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What advice would you give to incoming students at Independence High School?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
2,024
High
DISTRICT 1,315 · STATE 761
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CHARLOTTE-MECKLENBURG SCHOOLS·NCES 370297001229
Independence High School
1967 Patriot Dr, Charlotte, NC 28227 · (980) 343-6900 · Mecklenburg County
GRADES 09–12HIGH21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL2,024 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 42% of North Carolina 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.
- B-Beats 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 North Carolina public high schools
Student : Teacher
17.5:1
116 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 19.9:1 · STATE 19.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
100%
2,021 students
DISTRICT 73% · STATE 82%
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
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 603 | 30% |
| Grade 10 | 549 | 27% |
| Grade 11 | 424 | 21% |
| Grade 12 | 448 | 22% |
Student demographics
68%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 72% · STATE 71% · 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
Feeds from
Based on published attendance-zone data from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Zones change; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
NC EOG / EOC 2024-25 . % Grade Level Proficient (Level 3+)English Language Arts
51.5%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
29.9%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 52 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 30 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all North Carolina schools, those numbers are about 51 and 52.
Source: NC EOG / EOC. 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
41.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.4%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-7.2pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 41% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 48% typical for North Carolina 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 North Carolina'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 (41.2% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independence High School this school | 2,024 | 99.9% | 41.2% |
| East Mecklenburg High School Charlotte | 2,422 | 99.9% | 45.0% |
| Olympic High School Charlotte | 1,483 | 99.8% | 37.2% |
| Riverside High Durham | 1,900 | 99.8% | 34.2% |
| A L Brown High Kannapolis | 1,753 | 99.8% | 23.0% |
| Smithfield-Selma High Smithfield | 1,548 | 99.8% | 35.7% |
Matched among North Carolina 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| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In Mecklenburg County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 41.2% | #288 of 468 | #18 of 28 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 29.9% | #285 of 464 | #15 of 29 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 51.5% | #272 of 448 | #20 of 28 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 2,024 | #34 of 598 | #10 of 39 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.5:1 | #180 of 473 | #10 of 31 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 67.9% | #108 of 474 | #8 of 31 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 99.9% | #6 of 527 | #4 of 35 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -16.6% | #69 of 277 | #7 of 16 |
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 2024-25Enrollment
2,024
-59 (-3%) vs 2020
+29% since 1990-91, when it was 1,573
Student : Teacher
17.5:1
was 16.7:1
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 | 2,024 | 115.5 | 17.5:1 | 100% (2,021) |
| 2023-24 | 2,020 | 118.3 | 17.1:1 | 100% (2,017) |
| 2022-23 | 2,022 | 115 | 17.6:1 | 42% (855) |
| 2020-21 | 2,083 | 125 | 16.7:1 | 33% (678) |
| 2017-18 | 2,426 | 134 | 18.1:1 | 52% (1,257) |
| 2015-16 | 2,486 | 136 | 18.3:1 | 55% (1,360) |
| 2010-11 | 2,036 | 122 | 16.7:1 | 55% (1,120) |
| 2000-01 | 2,211 | 141 | 15.7:1 | 22% (481) |
| 1990-91 | 1,573 | 101 | 15.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Independence High School.
Since 2017-18: students down 17% (2,426 to 2,024); teachers down 14% (134 to 115.5).
About Independence High School
Independence High School runs as a large high school in Charlotte, North Carolina. The latest federal count shows 2,024 students in grades 9 through 12. Against the 761-student average for high schools in North Carolina, enrollment here is 166% higher.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools counts 145,014 students in its 186 schools, and Independence High School is one of them.
By race and ethnicity, the largest group at Independence High School is Hispanic (45%). Other groups make up 29% Black, 17% White, 6% Asian, and 3% multiracial. Mecklenburg County as a whole is about 16% Hispanic, so the school's share is higher. The chance that two students picked at random at Independence High School belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 68%.
The school reported 115.5 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25 and a ratio of 17.5:1. The 19.6:1 average for high schools in North Carolina is higher than this school's figure. Eligible students account for 100% of enrollment in the free or reduced-price lunch program. The average for public schools in Mecklenburg County is 71%.
The allk12 Grade for Independence High School is C+. Compared with North Carolina public high schools, the school scored higher than 42% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
Independence High School sits between the top and bottom 10% of North Carolina schools on BeatsExpectations, with an actual average proficiency rate on state tests of 41.2% and a predicted 48.4%.
According to the American Community Survey, in Mecklenburg County, median household income is about $87,005, roughly 49% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Independence High School is one of 226 public schools in Mecklenburg County, which together enroll about 170,407 students.
The shortest distance from Independence High School to another public school is about 0.3 miles, to Northeast Middle. A five-mile radius around the school includes at least 8 other public schools. Among the 8 closest schools with test data, this one included, Independence High School ranks 4th on average proficiency.
Its NCES locale code is Suburb: Large: the school is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
The student count in 2024-25 was 2,024, 3% below the 2,083 of 2020-21.
Discussion on this page can cover school safety, transportation, and start times. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Mecklenburg County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
1,154,681
Census ACS
Median income
$87,005
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
49%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
226
170,407 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
- Myers Park High SchoolHigh · 3,225 students
- Ardrey Kell High SchoolHigh · 3,036 students
- South Mecklenburg High SchoolHigh · 2,534 students
- William Amos Hough HighHigh · 2,518 students
- East Mecklenburg High SchoolHigh · 2,422 students
- Palisades High SchoolHigh · 2,332 students
Other schools in Charlotte
- Myers Park High SchoolHigh · 3,225 students
- Ardrey Kell High SchoolHigh · 3,036 students
- South Mecklenburg High SchoolHigh · 2,534 students
- East Mecklenburg High SchoolHigh · 2,422 students
- Palisades High SchoolHigh · 2,332 students
- Julius L. Chambers High SchoolHigh · 2,225 students
Other Independence High schools
19 other US public schools in 15 states are named Independence High. Independence High School is the 5th largest of the 20.
- Independence HighBakersfield, CA · 2,324 students
- Independence HighSan Jose, CA · 2,289 students
- Independence HighAshburn, VA · 2,166 students
- Independence High SchoolThompson's Station, TN · 2,091 students
- Independence High SchoolGLENDALE, AZ · 1,907 students
Nearby schools
- Northeast Middle0.3 mi · 594
- Lebanon Road Elementary0.9 mi · 488
- J. H. Gunn Elementary1.3 mi · 616
- Albemarle Road Middle2.4 mi · 945
- Albemarle Road Elementary2.4 mi · 711
- Queen's Grant Community School2.6 mi · 1,335
Frequently asked questions
About Independence High SchoolHow large is Independence High School?
Independence High School enrolls approximately 2,024 students in grades 09-12.
Is Independence High School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Independence High School is a high school covering grades 09-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Independence High School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Independence High School is approximately 17.5:1 (116 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Independence High School?
At Independence High School, the student body is approximately 17% White, 45% Hispanic, 29% Black, 6% Asian, 3% Two or more.
What district is Independence High School in?
Independence High School is part of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.