Independence
- Public, Alternative
- LODI, CA
Public School
Independence Reviews
Rating 3.36 out of 5 11 reviews
Independence is a really open and diverse community. I myself struggle to find schools accepting of different beliefs and values, but I came to Independence and automatically felt accepted. I would recommend people who want to find a place to fit in, or if they have a lot going on then this also is a easy going school that can help. I do want to mention the fact that it doesn’t have as much opportunities for college as other schools. There are no clubs, extra activities, etc. If we had more opportunities, it would have been more easier and helpful for those trying to find pathways for college.
Independence is a homeschool with not much classes and not a lot of homework. The teachers there are fun and nice. The class structures are so old and the food there is bad. There is a good side because art and ceramic classes are better than other schools because we get to choose what to create and how we want to color our artwork. The school does not get involved in much and never go on any field trips.
Our school is very safe and is very intolerant of gang-related violence, bullying, or physical fights. In the three years that I have attended the school, I have only witnessed one fight during my time there, and it was quickly broken up my the principal. Students don't have to worry about being bullied, because they're usually only on campus for several hours a day, at most, and then have the privilege to go home. We do not have a nurse, but most of the staff knows first aid and can handle minor situations.
Even though we lack activities, I do very much like my high school. The flexible scheduling allows for me to work on homework and art activities outside of the classroom, which has definitely aided me in getting accepted to college. I have met people from all walks of life. Several students have jobs to support their families, some have children of their own and thus cannot go to a comprehensive high school, and some have illnesses that prevent them from being around as many students as there would be at a comprehensive high school.
The staff is always involved in the activities of its students. We have a dress code, and often times it's very lenient, but there are certain members of the staff who will truly enforce it. Because it is independent study and it's a privileged to be attending there instead of a comprehensive high school, the two things that a student is most likely to get in trouble for are not turning in homework and being absent more than three days. Often times, the punishment is expulsion, however harsh that sounds. The staff is hard against bullying, though we have had very little incidents of it in my school for it to be addressed.
Just like our athletic program, our school has little to no extracurricular activities. Because it is an independent study program, students have the flexibility to have full-time jobs outside of the classroom and sometimes participate in jobs at the school office, but that is really our only option in terms of extra-curricular activities linked to the school itself.
My school is considerably small, therefore we have no sports teams or activities. The only athletic activities offered at my school come when one must have Physical Education classes, and even then, nothing is truly rigorous. We have no athletic facilities and no gym uniforms as other comprehensive high schools might.
We have a lot of different people there
The principal isn't the best she is kinda useless