Independence CS West

Independence CS West, a big elementary school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, part of Independence CS West, educates 811 students, covering grades K through 8. That puts it 83% bigger than the typical public school in Pennsylvania, which averages around 443 students.

Independence CS West sits inside Independence CS West, the local public-school operator responsible for the campus.

On demographics, Independence CS West shows that 91% of students identify as Black, making the school strongly Black-majority; the rest is composed of 5% Hispanic, 3% multiracial. That is noticeably more Black than the county at large, where the share is closer to 39%.

On the resource side, Staff filings list 58 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 14.0:1 students per teacher. That figure is higher than the state norm's 13.1:1 average. Roughly 102% of students at Independence CS West qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Independence CS West tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 33.7% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 18.4%.

In the broader community, the surrounding county (Philadelphia County) shows that median household earnings sit near $61,953, about 35% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 17%. In all, Philadelphia County runs 309 public schools (combined enrollment of about 182,005 students), of which Independence CS West is one.

Mitchell El Sch is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.1 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. On composite proficiency, Independence CS West comes 3rd of 6 in the immediate cluster, below the nearby-schools average of 18.6%.

Geographically, the school is in a metropolitan area. Independence CS West is a charter school, which puts it inside the public-school system but outside the standard district-managed model.

Five-year trend. Independence CS West's enrollment has ticked up 103% since 2018, when it stood at 400 (now 811). The Black share of enrollment rose from 86% to 91% over that span. Class-load math has narrowed: from 18.2:1 in 2018 to 14.0:1 in 2025.

On this page, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. The community welcomes input from current and former families.