Independence Charter School

Independence Charter School Independence Charter School Independence Charter School (ICS) is a community-oriented public K-8 charter school located in Center City Philadelphia.

At Independence Charter we provide our students with an intellectually stimulating and internationally focused environment emphasizing the arts, languages and world cultures. Recognized nationally for our innovative global studies program, we are the only Philadelphia school to deliver an integrated curriculum that uses world cultures and second language acquisition to introduce and connect content disciplines. One of our ultimate goals is to develop a bilingual, interculturally-competent and high achieving student body. All students at ICS study Spanish within two distinct programs: the Spanish Enhanced program, which includes 30-40 minutes of Spanish daily; or the Spanish Immersion program, in which students begin in Kindergarten with a 90% Spanish and 10% English infusion. By fifth grade that balance is 50/50. Middle school students are also introduced to Arabic with sixth graders receiving one hour of weekly instruction (which increases to two hours in the seventh grade) while continuing their Spanish studies. By the time they graduate, all ICS graduates are bilingual and biliterate in Spanish and have introductory knowledge and skills in Arabic. Independence Charter serves over 800 students from almost every zip code in Philadelphia. Students are randomly chosen through an annual blind lottery. Independence Charter was founded in 2001 by a group of parents and community members devoted to raising their families in Philadelphia. These founding members developed ICS’s mission and program, and many remain instrumental today as parents of current students and in founder seats on our Board of Trustees.

Building. Taste testing plantains. Learning. Painting. Cheering. Students Running. “Misplacing”. Gotta ❤️ September and ...
09/19/2026

Building. Taste testing plantains. Learning. Painting. Cheering. Students Running. “Misplacing”. Gotta ❤️ September and all those back to school feels!

We are getting into our September routines: morning meetings, fire drills, reviewing expectations, building classroom co...
09/04/2026

We are getting into our September routines: morning meetings, fire drills, reviewing expectations, building classroom communities and back to school nights! No running in the hall, parents!

ICS PTA’s Welcome Back Party at The Boathouse at FDR park; advice to new families from current students & families.
08/28/2026

ICS PTA’s Welcome Back Party at The Boathouse at FDR park; advice to new families from current students & families.

The kinders are in the house! Congratulations and welcome to our newest and littlest ICSers! ¡Ya están aquí los niños de...
08/27/2026

The kinders are in the house! Congratulations and welcome to our newest and littlest ICSers! ¡Ya están aquí los niños de kínder! ¡Felicidades y bienvenidos a los miembros más nuevos y pequeños de ICS!

Welcome Back Griffins! Have a great first week!
08/24/2026

Welcome Back Griffins! Have a great first week!

The Final Countdown! If you are planning for a photo op on Monday morning, it is strongly recommended that you park and ...
08/22/2026

The Final Countdown! If you are planning for a photo op on Monday morning, it is strongly recommended that you park and walk to Lombard 2. Entrance to ICS will resemble that to your favorite concert…joy, excitement, hype, and maybe a few tears. The arrival team ❤️ will be on Serious Road Traffic Control Mode: moving cars forward. See you Monday morning! Doors open at 8:05.

Things are falling into place…bulletin boards are being created; books are being unpacked & distributed; dress code clo...
08/20/2026

Things are falling into place…bulletin boards are being created; books are being unpacked & distributed; dress code clothes are being scooped up; hugs are being dispensed; and ICS PTA is All In! Visit their website in our bio.

And so it begins. Day 1 for the 2026-27 school year.
08/18/2026

And so it begins. Day 1 for the 2026-27 school year.

Don’t worry! We’ll be ready for you! Class lists are coming soon! Check out ICS PTA for picnics, Cheer-In, BooHooWooHoo ...
08/13/2026

Don’t worry! We’ll be ready for you! Class lists are coming soon! Check out ICS PTA for picnics, Cheer-In, BooHooWooHoo Breakfast for new families…and loads more!

Summertime prep at ICS: summer academy surprises, fresh coats of paint, deep cleaning and “help wanted” opportunities fo...
07/21/2026

Summertime prep at ICS: summer academy surprises, fresh coats of paint, deep cleaning and “help wanted” opportunities for ICS alums. ☀️

Address

1600 Lombard Street
Philadelphia, PA
19146

Opening Hours

Monday 7:45am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 7:45am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 7:45am - 5:30pm
Thursday 7:45am - 5:30pm
Friday 7:45am - 5:30pm

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