Independence Academy Charter School
Advancing Student Success through Connected Learning Experiences

Students bring different strengths, interests and ways of learning into the classroom. Independence Academy Charter School, serving students in grades K–8, designs learning around each student rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

The school uses a collaborative team-teaching model, with teachers working in pairs during shared two-hour instructional blocks. This structure allows teachers to intertwine subjects through shared projects, showing students how different disciplines connect. Core classes have no more than 14 students per teacher, enabling one teacher to lead the instruction while the other provides targeted support to individual students or small groups. The teachers switch roles as the lesson progresses.

“Team teaching allows our teachers to work in tandem, supporting students throughout every lesson,” says Lisa Gonsalves, executive director.

Helping Students Find Their Best Path

At the middle school level, Independence Academy’s expeditionary, hands-on approach takes three pathways aligned with student strengths and long-term goals. Rise provides an accelerated academic program for students who progress quickly. Soar explores global cultures and how societies interact, helping students develop wider perspectives. Create combines academics with art, music, dance and theater, allowing students to demonstrate learning through creative expression.

Preparation for these pathways begins in elementary school, where students explore different learning experiences to discover their interests. As they enter middle school, students, parents and fifth-grade teachers work together to assess interests and motivation. Even when academic ability suggests one pathway, the academy recognizes that students find greater success when motivated by their chosen area of study. As interests evolve, students can change pathways, reflecting the academy’s belief that flexibility helps students remain where they can succeed.

Complementing this personalized approach, the collaborative teaching model gives students access to more trusted adults throughout the school day. These relationships help teachers identify concerns early and redirect behavior before issues escalate, contributing to the lowest documented disciplinary incident rate in Mesa County.

Rather than treating character education as a standalone initiative, the academy builds integrity into daily learning, reinforcing expectations throughout students’ years at the school.

Integrating Learning beyond the Classroom

Learning at Independence Academy extends beyond traditional classroom instruction by intertwining academics, arts and hands-on experiences. The academy sees STEM and the arts as complementary, giving students different ways to apply what they learn. This contributes to the highest science scores in both elementary and middle school across Mesa County while placing its math performance among the county’s top five.

Its integrated approach is reflected in the academy’s arts program, one of the largest among elementary and middle schools in Mesa County, featuring ceramics and fiber arts. Students also participate in robotics competitions and project-based experiences, including a NASA partnership exploring vegetable growth under simulated Martian conditions and the county’s most successful trout hatching program. Students have earned recognition through the National Prodigy competition, honor choir, art competitions and scholarships, including study visits to Iceland and Greece. Independence Academy has also been recognized as a Performance School for multiple consecutive years, reflecting its commitment to creativity.

Community engagement is another extension of the academy’s long-term school culture. A Family Council encourages parent involvement, while events, including the annual Art and Music Festival and Fall Festival, showcase student artwork and performances, bringing students, families and the wider community together. Students lead service initiatives, including fundraising for summer food programs and preparing snack bags for underserved schools. The academy extends this commitment beyond enrolled students, making its 600- seat auditorium available to community organizations at reduced rental rates. That culture extends beyond graduation, with alumni organizing a benefit concert for an injured graduate and raising more than 6,000 dollars toward medical expenses.

At Independence Academy, student success takes different forms, but the model remains connected, with teachers, subjects, families and the community working together to give students multiple ways to learn, contribute and succeed.