking between 58-102 out of 112-122 schools. The school's performance on state assessments is also below the Raleigh County and state averages, with lower proficiency rates in mathematics, English language arts, and science. Interestingly, female students and white students perform better than other subgroups, while the school's performance for African American, Pacific Islander, and multi-racial students is significantly lower compared to the state.

When compared to other high schools in the Raleigh County district, such as Liberty High School, Woodrow Wilson High School, and Shady Spring High, Independence High School consistently performs worse on state assessments and has a lower overall ranking. Additionally, the school's high percentage of students (55.09%) receiving free or reduced-price lunch in the 2020-2021 school year indicates a relatively high proportion of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, which may be a contributing factor to the school's lower academic performance.

Detail:

Public 9-12

850 Independence Rd
Sophia, WV 25921

(304) 683-3228

District: Raleigh County Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
58^th of 112 West Virginia High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $11,452

Feeder schools for Independence High School:

Elementary:	Coal City Elementary
Middle:	Independence Middle School

Student/teacher ratio: 16.8

Number of students: 572

Racial breakdown:

White:

95.8%

African American:

1.2%

Two or more races:

1.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 55.1%

See top rated West Virginia high schools

Compare Independence High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Independence High School ranks worse than 51.8% of high schools in West Virginia. It also ranks last among 4 ranked high schools in the Raleigh County Schools District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 45.79. (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.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (95.8%), African American (1.2%), two or more races (1.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Independence High School is 16.8. 3 high schools in the Raleigh County Schools District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Independence High School employs 34 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Independence High School is $11,452, which is the 2^nd highest among 4 high schools in the Raleigh County Schools District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Independence High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Independence High School 58^th of 112 West Virginia public high schools. (See Independence High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

White students:

Raleigh County Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Raleigh County Schools 12^th of 55 West Virginia school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Your rating for Independence High School?

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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	WV State Percentile
2009	55.03	51^st	111	54.1%
2010	50.97	58^th	112	48.2%
2011	39.00	76^th	113	32.7%
2012	30.14	87^th	113	23.0%
2013	21.55	101^st	114	11.4%
2014	24.95	102^nd	115	11.3%
2015	30.96	90^th	117	23.1%
2016	35.92	88^th	119	26.1%
2017	31.05	101^st	122	17.2%
2018	30.41	83^rd	115	27.8%
2019	26.14	88^th	114	22.8%
2021	14.21	102^nd	113	9.7%
2022	21.63	91^st	112	18.8%
2023	43.70	63^rd	112	43.8%
2024	45.79	58^th	112	48.2%

See the entire list of West Virginia High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Independence High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WV State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2017	57.89	16^th	62	74.2%
2018	6.67	17^th	18	5.6%

See the entire list of Best West Virginia High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Independence High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WV State Percentile
2017	58.43	29^th	118	75.4%
2018	17.78	81^st	103	21.4%
2019	13.28	79^th	85	7.1%
2023	13.47	82^nd	89	7.9%
2024	43.01	43^rd	89	51.7%

See the entire list of Best West Virginia 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	WV State Percentile
2017	24.47	106^th	121	12.4%
2018	33.81	78^th	112	30.4%
2021	30.21	77^th	111	30.6%
2022	29.03	83^rd	109	23.9%
2023	42.09	62^nd	107	42.1%
2024	48.15	61^st	110	44.5%

See the entire list of Best West Virginia High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Independence High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WV State Percentile
2017	27.82	103^rd	119	13.4%
2018	40.04	73^rd	111	34.2%
2019	29.54	76^th	109	30.3%
2021	21.08	94^th	110	14.5%
2022	24.38	87^th	108	19.4%
2023	65.03	32^nd	108	70.4%
2024	53.69	50^th	110	54.5%

See the entire list of Best West Virginia High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Independence High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WV State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	37.11	51^st	84	39.3%
2022	57.05	35^th	91	61.5%

See the entire list of Best West Virginia High Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Independence High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WV State Percentile
2017	36.98	89^th	122	27.0%
2018	23.07	88^th	111	20.7%
2019	27.87	81^st	109	25.7%
2021	13.56	98^th	110	10.9%
2022	26.24	80^th	108	25.9%
2023	22.38	92^nd	108	14.8%
2024	38.05	68^th	109	37.6%

See the entire list of Best West Virginia 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	WV State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2017	41.51	52^nd	82	36.6%

See the entire list of Best West Virginia High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Pacific Islander students at Independence High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WV State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2017	45.62	3^rd	6	50.0%

See the entire list of Best West Virginia High Schools for Pacific Islander Students!

