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Independence Classical Academy

Q: Is Independence Classical Academy a good school?

Independence Classical Academy ranks 1351 st of 2240 Florida alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter, Alternative Grades K-12

1351^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,240 Florida Alternative Schools

Better than 40% of Florida alternative schools

Summary

Independence Classical Academy in Fort Pierce, FL, is a K-12 alternative school serving 557 students within the St. Lucie school district, and it stands out as a school with a rapidly changing identity and a "Jekyll and Hyde" academic profile.

One of the most striking changes is the school's demographic shift: the percentage of students eligible for free/reduced lunch dropped dramatically from 65.79% in 2022-2023 to just 12.21% in 2024-2025, suggesting a significant change in the student population. Academically, the school shows remarkable strength in high school, with proficiency rates in Civics (92%) and Biology 1 (70%) well above district and state averages. However, this success completely reverses in middle school, where 8th Grade Math proficiency is just 15%—a staggering 50 percentage points below the district average. This "middle school cliff" is a critical area for concern. The school's chronic absenteeism rate (26.3%) is better than the district average (34.4%) and far lower than the Dale Cassens Education Complex (75.3%), but it remains a challenge.

Compared to other alternative schools in the district—which include a virtual program, a detention center, and a special education complex—Independence Classical is the most "normal" school, but its internal inconsistencies make it a fascinating case. The school's per-student spending has increased to $11,436, but this is far less than the $35,666 spent at Dale Cassens, indicating it is not a high-cost intervention facility. For parents, this school offers strong high school academics and improving attendance, but the middle school years are a significant weakness that requires careful attention. The school's evolving profile suggests it may be becoming a magnet-like option for motivated students, making its future performance one to watch closely.

557

Students ?

13.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,436

Per pupil spending ?

12.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2902 S Jenkins Rd
Fort Pierce, FL 34981

(772) 837-9300

District: St. Lucie

Racial breakdown:

White:

62.3%

Hispanic:

25.1%

Two or more races:

5.9%

See top rated Florida elementary schools

Compare Independence Classical Academy to nearby alternative schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 69th percentile in 2025 → 54th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (55% vs 62% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped from its 69th-percentile peak (2025) to 54th (2026)

!Science scores 23 pts below the Florida average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school55%

District avg59%

Florida avg62%

Elementary school

1,351^st of 2,240

Florida public elementary schools ?

Bottom 40%▲ up 24 pts since 2021

From bottom 16% (2021) to bottom 40% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

821^st of 1,216

Florida public middle schools ?

Bottom 32%▲ up 10 pts since 2021

From bottom 23% (2021) to bottom 32% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

388^th of 838

Florida public high schools ?

Top 46%▼ down 16 pts since 2025

From top 31% (2025) to top 46% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3Alternative Schools in the St. Lucie

38^th of 70St. Lucie among Florida districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Florida percentile	Rating
2026	41.8	1351 of 2240	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	48.9	1136 of 2258	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	21.2	1876 of 2256	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.2	1928 of 2240	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.7	1836 of 2219	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.0	1894 of 2247	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Florida percentile	Rating
2026	36.9	821 of 1216	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.3	857 of 1205	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.7	756 of 1196	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.8	818 of 1177	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.1	676 of 1148	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	24.4	875 of 1136	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Florida percentile	Rating
2026	46.5	388 of 838	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.7	258 of 844	69.4%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Civics92%+15 vs state

Biology 170%-4 vs state

Geometry58%~ state avg

English Language Arts57%-4 vs state

Math52%-9 vs state

Algebra 141%-22 vs state

Science33%-23 vs state

★

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Schools Near Independence Classical Academy

