Independence Classical Academy (ICA) community members and Building Hope executives gathered at 2902 S. Jenkins Road last week to “turn the dirt” during a groundbreaking ceremony for the school’s Grades 6-12 upper campus expansion. More than 50 students, faculty, administrators, development partners, and local leaders joined Founder and Executive Director Sandy Howard outside on the new grounds. The upper campus expansion, delivered in two phases in June 2026 and 2028, will support ICA’s growth from today’s 550 students in Kindergarten through Grade 9 to an enrollment of more than 1,500 students in Kindergarten through Grade 12 at full capacity. ICA will offer athletics, academic teams, agricultural and outdoor education, in addition to its hallmarks of academic rigor, leveled classes, and exceptional student education. The added space will allow the school much-needed capacity to meet the growing demands of competitive entry programs including Agricultural Education, Gifted & Talented Program, and the Fishing and Marksmanship teams. The expansion includes two phases and adds 61,000 square feet of space: Phase I will support ICA’s agricultural and athletic programming and include a gymnasium, full kitchen, concessions areas, field space, and marketing and entrepreneurial programming and debate team spaces. Completion is expected in June 2026. Phase II will support CTE programming such as Marine Corps JROTC and firefighter I programs, and performing arts programming, and include flexible, multi-purpose spaces for student use. Phase II completion is expected in June 2028. “We truly outgrew our current campus in 2023, and thanks to Building Hope’s support for the charter school mission in Florida and Paul Jacquin & Sons Construction’s dedication to seeing this project through to fruition for our community, we are finally able to expand and offer an amazing, tuition-free, classical education to many more students here in our area,” stated Executive Director Sandy Howard. “We continue to set a new standard of excellence in education by not only challenging students with our rigorous curriculum but also providing a virtuous environment in which to teach and learn. The virtues matter, and our campus of engagement, rigor, character, and patriotism truly sets us apart. ICA is an academy where there are many opportunities to seek the true, the good, and the beautiful. This expansion merely changes the number of families we can serve and allows us to meet more needs of our students.” “As we plan this project, we seek both to honor ICA’s heritage and original campus and to provide a new look that reflects its broader presence,” said Paul Mussman, President, Mussman Architects. “Each new space—from the gymnasium to the kitchen and cafeteria, outdoor spaces, and JROTC rooms—is designed to support ICA’s classical school mission and passion for community partnership.” The school was founded in 2020 with a mission to provide a disciplined and highly engaging learning environment rich in scholarship, character building, citizenship, moral virtue, civics, and liberal arts. ICA offers a family-friendly atmosphere, and its individual attention to students in a small learning environment is a hallmark. The school’s classical liberal arts education ensures students are highly prepared through rigorous and relevant core content that emphasizes literacy, to be highly productive and successful citizens with a strong sense of character and civic responsibility. “We’re honored to break ground on the next chapter of Independence Classical Academy’s growth,” said Michael Jacquin, President at Jacquin & Sons Construction. “This upper school expansion is more than just bricks and mortar—it’s a commitment to classical education, to academic excellence, and to the future leaders of our community. As construction manager, Jacquin & Sons is proud to bring our expertise and craftsmanship to a project that will serve generations of students with purpose and pride.” “The additional programming that this new campus will position ICA and the families it serves for further growth and success,” said Building Hope Senior Vice President of Real Estate Development Jerry Zayets. “While today we see a blueprint for a new campus and community resource, tomorrow we will feel the impact of an ICA education that produces entrepreneurs in business, statesmen in government, and leaders in the community for years to come.”