Independence CS

Independence CS is an elementary school of well-populated scale in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, part of Independence CS, serveing 796 students in grades K through 8. That puts it 80% bigger than the typical public school in Pennsylvania, which averages around 443 students.

Independence CS is the operating authority for Independence CS, handling staffing, calendars, and reporting to the state department of education.

Looking at the student body, Independence CS logs that the most-represented group is Black (45%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups; the rest consists of 29% White, 20% Hispanic, 3% Asian, 2% multiracial.

On the resource side, Independence CS lists 68 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 11.8:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.1:1, putting Independence CS tighter than the state norm the norm. Around 100% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Independence CS performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 34.9%, the actual is 45.8%, a residual of +10.9 points.

In the surrounding community, Philadelphia County reports that the typical household earns roughly $61,953 per year, roughly 35% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 17%. Independence CS is one of 309 public schools in Philadelphia County (combined enrollment of about 182,005 students).

The closest other public school is Universal Institute CS, roughly 0.3 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Independence CS. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Independence CS at 5th of 9; the average score across the group is 46.7%.

The school occupies a high-density site. Independence CS is a charter school, which puts it inside the public-school system but outside the standard district-managed model.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count showed little movement: 814 students in 2018 compared to 796 in 2025. Over the same period, the Black share grew from 39% to 45%. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 15.4:1 in 2018 to 11.8:1 today.

Inside the community feed, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.