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What do you wish you knew before starting at INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARY?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
758
Elementary
DISTRICT 513 · STATE 344
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BIG LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 270546000205
INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARY
701 MINNESOTA AVE, BIG LAKE, MN 55309 · (763) 262-2537 · Sherburne County
GRADES 03–05ELEMENTARY31-TOWNREGULAR SCHOOL758 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
15.3:1
49 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 21.4:1 · STATE 13.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
35%
268 students
DISTRICT 35% · STATE 48%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 274 | 36% |
| Grade 4 | 250 | 33% |
| Grade 5 | 234 | 31% |
Student demographics
37%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 40% · STATE 60% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within BIG LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
MCA 2024-25 . % Meets or Exceeds StandardsEnglish Language Arts
47.6%
MN avg 49.7%
Math
54.9%
MN avg 45.3%
What this means: On the MCA, Minnesota's statewide test, about 48 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 55 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Minnesota schools, those numbers are about 50 and 45.
Source: MCA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
46.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
46.1%
based on MN schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+0.2pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 46% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 46% typical for Minnesota schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Minnesota's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARY
INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARY's state test result (46.3% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARY this school | 758 | 35.4% | 46.3% |
| LIBERTY ELEMENTARY BIG LAKE | 756 | 34.4% | N/A |
| Pinewood Elementary MONTICELLO | 794 | 35.0% | 52.5% |
| Mississippi Heights Elementary SAUK RAPIDS | 808 | 35.8% | 43.8% |
| JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY NEW ULM | 643 | 37.6% | 49.6% |
| Rockford Elementary Arts Magnet ROCKFORD | 599 | 34.2% | 49.0% |
Matched among Minnesota elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARY ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Minnesota | In Sherburne County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 46.3% | #411 of 844 | #7 of 10 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 54.9% | #358 of 844 | #7 of 10 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 47.6% | #442 of 844 | #8 of 10 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 758 | #49 of 1,130 | #1 of 15 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.3:1 | #575 of 769 | #5 of 13 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 37.4% | #501 of 796 | #5 of 13 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 35.4% | #603 of 942 | #3 of 14 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +0.7% | #232 of 244 | N/A |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
758
+123 (+19%) vs 2020
-2% since 1990-91, when it was 776
Student : Teacher
15.3:1
was 15.1:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 758 | 49.4 | 15.3:1 | 35% (268) |
| 2023-24 | 694 | 44.8 | 15.5:1 | 39% (268) |
| 2022-23 | 660 | 42.1 | 15.7:1 | 40% (262) |
| 2020-21 | 635 | 42 | 15.1:1 | 21% (132) |
| 2017-18 | 753 | 43.6 | 17.3:1 | 26% (198) |
| 2015-16 | 829 | 43 | 19.3:1 | 27% (225) |
| 2010-11 | 967 | 51 | 19.0:1 | 31% (302) |
| 2000-01 | 1,437 | 80 | 18.0:1 | 20% (284) |
| 1990-91 | 776 | 39 | 19.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARY.
Since 2017-18: students up 1% (753 to 758); teachers up 13% (43.6 to 49.4).
About INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARY
INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARY is listed by the National Center for Education Statistics as an elementary school in BIG LAKE, Minnesota. Federal data show 758 students enrolled in grades 3 through 5 in 2024-25. That compares with an average of about 344 students for elementary schools in Minnesota.
INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARY is one school in a 6-school district, BIG LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT, which enrolls 3,190 students.
Federal enrollment data show INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARY is 78% White. Other groups make up 8% Hispanic, 6% multiracial, 4% Black, and 2% Asian. That compares with about 87% White among all Sherburne County residents. The diversity index for INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARY is 37%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
The school had 49.4 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25. Its student-to-teacher ratio is 15.3:1. The school's 15.3:1 compares with an average of 13.7:1 for elementary schools in Minnesota. The eligibility rate for free or reduced-price meals is 35%.
On the allk12 BeatsExpectations measure, INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARY is within a point of the average proficiency rate across its state test results predicted for its free or reduced-price lunch share: 46.3% actual, 46.1% predicted. That is outside both the top and bottom 10% in Minnesota.
In Sherburne County, where the school is located, median household income comes to about $105,466, about 30% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 3% of residents are in poverty. There are 45 public schools in the county, enrolling about 16,306, INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARY among them.
BIG LAKE MIDDLE SCHOOL, about 0.1 miles away, is the closest public school. Other public schools within five miles number at least 8. Ranked by average proficiency, INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARY places 2nd out of 4 schools in its immediate area.
Locale: Town: Fringe. In NCES terms, the school is in a town close to an urbanized area.
The school's enrollment increased 19% from 2020-21 to 2024-25.
People who know INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARY can post here about open houses, carpools, and field trips. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
Sherburne County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
100,560
Census ACS
Median income
$105,466
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
30%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
3%
Below federal line
Schools in county
45
16,306 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in BIG LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
- BIG LAKE SENIOR HIGHHigh · 902 students
- LIBERTY ELEMENTARYElementary · 756 students
- BIG LAKE MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 632 students
- Big Lake Online 6-12High · 118 students
- Big Lake Online K-5Elementary · 24 students
Other schools in BIG LAKE
- BIG LAKE SENIOR HIGHHigh · 902 students
- LIBERTY ELEMENTARYElementary · 756 students
- BIG LAKE MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 632 students
- Big Lake Online 6-12High · 118 students
- Big Lake Online K-5Elementary · 24 students
Other Independence Elementary schools
17 other US public schools in 15 states are named Independence Elementary. INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARY is the 4th largest of the 18.
- INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARYWINTER GARDEN, FL · 889 students
- Independence Elementary SchoolLEWISVILLE, TX · 830 students
- INDEPENDENCE ELEM.ST CHARLES, MO · 762 students
- Independence ElementaryBakersfield, CA · 709 students
- Independence Elementary SchoolBolingbrook, IL · 617 students
Nearby schools
- BIG LAKE MIDDLE SCHOOL0.1 mi · 632
- Big Lake Online 6-120.3 mi · 118
- Big Lake Online K-50.3 mi · 24
- BIG LAKE SENIOR HIGH0.3 mi · 902
- LIBERTY ELEMENTARY0.6 mi · 756
- Monticello Middle School - SNW3.4 mi · 14
Frequently asked questions
About INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARYWhat is the total enrollment at INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARY?
INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARY enrolls approximately 758 students in grades 03-05.
Is INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARY an elementary, middle, or high school?
INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARY is an elementary school covering grades 03-05.
How many teachers does INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARY have?
INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARY employs 49 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 15.3:1.
How diverse is INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARY?
INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARY reports a student body of 78% White, 8% Hispanic, 4% Black, 2% Asian, 6% Two or more.
What district is INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARY in?
INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARY is part of BIG LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.