Independence Middle School

4001 Greenway Drive

School District

Palm Beach
Grade

6-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:18
Type

public

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on October 30, 2024

Absolutely the worst middle school ever! The majority of the teachers are unhappy and they take it out on the kids and the school administrators allow them to get away with. I sat in the office waiting once and I guess they forgot I was there. They things I heard and saw would shock you! They are rude to students and parents!
Submitted by parent on September 08, 2023

This school is very unacceptable, the teachers do not engage with the students and the teachers will mark you absent even with a note from the office as my child told me this. The food is horrible, my son showed me pictures of the food and i was horrified by this sight.
Submitted by student on January 25, 2023

This school has really teached me great things,and i highly recommend this school,though,bullying is a regular occurrence there.
Submitted by other on October 07, 2022

The students can be very rude and backstabbing. Some kids I knew were contantly getting teased, and kids would say mean stuff about other people. My so called "friends" talked about me behind my back saying stuff like "oh she thinks she's all that" and "she's always bragging". All I ever did was help them with school work, and encouraged them to do the hardest they could. I can't help if I got a better test score then them, or got more questions correct on schoolwork. The teachers are alright, and only some are good. I had a math teacher that wouldn't help a lot with school work. He didn't explain stuff well at all. He was also petty, and kind of rude to my class. One time he gave us an assignment that he said was "due on Friday", and when I turned it in on Friday, he said that it was late! He said that it was due on Thursday, and he was suppose to grade it on Friday! A lot of kids(including me)m got 20 points off that assignment. I worked so hard on it(including many others). A lot of people were mad at him, and he easily became one of the least favorite teachers. My language arts teacher was also always yelling, and would never help explain anything to us. I feel like many of the teachers expected us to know all this stuff without teaching us anything, and would be shocked if kids got a low score on assignments and tests. However, my history teacher was very nice, and very helpful. She was a wonderful teacher. Overall, if you wanna go to this school, be prepared for things like this. However, I suggest going to a different school.
Submitted by parent on May 11, 2021

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Submitted by parent on June 01, 2016

Average.School is just okay, especially if your student is serious and interested in learning. If that describes your child, I would consider a choice program that reflects your child's interests.The public schools in Palm Beach County lag so far behind and your only saving grace oftentimes is getting into schools like Bak, Dreyfoos, Suncoast, etc. If your child is loves to learn, the choice programs do seem to better prepare students vs. a general education, and this holds very true at IMS.
Submitted by other on February 12, 2016

I love this school and I have I had the best memories there. All the teachers and staff are amazing..
Submitted by other on October 08, 2015

While faculty should definitely focus on the academic rather than the social...any responsible middle school should be very aware of burgeoning bullying problems and have strategies to promote community/kindness and discourage "clique-ish" behaviors. Jupiter's young folks are devolving into galvanized cliques at progressively younger ages before our very eyes. In 5+ years of coaching the same age group with JTAA...I see it clearly. My JMS kids at least all know each others names...my IMS kids seem to be complete strangers unless they're neighbors.
Submitted by parent on May 02, 2015

I have had two daughters go through Independence Middle, my youngest is about to graduate from 8th grade. Both of my girls had very different, but extremely positive experiences. They both made huge academic gains over the course of their three years and were able to take high school level classes in 8th grade (math & foreign language.) The teachers and administration have been nothing but outstanding! The academies, chorus, band, sports teams, and extra-curriculur clubs are just a few amazing things that IMS has to offer. No middle school is perfect but this school is about as close as you can get!
Submitted by parent on January 31, 2015

serious bulling problems in this school and staff don't protect kids. 3 hours of homework every night in 6 th gr in regular classes if you child forget his homework he will get a 0 THIS IS THE ONLY SCHOOL were you can 4TH with an F!!!!!!
Submitted by parent on October 24, 2014

I am satisfied with Independence and think it's a very good school. While it does have most of the problems associated with a adolescents growing into teenagers, I think that the staff and education provided are excellent. There's some bullying, as there would be in any middle school, but my children told me that it's not terrible, and there are not many fights at all. All things considered, my children are happy with the school, and I'm happy with the education.
Submitted by parent on September 21, 2014

Great school my child is thriving in all areas. Very pleased with the choice programs.
Submitted by parent on May 29, 2014

My child has attended IMS for 3 yrs. and it has been a great experience. He came from a small private school and adjusted very well to life in a big school. We've had our problems (no school is perfect) BUT any issues were taken seriously and quickly resolved. The Pre-Law Academy is wonderful and the teacher is great. In his 3 yrs at IMS he has only seen maybe a handful of fights and bullying is taken VERY seriously at this school. He came to IMS not knowing anyone and quickly made many friends. Overall his experience has been a great one and IMS has definitely prepared him for high school next year.
Submitted by parent on May 08, 2014

