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SCHOOL COMMUNITY·TATE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 280423000800

Independence High School

3184 HWY 305, Coldwater, MS 38618 · (662) 233-4691 · Tate County
GRADES 07–12HIGH42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL507 STUDENTS
C-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 24% of Mississippi public high schools
  • C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
  • DBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
  • ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.

Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Mississippi public high schools

Enrollment
507
High
DISTRICT 456 · STATE 651
Student : Teacher
13.2:1
38 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.6:1 · STATE 12.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
70%
356 students
DISTRICT 76% · STATE 80%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.

Enrollment by grade, 2024-25

GradeStudentsShare
Grade 79419%
Grade 88517%
Grade 99018%
Grade 107916%
Grade 119018%
Grade 126914%
Student demographics
62%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 61% · STATE 62% · US 70%
White
20240%
DISTRICT 53% · STATE 40% · US 43%
Hispanic
4910%
DISTRICT 10% · STATE 7% · US 30%
Black
23045%
DISTRICT 33% · STATE 45% · US 15%
Two+
265%
DISTRICT 5% · STATE 6% · US 5%
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
Male
26352%
Female
24448%

Discussions

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Test scores

MAAP 2024-25 . % Proficient + Advanced
English Language Arts
32.3%
MS avg 45.9% . +4.7pp since 2023
Math
50.2%
MS avg 52.8% . +11.3pp since 2023

What this means: On the MAAP, Mississippi's statewide test, about 32 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 50 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Mississippi schools, those numbers are about 46 and 53. Reading and writing scores are up about 5 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 11 points.

MAAP results by year

School yearEnglish Language ArtsMath
2024-2532.3%50.2%
2023-2427.6%38.9%
% Proficient + Advanced, all students and all tested grades.
Source: MAAP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
50.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
59.1%
based on MS schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-8.8pp
below demographic expectation

What this means: About 50% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 59% typical for Mississippi 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 Mississippi'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 High School

Independence High School's state test result (50.3% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
Independence High School this school50770.2%50.3%
Houston High School
Houston
52964.7%65.5%
Forrest County Agricultural High School
Brooklyn
56277.2%68.2%
Lawrence County High School
Monticello
52966.7%46.0%
Bruce High School
BRUCE
43567.8%59.2%
Strayhorn High School
Sarah
40468.3%48.1%
Matched among Mississippi high 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 High School ranks

Among high schools
MeasureThis schoolIn Mississippi
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
50.3%#118 of 192
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
50.2%#145 of 199
▲ 15
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
32.3%#144 of 199
▲ 6
Enrollment
ranked largest first
507#99 of 203
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
13.2:1#112 of 192
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
62.3%#24 of 192
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
70.2%#112 of 194
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked fastest growth first
+40.1%#5 of 63
Ranked against other public high 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 2024-25
Enrollment
507
+31 (+7%) vs 2020
-24% since 1990-91, when it was 668
Student : Teacher
13.2:1
was 14.9:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-2550738.513.2:170% (356)
2023-245393415.9:173% (391)
2022-2346233.413.8:199% (459)
2020-214763214.9:199% (473)
2017-1836220.417.8:173% (263)
2015-164041921.3:169% (280)
2010-115302818.9:171% (378)
2000-017193818.9:169% (494)
1990-916684016.7:1N/A
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Independence High School.

About Independence High School

Independence High School is a small high school in Coldwater, Mississippi. School enrollment was 507 students in 2024-25, in grades 7 through 12. The average among high schools in Mississippi is roughly 651 students; this school is 22% smaller than that.

Within Tate County School District, Independence High School is one of 5 schools. The district enrolls 2,004 students.

At Independence High School, the largest share of students is Black, at 45%. Next come 40% White, 10% Hispanic, and 5% multiracial. The county population is about 29% Black. The school's diversity index is 62%, meaning two students picked at random have a 62% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.

A ratio of 13.2:1 comes from the school's 38.5 full-time-equivalent teachers. That is close to the 12.6:1 average for high schools in Mississippi. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility was 70% in 2024-25. That tracks the 70% average for public schools in Tate County.

Measured against Mississippi public high schools, Independence High School receives a C-. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.

Independence High School's actual average proficiency rate on state tests (50.3%) and its predicted rate (59.1%) put it outside the top and bottom 10% of Mississippi schools.

County data help place the school in context: in Tate County, the median household income is $69,704, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 24%, and about 15% of people live in poverty. In all, Tate County has 11 public schools and roughly 3,758 students.

East Tate Elementary is the nearest neighboring public school, about 1.0 miles away. The ten-mile area around Independence High School holds 4 other public schools. Nearby schools average 48.9% on proficiency, and Independence High School is above that at 50.3%.

On the NCES locale scale, the school is Rural: Distant.

The school enrolled 507 students in 2024-25, 31 more than the 476 it had in 2020-21. There were fewer students per teacher in 2024-25 (13.2:1) than in 2020-21 (14.9:1).

The discussion area below is open to posts about sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.

Tate County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
28,321
Census ACS
Median income
$69,704
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
24%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
15%
Below federal line
Schools in county
11
3,758 students

Quick facts

School name
Independence High School
District
Tate County School District
Address
3184 HWY 305, Coldwater, MS 38618
Phone
(662) 233-4691
County
Tate County
Level
High
Grade range
07–12
Total enrollment
507
Teachers (FTE)
38
Student–teacher ratio
13.2:1
Free and reduced lunch
356 (70%)
Locale
42-Rural: Distant
NCES ID
280423000800
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Tate County School District
Other schools in Coldwater
Other Independence High schools

19 other US public schools in 15 states are named Independence High. Independence High School is the 10th largest of the 20.

Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Independence High School
How many students attend Independence High School?
Independence High School enrolls approximately 507 students in grades 07-12.
Is Independence High School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Independence High School is a high school covering grades 07-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Independence High School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Independence High School is approximately 13.2:1 (38 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at Independence High School?
Student demographics at Independence High School are roughly 40% White, 10% Hispanic, 45% Black, 5% Two or more.
What district is Independence High School in?
Independence High School is part of Tate County School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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