Enrollment
796
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Philadelphia, PA
Independence Cs
Federal NCES profile for Independence Cs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 420008700584Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 20
📋 Attendance 52
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Independence Cs earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Pennsylvania schools.
- #52 of 131
- elementary schools in Philadelphia · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.5:1
- students per teacher
- 99.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Independence Cs has class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Independence Cs ranks #52 of 131 elementary schools in Philadelphia, PA.
School address
District: Independence Cs · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 420008700584 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
59.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.9%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+72% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Independence Cs compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Independence Cs
Independence Cs is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter elementary school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, enrolling 796 students.
At 13.5:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Pennsylvania median, within a few percentage points of the 13.6:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 99.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 796 puts it in the larger third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 357 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #182.
Its student body is led by African American (45%) and White (29%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 67/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 398 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Independence Cs spends $28,100 per pupil, 56% above the Pennsylvania average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 20.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Philadelphia's elementary schools, it stands alongside Northeast Community Propel Academy (1,783 students): Independence Cs is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.5:1 vs 22.6:1).
Independence Cs is a single-school charter district, so Independence Cs operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Independence Cs compares
Independence Cs on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.5:1 | ▼ 1% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 99.9% | ▲ 72% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 796 | top 16% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.5:1
Leaner classes than 62% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
796
Bigger than 85% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
99.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 72% above the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.5:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 53% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 47% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
19.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$28,100
per pupil, district-wide
- above Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 398 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 20 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
African American 45.4%
White 29.4%
Hispanic or Latino 19.6%
Asian 3.0%
Two or More 2.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 45.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 66.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 66.8, Independence Cs is more mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Independence Cs, which includes Independence Cs.
$28,100
Per student
+56%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+69%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 78.4%
State 1.3%
Federal 20.3%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Similar elementary schools in Philadelphia
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Northeast Community Propel Academy
Standard public school
1,783 students 22.6:1 students per teacher
Mayfair Sch
Standard public school
1,763 students 21:1 students per teacher
Solis-Cohen Solomon Sch
Standard public school
1,350 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Mast Community Cs Iii
Standard public school
1,290 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Moore J Hampton Sch
Standard public school
1,192 students 17:1 students per teacher
Farrell Louis H Sch
Standard public school
1,187 students 18:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Pennsylvania, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~796 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Independence Cs's federal record.
- Compare Independence Cs against another school. Compare schools
- Independence Cs's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Independence Cs
How many students attend Independence Cs?
Independence Cs has 796 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Philadelphia, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Independence Cs?
The student-teacher ratio at Independence Cs is 13.5:1, which is 1% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 14% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Independence Cs?
99.9% of students at Independence Cs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Independence Cs?
The largest demographic group at Independence Cs is African American at 45.4% of enrollment, in Philadelphia, PA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Independence Cs?
Independence Cs has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Independence Cs rank among elementary schools in Philadelphia?
By Resource Investment Index, Independence Cs ranks #52 of 131 elementary schools in Philadelphia, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Philadelphia on the city page.
Is Independence Cs a good school?
Independence Cs earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Pennsylvania schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Independence Cs?
None; Independence Cs is a single-school charter district, and Independence Cs is its only campus.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.