Independence Academy in Dover | Military Town Advisor

Category	Rating	Details
Test Scores	6/10	The Test Score Rating examines how students at this school performed on standardized tests compared with other schools in the state. The Test Rating was created using 2025 Florida Assessment of Student Thinking data from Florida Department of Education, and using 2025 Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking data from Florida Department of Education.
Student Growth	5/10	The Student Progress Rating measures whether students at this school are making academic progress over time based on student growth data provided by the Department of Education. Specifically, this rating looks at how much progress individual students have made on state assessments during the past year or more, how this performance aligns with expected progress based on a student growth model established by the state Department of Education, and how this school's growth data compares to other schools in the state. The Growth Rating was created using 2025 Student growth data from Florida Department of Education.

Posted: May 1, 2025

Needs a principal with better communication skills, a real and fair wait list-not 3 years out and preferred placements.

Posted: May 1, 2025

Posted: March 24, 2025

I have worked in 4 different schools across multiple states and multiple Florida counties. I can confidently say that Independence Academy is by far the best. The staff here truly cares about not only the students, but also each other. It's like having one great big family. Coming back to work after school breaks feels like coming home. My mental health is better than it's ever been since becoming a teacher, and that is largely accredited to the community that Independence Academy fosters. If you're a parent looking for a school to send your kid to, we would greatly enjoy the privilege of getting to love them! If you're a teacher looking for a school to work for, this is one of the best you'll find, and we as a staff would love to tell you "welcome home" when you arrive!

Posted: March 24, 2025

I have worked at many schools and can honestly say this admin is WONDERFUL. Starting a school year with a new admin team leading the school can be a hard change for staff and students, but I do believe this change has been for the better. As a staff member I feel supported and look forward to coming to work. Will definitely be back next year!

Posted: March 24, 2025

Posted: March 14, 2025

Como madre veo como mis hijas estan aprendiendo en la escuela cada dia mas.

Posted: March 14, 2025

Posted: March 13, 2025

Great charter school in the area. The elementary is good, teachers strive their best!

Posted: March 13, 2025

The school was a mess, and I was going to pull my 2 sons BUT the new principal and her team are doing a great job. There is more communication, and the disruptive students are being held accountable, finally.

Posted: March 13, 2025

Posted: March 12, 2025

I am thrilled to share my positive experiences at Independence Academy. From the moment I stepped into the school, I felt welcomed by the supportive staff and vibrant community. The educators are not only knowledgeable but also genuinely care about their students' growth and well-being.
The curriculum is engaging and designed to challenge students while fostering a love for learning. I appreciate the variety of extracurricular activities available, which provide students with opportunities to explore their interests and develop new skills.
Moreover, the school promotes a culture of inclusivity and respect, making it a safe and nurturing environment for all students. I have seen significant personal and academic growth during my time here, and I am grateful for the investment in education that Independence Academy provides.
I highly recommend Independence Academy to any parents looking for a place that prioritizes student success and community values. Thank you to everyone at Independence Academy for making a positive impact on our lives!

Posted: March 12, 2025

My daughter enjoys attending and is excelling in her academics.

Posted: March 12, 2025

Coming from a public school system, we are so thankful for this amazing school. My son has had no issues in middle school and loves it here. The hallways and classrooms aren't plain white walls. Its colorful and fun for student. The middle school teachers also go above and beyond to help accommodate my sons needs and are understanding when he needs extra help. My elementary daughter has also come out of her shell and is no longer scared to go to class and speak out loud or answer questions because of the wonderful staff and students here. Her anxiety has improved so much in the 8 months shes been here. She now loves going to school and has thrived academically here. It is well worth the 40 minute drive for us.

Posted: March 12, 2025

As a parent of children who have spent a lot of their years at a Charter school, I see this school is beneficial and very supportive for their students. Teachers go above and beyond for the students. Stay late and come in early. The curriculum is followed and appreciated. I see consistent improvements, along with ALWAYS looking for fun and inviting activities for the students. I highly recommend this school.

Posted: March 12, 2025

My kids have had a great experience at Independence Academy.