Rank History for White students at Independence High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WV State Percentile
2017	30.81	101^st	122	17.2%
2018	28.41	84^th	113	25.7%
2019	19.59	95^th	112	15.2%
2021	14.21	104^th	113	8.0%
2022	21.00	88^th	111	20.7%
2023	40.53	67^th	112	40.2%
2024	44.81	60^th	111	45.9%

See the entire list of Best West Virginia High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: West Virginia Department of Education, 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: West Virginia Department of Education

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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
1989	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	584	584
1990	588	11	2	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	601
1991	551	18	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	569
1992	511	26	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	537
1993	562	23	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	585
1994	563	21	1	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	585
1995	590	14	0	0	1	n/a	n/a	0	605
1996	590	14	0	0	1	n/a	n/a	0	605
1997	598	10	0	0	4	n/a	n/a	0	612
1998	551	6	0	2	2	n/a	n/a	0	561
1999	526	11	1	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	539
2000	497	10	3	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	512
2001	526	16	1	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	545
2002	510	19	0	1	1	n/a	n/a	0	531
2003	510	19	0	1	1	n/a	n/a	0	531
2004	661	20	1	2	1	n/a	n/a	0	685
2005	663	17	1	1	1	n/a	n/a	0	683
2006	718	16	3	1	1	n/a	n/a	0	739
2007	729	21	2	1	1	n/a	n/a	0	754
2008	727	24	3	4	2	n/a	n/a	0	760
2009	730	26	0	3	1	n/a	n/a	0	760
2010	687	19	0	2	1	0	0	0	709
2011	672	12	0	3	0	0	0	0	687
2012	641	11	1	4	0	0	0	0	657
2013	652	9	1	3	1	0	1	0	667
2014	639	10	2	5	1	0	1	0	658
2015	629	13	2	6	1	2	3	0	656
2016	604	13	1	5	0	2	3	0	628
2017	588	14	2	10	0	1	5	0	620
2018	605	13	1	12	0	0	6	0	637
2019	554	11	1	11	0	0	6	0	583
2020	545	11	2	10	0	0	6	0	574
2021	522	10	1	10	0	0	7	0	550
2022	534	5	2	8	0	0	6	0	555
2023	548	7	4	6	0	0	7	0	572

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

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	584	28.0	20.8	n/a
1990	601	29.5	20.3	26.5
1991	569	30.7	18.5	22.1
1992	537	31.5	17.0	26.1
1993	585	30.0	19.5	31.3
1994	585	31.0	18.9	35
1995	605	29.5	20.5	40.5
1996	605	29.5	20.5	40.5
1997	612	30.0	20.4	38.7
1998	561	31.5	17.8	38.5
1999	539	32.5	16.6	53.8
2000	512	32.0	16.0	49.4
2001	545	30.5	17.9	42.9
2002	531	31.5	16.9	53.7
2003	531	31.5	16.9	53.7
2004	685	41.0	16.7	50.1
2005	683	42.5	16.1	55.6
2006	739	44.0	16.8	49.8
2007	754	47.0	16.0	51.2
2008	760	48.0	15.8	50.9
2009	760	48.0	15.8	49.7
2010	709	48.0	14.7	49.1
2011	687	52.5	13.0	45.3
2012	657	48.5	13.5	44.4
2013	667	49.5	13.4	46
2014	658	46.5	14.1	52.7
2015	656	46.0	14.2	54
2016	628	46.0	13.6	55.6
2017	620	40.5	15.3	55.8
2018	637	35.0	18.2	61.5
2019	583	37.0	15.7	58.8
2020	574	39.5	14.5	59.8
2021	550	32.0	17.1	55.1
2022	555	31.0	17.9	n/a
2023	572	34.0	16.8	n/a

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

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	584	28.0	20.8	n/a
1990	601	29.5	20.3	26.5
1991	569	30.7	18.5	22.1
1992	537	31.5	17.0	26.1
1993	585	30.0	19.5	31.3
1994	585	31.0	18.9	35
1995	605	29.5	20.5	40.5
1996	605	29.5	20.5	40.5
1997	612	30.0	20.4	38.7
1998	561	31.5	17.8	38.5
1999	539	32.5	16.6	53.8
2000	512	32.0	16.0	49.4
2001	545	30.5	17.9	42.9
2002	531	31.5	16.9	53.7
2003	531	31.5	16.9	53.7
2004	685	41.0	16.7	50.1
2005	683	42.5	16.1	55.6
2006	739	44.0	16.8	49.8
2007	754	47.0	16.0	51.2
2008	760	48.0	15.8	50.9
2009	760	48.0	15.8	49.7
2010	709	48.0	14.7	49.1
2011	687	52.5	13.0	45.3
2012	657	48.5	13.5	44.4
2013	667	49.5	13.4	46
2014	658	46.5	14.1	52.7
2015	656	46.0	14.2	54
2016	628	46.0	13.6	55.6
2017	620	40.5	15.3	55.8
2018	637	35.0	18.2	61.5
2019	583	37.0	15.7	58.8
2020	574	39.5	14.5	59.8
2021	550	32.0	17.1	55.1
2022	555	31.0	17.9	n/a
2023	572	34.0	16.8	n/a

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.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Independence High School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$925 (8.1%)	$10,527 (91.9%)	$11,452

