Independence Charter School West

Independence Charter School West is the sole public charter elementary school serving grades K-8 in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area, with a total enrollment of 833 students. The school stands out for its predominantly African American student population (90.28%) and its impressive 0.0% dropout rate, but faces significant challenges in academic performance, with PSSA test scores consistently and significantly below the state averages across all grade levels and subject areas.

While Independence Charter School West has a higher-than-average spending per student of $17,132, the school's academic performance, as measured by PSSA test scores, is alarmingly low. For example, in 3rd grade math, only 25.5% of students scored proficient or better, compared to the state average of 51.7%. This underperformance is consistent across all grade levels and subject areas, suggesting the school is struggling to provide a high-quality education to its predominantly African American and economically disadvantaged student population (99.76% free/reduced lunch rate).

Despite the school's challenges, it has achieved success in retaining its students, as evidenced by the 0.0% dropout rate. However, the data indicates that the school may be facing resource allocation issues, as the higher-than-average spending per student does not seem to be translating into improved academic outcomes. The Independence Charter School West community and stakeholders may need to investigate further and implement targeted interventions to address the significant academic underperformance and ensure that all students have access to a high-quality education.