Posted: March 12, 2025

The schools commitment to fostering a supportive and nurturing community is equally impressive. The teachers and staff go above and beyond to ensure each child feels valued and encouraged to reach their full potential. We are so grateful to be part of this wonderful school, and I highly recommend it to any family looking for an environment where children can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally!"

Posted: March 12, 2025

Posted: March 11, 2025

My daughters teacher is amazing. The school itself could work on communication and getting information out with more notice. Overall, I believe this is a great school and you can see the vast majority of the staff really cares about the students and giving them and the parents a great experience day to day.

Posted: March 11, 2025

Administratively, the school is disorganized and unprofessional. Communications are frequent and can be overwhelming. However, written communications from the school are deplorable. Information is more often sent late and inaccurate resulting in the need for updated communications that often remain incomplete or confusing. The reporting of student absences is appalling. Students are marked absent even if they provide written approvals from doctors or other professionals.

In the classroom, teachers do not follow weeks assignments so students know what to expect and what to de. Homework assignments are not communicated or, when communicated, are assigned with no flexibility. For example, assignments may be communicated after the school day and due the next morning which doesn't provided families to accommodate the needs of siblings or extra-curricular activities of the student. Grading rule are unclear and often change as the weeks progress.

Posted: March 11, 2025

In our first year at this school my child has experienced bullying and the teachers and administrators have done nothing about it but have a talk with the other child. No actions are taken. There is a lack of communication with the teachers and staff.

Posted: March 11, 2025

I think the new administration (as of the 2024-25 year) believes that they are doing a good job, and there have been some positive changes on the surface in areas like car-line and attempts at communication. However, there are new teachers (new to this school) who are not effective at engaging students to perform up to expectation, and some of these same teachers utterly fail with communication skills.

I have two students enrolled. My youngest excelled in K last year and had a wonderful teacher who genuinely seemed to care about the children, not just the curriculum. This same student is now struggling in 1st grade just to pass and complete his in-class work. The student likes going to school daily, but there seems to be a major disconnect where the teacher just dismisses the student instead of finding ways to motivate them during the day. This same teacher has terrible grammar on a consistent basis, errors in punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, etc. How can I expect my child to grow and learn ELA lessons from someone who cannot even demonstrate these basic tenets as both an adult and the expert? After months (the entire first semester) of illegible emails, notes, and even official certificates, I finally reached out to the office staff who apologized and said that it would be addressed with the teacher. Now that the 3rd quarter is coming to a close, the horrid emails continue AND I now feel my child is being targeted and/or overlooked. I worry that If I say something again, the situation will only worsen for my student. But if I say nothing, then nothing will improve.

The only reason my rating was not lower is because the older student has been lucky to have teachers this year who seem to care about him and his success as a student. They are preparing him for the high grades through middle school and beyond, and they work closely with him despite having special needs.

I cannot afford the cost nor time required to enroll in a true charter school, so the only other alternative would be for them to attend regular public school, which is an even worse option, special needs or not. So we are stuck with the lesser of two evils for now.

Posted: March 11, 2025

The staff more specifically the teacher my son has had are incredible. They are the most professional and caring team of teachers. They modify theirs ways to help my son be successful and create a genuine welcoming environment and atmosphere.

Posted: March 11, 2025

My child has only gone to this school for a little over a month, but I've already seen so much progress in her learning abilities. She genuinely loves getting up and going to school every day! The teachers seem warm and friendly, and I know they have the students' best interests in everything they do.

Posted: March 11, 2025

Posted: June 25, 2022

My daughter just finished kindergarten at IA. We couldnt have asked for a better first year of school for her! The teachers are amazing and so compassionate with the children. There are lots of fun activities throughout the year and everything is organized so well. Nice, clean campus. My daughter became comfortable very quickly and has made many friends.

Posted: June 25, 2022

Posted: January 3, 2022

We love this school, this is our 4th year. Staff is amazing and always open to talk about any issues or concerns. Weve had great teachers, always open for communication. Our daughter thrives in every aspect, shes part of different clubs and love every one of her teachers.

