Independence Academy

Summary:

Independence Academy is a public charter elementary school serving 485 students in grades PK-8 in Grand Junction, Colorado, which is part of the Mesa County Valley School District No. 51. The school consistently outperforms the district and state averages on standardized tests, with particularly strong results in science and math.

Independence Academy's academic performance is impressive, with proficiency rates significantly higher than the district and state in CMAS/Science for 5th and 8th grades, as well as in CMAS/English Language Arts and CMAS/Math across all grades. The school's low-income students also perform exceptionally well, ranking 3rd out of 365 Colorado elementary schools. However, there are some disparities, as the school's white students perform relatively lower than their female counterparts.

Compared to nearby schools, Independence Academy has a higher percentage of white students and a lower percentage of Hispanic students, as well as a lower rate of free and reduced lunch recipients. The school also has a smaller student-teacher ratio, which may contribute to its academic success. Overall, Independence Academy stands out as a high-performing charter school within the Mesa County Valley School District No. 51, providing valuable insights for supporting student achievement and equity.


Detail:

Public, Charter PK, KG-8

 675 29 Rd
       Grand Junction, CO  81504


(970) 254-6850

District: Mesa County Valley School District No. 51

SchoolDigger Rank:
312th of 943 Colorado Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $9,604 Help


Student/teacher ratio:  17.0 Help
Number of students:  485

Racial breakdown:

White:
84.3%
Hispanic:
10.9%
Two or more races:
3.5%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  23.5% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Independence Academy ranks better than 66.9% of elementary schools in Colorado. It also ranks 7th among 27 ranked elementary schools in the Mesa County Valley School District No. 51. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 65.08. (See more...)
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Compare Details Independence Academy ranks better than 64.5% of middle schools in Colorado. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 57.46. (See more...)
Help
The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
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Compare Details Independence Academy has the largest elementary school student body size in the Mesa County Valley School District No. 51.  (See more...)
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Independence Academy is $9,604. 25 elementary schools in the Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Independence Academy:

SchoolDigger ranks Independence Academy 312th of 943 Colorado public elementary schools. (See Independence Academy in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
White students:

SchoolDigger ranks Independence Academy 172nd of 485 Colorado public middle schools. (See Independence Academy in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
White students:


Mesa County Valley School District No. 51:

SchoolDigger ranks Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 52nd of 116 Colorado school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Independence Academy

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Compare

Rank History for all elementary school students at Independence Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2010 52.76 489th 925 47.1%
2011 41.37 594th 935 36.5%
2012 46.56 548th 935 41.4%
2013 62.52 369th 954 61.3%
2014 64.48 339th 962 64.8%
2015 56.67 366th 938 61.0%
2016 76.83 176th 914 80.7%
2017 64.16 295th 929 68.2%
2018 49.01 424th 917 53.8%
2019 67.07 296th 965 69.3%
2021 60.86 303rd 710 57.3%
2022 50.08 432nd 921 53.1%
2023 55.37 385th 933 58.7%
2024 65.08 312th 943 66.9%
See the entire list of Colorado Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for elementary school Low Socio Economic Status students at Independence Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 98.12 3rd 365 99.2%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Independence Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 50.88 306th 690 55.7%
2019 64.69 236th 758 68.9%
2021 60.06 164th 351 53.3%
2022 54.10 268th 595 55.0%
2023 58.21 249th 642 61.2%
2024 63.65 226th 684 67.0%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Independence Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 40.41 382nd 693 44.9%
2019 43.91 396th 764 48.2%
2021 39.47 263rd 352 25.3%
2022 32.49 388th 594 34.7%
2023 39.06 382nd 649 41.1%
2024 49.66 325th 683 52.4%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for elementary school White students at Independence Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 50.40 293rd 596 50.8%
2021 40.62 205th 288 28.8%
2022 21.74 390th 454 14.1%
2023 29.15 399th 525 24.0%
2024 38.04 354th 539 34.3%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Colorado Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Rank History for Independence Academy

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Rank History for all middle school students at Independence Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2007 36.41 256th 360 28.9%
2008 38.54 241st 362 33.4%
2009 6.78 357th 377 5.3%
2010 39.17 273rd 409 33.3%
2011 12.94 376th 422 10.9%
2012 32.33 302nd 425 28.9%
2013 31.79 329th 454 27.5%
2014 56.77 189th 461 59.0%
2015 36.78 267th 436 38.8%
2016 46.53 191st 400 52.3%
2017 37.72 245th 424 42.2%
2018 47.93 193rd 418 53.8%
2019 80.47 67th 458 85.4%
2021 41.77 195th 369 47.2%
2022 40.87 245th 448 45.3%
2023 49.74 216th 480 55.0%
2024 57.46 172nd 485 64.5%
See the entire list of Colorado Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for middle school Low Socio Economic Status students at Independence Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 82.55 21st 244 91.4%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for middle school Female students at Independence Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 35.82 195th 326 40.2%
2023 47.25 171st 363 52.9%
2024 60.86 120th 350 65.7%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for middle school Male students at Independence Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 41.03 174th 328 47.0%
2023 47.08 160th 356 55.1%
2024 42.03 175th 357 51.0%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for middle school White students at Independence Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 64.79 82nd 283 71.0%
2023 25.23 216th 286 24.5%
2024 38.75 162nd 273 40.7%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Colorado Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Independence Academy Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 









Data source: Colorado Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Independence Academy

