Helendale School District
Independence Charter Academy
Kindergarten – Grade 12 • Online independent study
A tuition-free, WASC-accredited public charter school where a credentialed teacher meets your child live, the schedule bends around your family, and support stays with your student all the way to the diploma.
Remembering the Past, Reaching for the Future
Grades
K – 12Independent study
Tuition
FreeWASC-accredited public charter
Graduation plan
College preparatoryA diploma, earned your way
Live teacher time
Daily K–8Weekly for grades 9–12
Devices
Chromebook includedHotspots available
See it for your grade band
The live teacher details on this page adjust to the band you choose.
About the academy
A different way to earn a diploma
Independence Charter Academy is Helendale School District’s premier independent study charter school: a tuition-free, WASC-accredited public online school serving students in kindergarten through grade 12. Students work with a credentialed teacher of record in a structured virtual environment, and its motto says it best, graduate your way.
Learning at ICA is personalized and flexible. The online platform is available throughout the school day, so students can complete coursework when it fits their lives, while teachers stay closely involved through live meetings, a college-preparatory graduation plan, and services for students with IEPs and 504 plans. Every enrolled student receives a Chromebook and case, and internet access is provided when a family needs it, so that access is never a barrier.
That personal attention shows in the daily work. ICA works closely with every student, and the support stays in place until the diploma is earned, so graduates are prepared to step into college, the military, or the workforce as responsible, capable citizens. ICA is a voluntary alternative to the traditional classroom, and students always keep the right to return to a traditional school setting.
Open across the region
San BernardinoRiversideOrangeLos AngelesKernInyo
Why families choose ICA
What matters most to your family?
Tap what brings you here. Families come to online school for different reasons, and ICA answers each one with facts, not promises.
You need a schedule that bends
The platform is open throughout the school day, so athletes, performers, working teens, and traveling families can learn when it works for them.
Your child needs one teacher who knows them
Every student has a credentialed teacher of record, with live meetings every school day in K–8 and every week in high school.
A traditional campus is not working right now
Health, anxiety, or safety concerns are real. ICA lets students learn from home with true structure, real attendance, and a teacher who checks in.
Your student needs services, not exceptions
ICA is open to all students, including those with IEPs, 504 plans, English learner status, foster youth, and students experiencing homelessness.
Wellness is part of school
ICA’s Virtual Calming Room gives students and families tools for managing emotions and feelings, any time they need them.
Connection still matters
ICA gives students the full experience of a traditional school through local events, so online never means alone.
A day at ICA
What school actually looks like here
No alarm-clock scramble. No bus. A calm start, a real teacher, and coursework that fits around your family’s life. Tap any moment to see more, or walk the full afternoon at your own pace.
The walkthrough opens in a new tab. Choose the student whose story sounds most familiar, then sit with them in a real room in Helendale and walk one afternoon at ICA at your own pace. Nothing moves until you are ready. When the work is finished, the lamp goes off and the desert sky comes out, with every star placed where it truly sits above this valley.
Morning
Log in and check in
Students sign in to their coursework to start the day. Daily classwork login and live interaction with the teacher are how attendance is taken.
Attendance at ICA is real. Absences and incomplete assignments are unexcused and are reported as truancies, exactly like any California public school. Structure is part of the promise.
Live time
Meet the teacher
Students in kindergarten through grade 8 meet their teacher on Zoom every school day. High school students meet every week, with additional support scheduled whenever it is needed.
The meeting schedule is written into the annual Master Agreement each family signs, so live time with the teacher is a commitment, not a hope.
Coursework
Learn at your pace
The online platform is available throughout the school day. Students move through assignments when they focus best, and each assignment is completed within one week.
Courses run on Edmentum, lessons check for understanding right inside the video on Edpuzzle, and growth is measured three times a year with NWEA MAP Growth, all underneath a credentialed teacher who knows the student by name.
Support
Extra help when it matters
Students working below grade level in reading or math join a weekly intervention class, and tutoring is provided when a student falls significantly behind.
A student who falls four or more assignments behind receives outreach and re-engagement support. Nobody slips through quietly.
Afternoon
Life around learning
With coursework on track, the rest of the day belongs to the family: practice, rehearsal, work, appointments, or simply time together.
ICA also brings students together in person through local events, so the calendar still holds field trips, celebrations, and community.
Tap a moment to expand it.
Learning tools
The platforms your student will use
ICA runs on established, education-grade platforms, and every one of them is there for a reason.
EdmentumOnline courseware: a pretest maps what is mastered, then a personal path teaches only what remains.
EdpuzzleLessons inside video that pause to ask a question before moving on.
NWEA MAP GrowthAdaptive growth checkups in reading and math, three times a year.
ZoomLive meetings with the assigned teacher.
What ICA expects
Independent does not mean alone. It also does not mean optional.
ICA is a real school with real accountability. Families deserve to know exactly how it works before they enroll.
- Attendance is real. Daily classwork login and live interaction with the teacher count as attendance, and unexcused absences are treated as truancies, just like any public school.
- Work stays current. Assignments are completed within one week of being assigned.
- Falling behind triggers help. A student who falls four or more assignments behind receives outreach and re-engagement support, and tutoring becomes mandatory when a student falls significantly behind.
- Reading and math stay on track. Students assessed two or more grade levels below attend a weekly intervention class in addition to regular meetings.
- Families sign a Master Agreement. The annual agreement spells out meeting schedules, attendance, learning objectives, and devices, so everyone starts on the same page.
- The door stays open. ICA is a voluntary alternative, and every student keeps the right to return to a traditional classroom.
How to enroll
Five steps from here to enrolled
Enrollment is completed entirely online, and the ICA office guides you at every step.
Apply online
Start at independencecharteracademy.com. The ICA office will reach out from there.
Share your documents
Proof of address in an approved county, proof of birth, recent grades and transcripts for high school students, and the IEP or 504 plan if applicable.
Meet the teacher
The office schedules a meeting with your child, you, and the assigned ICA teacher. When a student has an IEP, the special education teacher reviews it first.
Sign the Master Agreement
Sign digitally or in person. It covers meeting schedules, attendance, learning objectives, and devices.
Get connected
ICA requests records from the previous school, completes enrollment, and issues a Chromebook and charger for pickup or by mail.
Our mission
“To develop every student to the fullest of their potential, in a community of respect and responsibility, so that each learner becomes a caring, contributing citizen ready to succeed in a diverse world.
Start your story at ICA
Enrollment for the 2026 to 2027 school year is open to families across Southern California. Live one day here, then make it yours.
Visit or write
Independence Charter Academy
15350 Riverview Road
P.O. Box 249
Helendale, CA 92342