How does Independence High compare to other high schools in Brentwood?

Independence High has a Scope Score of 45.0/100, ranked #1053 among California high schools. 12% of students exceed standard, with a total of 130 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at Independence High?

12.3% of students at Independence High exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 26.9% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

What is the chronic absenteeism rate at Independence High?

0.0% of students at Independence High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days). This metric reflects school culture and family engagement, and is weighted at 15% in the Scope Score.

Independence High

High School

Liberty Union High BrentwoodContra Costa County94513

📍 929 Second Street

Scope Score

out of 100

State Rank

of 1,649 California high schools

🤝

Culture First

Strong school culture with high family engagement, even if test scores are still developing.

Scope Scores are SchoolScope's analysis of public data from the California Dept. of Education (CAASPP, chronic absenteeism, suspension rates). They are not official CDE ratings and should not be the sole basis for school decisions. See methodology.

School overview

Enrollment

169 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

14:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

30%

Teachers

12 full-time

College & career readiness

Graduation Rate

84.4%

AP Exam Prepared

7.7%

A-G Completion

3.9%

College-Going Rate

35.6%

Data source: California Department of Education — ACGR, CCI, CGR reports

Dashboard indicators

How this school's scores changed from last year to this year

ELA Year-over-Year

Increased

+9.2 pts DFS change

Math Year-over-Year

Declined

-6.7 pts DFS change

Data source: California School Dashboard 2025, ELPAC 2024

Student demographics

Hispanic34.9%

White45.0%

Asian2.4%

Black7.7%

Other10.1%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for Independence High
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	12.3%
Met Standard	14.6%
Below Standard	73.1%

Score Factors

Helping

✓Chronic absenteeism: 0.0%

34.3pp below state avg (state avg 34.3%)

10% weight

✓Suspension rate: 0.0%

4.1pp below state avg (state avg 4.1%)

5% weight

Holding Back

▼Graduation rate: 84.4%

3.0pp below state avg (state avg 87.4%)

25% weight

▼Exceeded standard: 12.3%

3.4pp below state avg (state avg 15.7%)

20% weight

▼College readiness: 7.7%

AP exam pass rate below state avg (state avg 35.3%)

20% weight

▼Met or exceeded: 26.9%

7.8pp below state avg (state avg 34.8%)

15% weight

▼Baseline proficiency: 26.9%

Below state baseline (state avg 34.8%)

5% weight

Unlike traditional school ratings, we show our work. Every factor, its weight, and how this school compares to the state average — so you can decide what matters most to your family. The high school Scope Score is weighted across 7 dimensions. See full methodology →

What other rankings don't show you

Most rating sites report "27% proficient" for Independence High and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

12.3% of students exceeded standard while 14.6% met it. That exceeded rate is 3.4 points below the state average of 15.7%. That's 2.9 points below the Liberty Union High district average of 15.2%. Nearby schools (within ~3 miles) average 10.9% exceeded — about the same. The gap between "met" and "exceeded" can reveal how much a school's curriculum challenges students beyond proficiency.

The graduation rate is 84.4%. 3.9% of students complete A-G requirements for UC/CSU eligibility. 35.6% of graduates go on to college within a year.

Chronic absenteeism is 0.0%, better than the state average of 34.3%.

Why the exceeded vs. met split matters →

A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means