Posted: January 3, 2022

We have been here since my son was in 2nd grade, he is now in 7th doing the Cambridge program. He maintains high grades and has great friendships with the kids at school.Our daughter is in 3rd grade and we have had amazing teachers for both our kids. The campus is nice and well kept, administration is kind and helpful. We picked this school because it went through middle school and we did not want our son attending the other middle schools in the area. We have been very happy with our choice.

Posted: January 3, 2022

AMAZING. Going on 7.5 years here. Son has attended since kindergarten and we love it. No where else I would send my kids!

Posted: January 3, 2022

Posted: May 12, 2020

Excellent school! My daughter is completing her third year at IA, and is thriving!

Posted: May 12, 2020

Posted: March 4, 2020

Absolutely horrible!!!! Kids are favored and able to.break the rules. Administration could care less about enforcing rules.

Posted: March 4, 2020

The turn around is horrible. They curse at students and belittle them. Complained but nothing is done.

Posted: March 4, 2020

Belittle kids and always yelling. They tell the students they are babies and immature.

Posted: March 4, 2020

Administration doesn't respond at all. Can call leave messages and never receive a call back.

Posted: March 4, 2020

My child was bullied and nothing done! His teachers kids were bullying him. The staff said they would look into and call us. Never did. He was told to remove his classes so the kids wouldn't be able to hit them off his face. how is this.ok? So instead he can't see to ignore the issue.

Posted: September 5, 2019

They curse at students , are unprofessional, rude and disrespectful to students and parents.

Posted: September 5, 2019

Complete opposite. Teachers are not nurishing to students do not communicate well to students effectively.

Posted: September 5, 2019

I see no leadership in this school

Posted: September 5, 2019

Administration doesn't communicate with parents, they ignore multiple phone calls and emails. There is no sense of direction for students or parents . As a parent I have a lot of uncertainty and hope for my child attending this school.

Posted: March 15, 2014

This is school is wonderful! We couldn't be happier! Thank you SHILOH teachers! You ALL are amazing!

Posted: December 16, 2013

Mediocre at best. Teachers are as big of gossipers as the students. Website is outdated. Teachers are always asking for supplies. Field trips are ridiculously expensive. And I just pray my kid is prepared for high school. If your are best friends with the teachers then your kid will pass with flying colors. if you happened to be a non custodial parent of a student there, good luck in trying to have the teachers communicate with you. The principle on the other hand is very helpful and nice, she needs to have better control of her teachers and their personal relationships with parents.

Posted: August 19, 2013

Shiloh is an excellent school. My daughter goes to elementary there and I have seen her teachers really help with the kids to learn and achieve. They are also very caring and respectful. And they teach the kids to be the same. My daughter loves school there. And with that she wants to achieve more.

#	Name	Type	City	State	Distance
1	FishHawk Ranch	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Lithia	FL	11.4 mi
2	Fish Hawk Ranch	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Lithia	FL	11.8 mi
3	Fishhawk Ranch	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Lithia	FL	12.7 mi
4	Panther Trace	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Riverview	FL	14.8 mi
5	Avelar Creek	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Riverview	FL	15.6 mi
6	Hyde Park	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Tampa	FL	15.9 mi
7	The Pavillions	Apartment Complex	Tampa	FL	18.1 mi
8	Harbour Isles	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Apollo Beach	FL	21.8 mi
9	Westchase	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Tampa	FL	22.1 mi

#	Name	City	State	Distance
1	Fishhawk Ranch /Lithia FL	Lithia	FL	12.2 mi
2	South Tampa	Tampa	FL	16.8 mi
3	South of Gandy (SOG)	Tampa	FL	18.1 mi

Base	Distance
MacDill AFB	18.6 mi.
Coast Guard Clearwater	28.6 mi.

Independence Academy

Dover, FL 33527

School Ratings

Refine Search

National Ad

Independence Academy

Dover, FL 33527

School Ratings

Refine Search

National Ad

Email Address *

*We take your personal information very seriously and will never give it to a 3rd party. If you don't enjoy the email series, you can always unsubscribe at anytime.*

We take your personal information very seriously and will never give it to a 3rd party. If you don't enjoy the email series, you can always unsubscribe at anytime.