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking ()				Ranking ()				FAST English Language Arts (2026)								FAST Math (2026)						Statewide Science Science (2026)		EOC Algebra 1 (2026)	EOC Geometry (2026)	EOC Biology 1 (2026)	EOC US History (2026)	EOC Civics (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	SchoolDigger Rating ()	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	Rank Change from Previous Year	FAST English Language Arts 3rd Grade	FAST English Language Arts 4th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 5th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 6th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 7th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 8th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 9th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 10th Grade	FAST Math 3rd Grade	FAST Math 4th Grade	FAST Math 5th Grade	FAST Math 6th Grade	FAST Math 7th Grade	FAST Math 8th Grade	Statewide Science Science 5th Grade	Statewide Science Science 8th Grade	EOC Algebra 1 End of Course	EOC Geometry End of Course	EOC Biology 1 End of Course	EOC US History End of Course	EOC Civics End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Independence Classical Academy	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	2902 S Jenkins Rd	Fort Pierce	34981	St. Lucie County	St. Lucie	Yes	No	No	Yes	(772) 837-9300	557	41	13.5	12.2%	347 (62.3%)	30 (5.4%)	140 (25.1%)	7 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (5.9%)								(n/a)	62.0	50.0	61.0	69.0	51.0	52.0	29.0	67.0	52.0	53.0	68.0	57.0	47.0	15.0	39.0	18.0	41.0	58.0	70.0		92.0	$11,436	$918	$10,518
St. Lucie Detention Center	Public, Alternative	K-12	1301 Bell Ave	Fort Pierce	34982	St. Lucie County	St. Lucie	No	No	No	No	(772) 468-5194	56	4	14.0	17.9%	21 (37.5%)	26 (46.4%)	8 (14.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.8%)								(n/a)
Dale Cassens Education Complex	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	1905 S 11th St	Fort Pierce	34950	St. Lucie County	St. Lucie	No	No	No	Yes	(772) 468-5190	218	25	8.7	68.8%	34 (15.6%)	125 (57.3%)	54 (24.8%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.4%)								(n/a)		0.0			47.0	14.0	8.0	6.0		0.0			0.0	12.0		16.0	9.0	5.0	33.0	25.0	25.0	$35,666	$3,506	$32,159
St. Lucie Virtual Instruction Program	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	12051 NW Copper Creek Dr	Port St Lucie	34987	St. Lucie County	St. Lucie	No	No	Yes	Yes	(772) 429-3913	7	0			4 (57.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (42.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Mosaic Digital Academy K-12	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	12051 NW Cooper Creek	Port St Lucie	34987	St. Lucie County	St. Lucie	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(772) 429-5504	251	12	20.9	23.1%	100 (39.8%)	44 (17.5%)	86 (34.3%)	7 (2.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (5.2%)								(n/a)	60.0	82.0	90.0	89.0	82.0	100.0	75.0	83.0	60.0	64.0		59.0		96.0	80.0	87.0	81.0	63.0	70.0	95.0	86.0	$11,402	$494	$10,907
Homebound Program	Public, Alternative	K-12	9461 Brandywine Ln	Port Saint Lucie	34986	St. Lucie County	St. Lucie	No	No	No	No	(772) 429-4570	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Martin Virtual Instruction Program	Public, Virtual, Alternative	PK, KG-12	1939 SE Federal Hwy	Stuart	34994	Martin County	Martin	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(772) 219-1200	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Ese Homebound	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	1939 SE Federal Hwy	Stuart	34994	Martin County	Martin	No	No	No	No	(772) 219-1200	5	0			2 (40.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (60.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Martin County Virtual School	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	1939 SE Federal Hwy	Stuart	34994	Martin County	Martin	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(772) 219-1200	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Independence Classical Academy

What is the racial makeup of Independence Classical Academy?

Students at Independence Classical Academy are 62% White, 25% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 5% African American, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Independence Classical Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 557 students attended Independence Classical Academy.

What district is Independence Classical Academy in?

St. Lucie

Is Independence Classical Academy a good school?

Independence Classical Academy ranks 1351^st of 2240 Florida alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Independence Classical Academy!

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Latest Florida data All new data »

2025–26 EOC, FAST & Statewide Science test scoresJun 26, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataMar 20, 2026

2024–25 graduation ratesJan 13, 2026

2024–25 EOC, FAST & Statewide Science test scoresJun 26, 2025

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