My daughter is a 7th grader at IMS and she loves it. The teachers are responsive and helpful. She struggled one semester in a class and her teacher invited her to her classroom before school so she could do her homework there and the teacher would assist her if she needed help. That worked out great and she pulled up her grade and made the honor roll. So far, all of her teachers have been helpful and responsive. She has good friends and has never had a problem with bullying. The new principal has made good changes and the campus is definitely more secure. My daughter has told me that the principal handles problems and does not ignore them. There is a VERY high percentage of kids at this school who make the honor roll and get good behavior scores. She made friends easily and joined clubs too. Great field trips, school dance, sports, clubs, etc. I love this school! I read the other reviews, and they make it look like there is a lot of bullying, but I disagree. I think the amount is less than most schools and that the teachers, staff, and principal take it seriously when it does happen. There are over a thousand students, and the large majority are great kids.
Submitted by other on May 02, 2014

I am a current 7th grader at IMS. It is a good school and teachers really care however it is very bad for kids who aren't "popular" if you come to this school your bound to get cursed out on your first day. I have seen things at this school that i wish I had not once a kid got thrown down the bleachers ad beat on by a older 8th grader wright in front of the two gym coaches who just sat back in there chairs as if they were to cowardly to even help the kid. The new princeaple is somewhat of a bully to the kids however all the assistant principle's are very kind and caring. Overall this school is not good for a kid who does not know self defense cause there going to need it.
Submitted by other on April 13, 2014

I am a current 7th grader at IMS, the school does have a bit of cons and some pros. After the new principle came in last year everything has changed there are more rules and consequences. The education is good except some teachers get mad if you don't understand the lesson (Math teachers mostly). The school has great academies (Pre-Business, Pre-Law, Pre-Medical, and Pre-Teacher). The is not that good but not horrible. And some teachers are great and some are not that......great. I have had some problems with some kids in my years and still with me today but not that bad. The bullying is not perfect either. But overall the school is pretty good (Way better than JMS your other selection).
Submitted by other on January 30, 2014

I am a current 6th grader at IMS. On my first day, the students and staff were very nice and understanding and it was easy to fit in. The lunch here is actually very good, and I prefer it. There are a lot of fights and a lot of bullies, but if you are a parent, don't even bother going to the Administration as they do not care.
Submitted by parent on December 27, 2013

My daughter has attended IMS the last 2 and a half years. When she started IMS in 6th grade, I was scared for her...such a large campus, so many students, and so many children that emit such a sense of entitlement. I joined the PTO and volunteered as often as I could so that I was able to see how the school was run. The school has completely changed in a short period of time (we had a Principal leave and a new one come in at the end of 2012/2013 school year)...the school feels safer, the staff at the school seems to care much more than those at our local elementary schools (Beacon and LHES), and the teachers are all wonderful. (Don't get me wrong, there was a personality conflicts with a teacher, but that's bound to happen.) We have a wonderful PTO Board, a terrific group of parents that are members of the PTO and very involved in school and the SAC Committee, as well as a phenomenal Principal, A/P, and Guidance Counselor team. I have been very happy with the school
Submitted by other on November 09, 2013

In 6th grade, I did not like IMS at all, but looking back as a 9th grader, my last two years there were fantastic. The transition was a little difficult to get used to but after a while, I fit right in. There is a moderate amount of bullying, and the administration really is not helpful in that area at all, but if you know who to avoid, you will be fine. Most of the teachers there are fantastic. The cafeteria food isn't gourmet or anything, but it expectable for a public school. The academics are great, and each of the academies there are wonderful, (especially Pre-law and Pre-Teacher). Overall I had a very positive experience at Independence. Looking back now, I miss it so much, and almost wish I was still going there. Take it from a student, this school is great. Most of these other reviews are from people who had bad experiences (mostly parents). It actually is a pretty good school, and I felt very comfortable there. (It's also MUCH nicer than JMS, your other alternative.)
Submitted by other on September 10, 2013

I attended this school for about a week and a half last year and was bullied from the start. I walked into P.E. and an eighth grader just started cursing at me. On top of that I was placed in a math class with All the kids week had been in the "advanced" math class (I had been in gifted- but there is no gifted math) which contained me and about 29 other students who hadn't been in the gifted program (& I had a perfect score in math the previous year.) A majority of these students had attended the same elementary school as I and had bullied me there! Nobody would allow me to sit with them in lunch claiming that they "were saving those seats". My mother and I then had a meeting with the assistant for 7th grade (the sixth grade one wasn't available) who said she would"find a friend for me". She did not. Finally after constantly begging my parents I was allowed to transfer back to Catholic School. I would not recommend sending your child to This school unless the only thing that matters to them is popularity.