Data source: West Virginia Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Independence High School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 88^th of 114 High schools	Ranks 63^rd of 112 High schools	20.9%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
11th Grade Mathematics (Independence High School)	15.3	17.9	2.6%
11th Grade Mathematics (Raleigh County Schools)	22.8	27.6	4.8%
11th Grade Mathematics (West Virginia)	24	21.5	2.5%
11th Grade English Language Arts (Independence High School)	44.5	49.3	4.8%
11th Grade English Language Arts (Raleigh County Schools)	49.6	55.6	6%
11th Grade English Language Arts (West Virginia)	51.8	49.9	1.9%
11th Grade Science (Independence High School)	21.2	20.2	1%
11th Grade Science (Raleigh County Schools)	29	30	1%
11th Grade Science (West Virginia)	29.2	27.9	1.3%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	583	572	1.9%
African American	11	7	36.4%
American Indian	0	0
Asian	1	4	300%
Hispanic	11	6	45.5%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	554	548	1.1%
Two or More Races	6	7	16.7%

Schools Near Independence High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				WV Assessment Mathematics (2024)				WV Assessment English Language Arts (2024)				WV Assessment Science (2024)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	WV Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	WV Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	WV Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	WV Assessment Mathematics 11th Grade	WV Assessment English Language Arts 6th Grade	WV Assessment English Language Arts 7th Grade	WV Assessment English Language Arts 8th Grade	WV Assessment English Language Arts 11th Grade	WV Assessment Science 8th Grade	WV Assessment Science 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Independence High School	Public	9-12	850 Independence Rd	Sophia	25921	Raleigh County	Raleigh County Schools	No	No	No	No	(304) 683-3228	572	34	16.8		548 (95.8%)	7 (1.2%)	6 (1.0%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.2%)	45.8	58^th of 112 public high schools	48.2%		43.7	63^rd of 112 public high schools	43.8%	5				15.4				49.6		20.5	$11,452	$925	$10,527
Shady Spring High	Public	9-12	300 Hinton Rd	Shady Spring	25918	Raleigh County	Raleigh County Schools	No	No	No	No	(304) 256-4647	828	52	15.9		785 (94.8%)	14 (1.7%)	6 (0.7%)	5 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (2.1%)	68.3	34^th of 112 public high schools	69.6%		76.5	20^th of 112 public high schools	82.1%	14				20.5				50.5		29.5	$11,409	$1,040	$10,370
Academy Of Careers And Technology	Public	8-12	390 Stanaford Rd	Beckley	25801	Raleigh County	Raleigh County Schools	No	No	No	No	(304) 256-4615	0	23	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Woodrow Wilson High School	Public	9-12	400 Stanaford Rd	Beckley	25801	Raleigh County	Raleigh County Schools	No	No	No	No	(304) 256-4646	1,330	77	17.2		945 (71.1%)	226 (17.0%)	33 (2.5%)	23 (1.7%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.2%)	99 (7.4%)	59.7	42^nd of 112 public high schools	62.5%		90.6	7^th of 112 public high schools	93.8%	35				17.0				53.6		24.9	$10,912	$930	$9,982
Liberty High School	Public	9-12	1700 Coal River Rd	Glen Daniel	25844	Raleigh County	Raleigh County Schools	No	No	No	No	(304) 934-5306	512	33	15.5		501 (97.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.4%)	68.3	35^th of 112 public high schools	68.8%		45.9	57^th of 112 public high schools	49.1%	22				18.7				53.9		28.6	$12,191	$1,112	$11,079
Wyoming County East High School	Public	9-12	260 Warrior Way	New Richmond	24867	Wyoming County	Wyoming County Schools	No	No	No	No	(304) 294-5200	473	25	18.9		462 (97.7%)	4 (0.8%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.1%)	29.1	78^th of 112 public high schools	30.4%		69.3	30^th of 112 public high schools	73.2%	48				12.5				37.5		21.6	$11,844	$1,246	$10,599
Wyoming County Career & Technical Center	Public	9-12	1201 Bear Hole Road	Pineville	24874	Wyoming County	Wyoming County Schools	No	No	No	No	(304) 732-8050	0	18	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
6-12 Summers County Comprehensive High School	Public	6-12	37 Bobcat Dr	Hinton	25951	Summers County	Summers County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(304) 466-6040	745	55	13.5		676 (90.7%)	19 (2.6%)	13 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (5.0%)	56.6	46^th of 112 public high schools	58.9%		29.9	83^rd of 112 public high schools	25.9%	37	19.7	10.3	15.4	21.3	35.5	15.6	22.8	47.3	13.0	23.7

Independence High School

Independence High School:

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Raleigh County Schools:

What do you think?

Rank History for Independence High School

Rank History for all students at Independence High School

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Independence High School

Rank History for Special Education students at Independence High School

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

Rank History for Female students at Independence High School

Rank History for Disabled students at Independence High School

Rank History for Male students at Independence High School

Rank History for African American students at Independence High School

Rank History for Pacific Islander students at Independence High School

Rank History for White students at Independence High School

Enrollment information for Independence High School

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Independence High School

Student/Teacher Ratio Independence High School

Per Pupil Expenditures for Independence High School

Impact of COVID-19 on Independence High School

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Independence High School

Frequently Asked Questions about Independence High School

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