Here’s a short update on Independence Charter School West (ICS-West), a new elementary school opening in September 2016. The school’s location will be at 56th and Chester, according to a recent announcement. The school also has a new website: www.icswest.org.

The school will initially be a K-3, mainly serving families from Southwest, West, and Overbrook areas. Applications will be accepted until February 1. More information sessions have been added this week for those families who are interested in applying:

Wednesday, Dec. 9, 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Lucien E. Blackwell/West Philadelphia Regional Library
125 S. 52nd Street

Thursday, Dec. 10, 3:30-5:30 p.m.
Woodland Academy Child Development Center
5401 Grays Avenue

Friday, Dec. 11, 10-11 a.m.
Blanche A. Nixon/Cobbs Creek library branch
5800 Cobbs Creek Parkway (59th/Baltimore Ave.) 

It’s also worth noting that Independence Charter School, which is considered one of the more successful charter school in the city, recently received a $1.7 million start-up grant from Philadelphia Schools Partnership.

Four other charter schools also received grants from PSP: Mastery Gillespie Charter School ($3.3 million grant), KIPP Elementary II ($1.6 million grant), TECH Freire High School ($1.9 million grant), and MaST Community Charter School II ($1.9 million startup grant). The grants will support the startup and gradual expansion of these schools, which together will ultimately serve 3,700 Philadelphia public school students.

KIPP, Freire and Independence all have waiting lists of more than 1,000 children, according to PSP.