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
2004 77 1 3 7 5 n/a n/a 0 93
2005 92 2 2 4 3 n/a n/a 0 103
2006 69 3 2 5 2 n/a n/a 0 81
2007 128 0 2 8 1 n/a n/a 0 139
2008 147 0 3 15 2 n/a n/a 0 167
2009 184 2 7 14 4 n/a n/a 0 211
2010 176 3 2 23 2 n/a n/a 0 206
2011 200 1 4 22 1 0 5 0 233
2012 211 1 4 31 4 0 6 0 257
2013 238 0 4 37 5 0 10 0 294
2014 261 0 3 49 3 0 11 0 327
2015 280 1 4 45 3 0 13 0 346
2016 301 1 0 41 5 0 17 0 365
2017 338 1 0 46 7 0 16 0 408
2018 331 2 0 42 5 0 20 0 400
2019 334 3 0 41 4 0 16 0 398
2020 355 3 0 42 2 0 13 0 415
2021 371 3 0 47 2 0 15 0 438
2022 398 2 1 52 2 0 15 0 470
2023 409 1 3 53 2 0 17 0 485

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Independence Academy

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2004 93 5.8 16.0 20.4
2005 103 4.3 24.0 21.4
2006 81 4.7 17.2 27.2
2007 139 8.3 16.7 n/a
2008 167 5.7 29.3 0.6
2009 211 13.5 15.6 0.5
2010 206 13.4 15.2 16
2011 233 14.3 16.2 18.5
2012 257 14.3 17.8 19.8
2013 294 15.7 18.6 3.7
2014 327 19.5 16.7 17.1
2015 346 18.0 19.2 0
2016 365 17.0 21.4 0
2017 408 16.6 24.5 19.6
2018 400 19.9 20.0 6.8
2019 398 19.2 20.7 9.5
2020 415 21.4 19.3 7.7
2021 438 24.8 17.6 n/a
2022 470 29.4 15.9 14.7
2023 485 28.4 17.0 23.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Independence Academy

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2004 93 5.8 16.0 20.4
2005 103 4.3 24.0 21.4
2006 81 4.7 17.2 27.2
2007 139 8.3 16.7 n/a
2008 167 5.7 29.3 0.6
2009 211 13.5 15.6 0.5
2010 206 13.4 15.2 16
2011 233 14.3 16.2 18.5
2012 257 14.3 17.8 19.8
2013 294 15.7 18.6 3.7
2014 327 19.5 16.7 17.1
2015 346 18.0 19.2 0
2016 365 17.0 21.4 0
2017 408 16.6 24.5 19.6
2018 400 19.9 20.0 6.8
2019 398 19.2 20.7 9.5
2020 415 21.4 19.3 7.7
2021 438 24.8 17.6 n/a
2022 470 29.4 15.9 14.7
2023 485 28.4 17.0 23.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Independence Academy

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YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2019 $46,204
2020 $7,142
2021 $8,079
2022 $8,505
2023 $9,604

Data source: Colorado Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Independence Academy

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 296th of 965 Elementary schoolsRanks 385th of 933 Elementary schools
 10.6%
Ranks 67th of 458 Middle schoolsRanks 216th of 480 Middle schools
 30.4%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Independence Academy)42.646.9
 4.3%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Mesa County Valley School District No. 51)32.937.4
 4.5%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Colorado)41.339.9
 1.4%
3rd Grade Math (Independence Academy)53.240.8
 12.4%
   3rd Grade Math (Mesa County Valley School District No. 51)31.838.3
 6.5%
   3rd Grade Math (Colorado)4140.4
 0.6%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Independence Academy)63.643.1
 20.5%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Mesa County Valley School District No. 51)4239.6
 2.4%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Colorado)4843.8
 4.2%
4th Grade Math (Independence Academy)5029.4
 20.6%
   4th Grade Math (Mesa County Valley School District No. 51)22.928.4
 5.5%
   4th Grade Math (Colorado)33.632.7
 0.9%
5th Grade Math (Independence Academy)2534
 9%
   5th Grade Math (Mesa County Valley School District No. 51)23.536.4
 12.9%
   5th Grade Math (Colorado)35.736.5
 0.8%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Independence Academy)68.648.1
 20.5%
   6th Grade English Language Arts (Mesa County Valley School District No. 51)32.836.2
 3.4%
   6th Grade English Language Arts (Colorado)43.643.4
 0.2%
6th Grade Math (Independence Academy)4030.8
 9.2%
   6th Grade Math (Mesa County Valley School District No. 51)21.522.8
 1.3%
   6th Grade Math (Colorado)29.528.2
 1.3%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Independence Academy)67.950
 17.9%
   7th Grade English Language Arts (Mesa County Valley School District No. 51)32.738.3
 5.6%
   7th Grade English Language Arts (Colorado)46.545
 1.5%
All Grades English Language Arts (Independence Academy)54.648.3
 6.3%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Mesa County Valley School District No. 51)3639.2
 3.2%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Colorado)45.843.7
 2.1%
All Grades Math (Independence Academy)41.432.1
 9.3%
   All Grades Math (Mesa County Valley School District No. 51)24.429.1
 4.7%
   All Grades Math (Colorado)34.732.9
 1.8%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students398485
 21.9%
African American31
 66.7%
American Indian42
 50%
Asian03
Hispanic4153
 29.3%
Pacific Islander00
White334409
 22.5%
Two or More Races1617
 6.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients9.5%23.5%
 14%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Independence Academy

Independence Academy ranks 312th of 943 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

In the 2022-23 school year, 485 students attended Independence Academy.

Students at Independence Academy are 84% White, 11% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Colorado Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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