Enrollment
823
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Donna, TX
Idea College Prep
Federal NCES profile for Idea College Prep, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 25/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 480021111282Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 31
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Idea College Prep earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #9 of 13
- schools in Donna · Resource Index
- 25
- Resource Index · Lower
- 15.5:1
- students per teacher
- 93.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Idea College Prep has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Idea College Prep ranks #9 of 13 schools in Donna, TX.
School address
District: Idea Public Schools · Texas
NCES ID 480021111282 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
53.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.5:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
93.7%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Idea College Prep compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Idea College Prep
Idea College Prep is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Donna, Texas, enrolling 823 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 93.7% of students qualify for free meals, 51% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 823 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 96% of the 8,960 Texas schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 1,171 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #1,043, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 6/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 823 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 27.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 20.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Idea Public Schools also operates Idea College Preparatory Pharr (848 students) and Idea Montopolis College Preparatory (835 students) alongside Idea College Prep.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Idea College Prep compares
Idea College Prep on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.5:1 | ▲ 5% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 93.7% | ▲ 51% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 823 | top 18% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.5:1
Leaner classes than 42% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
823
Bigger than 86% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
93.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 51% above the Texas average of 61.9%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.5:1
students per teacher
- 5% above state mean
Top 65% in Texas - lower ratio than 35% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
27.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,912
per pupil, district-wide
- below Texas avg of $13,644
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 823 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 54 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 96.8%
White 2.9%
African American 0.1%
Two or More 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 96.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 6.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 6.2, Idea College Prep is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Idea Public Schools, which includes Idea College Prep.
$11,912
Per student
-13%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 2.8%
State 76.8%
Federal 20.4%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Idea College Prep Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idea College Preparatory Pharr | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Idea Montopolis College Preparatory | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Idea Mcallen College Preparatory | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Idea Riverview College Preparatory | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Idea College Preparatory Mission | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Idea College Prep's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 848
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 835
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 820
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 813
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 798
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Texas, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~823 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Idea College Prep's federal record.
- Compare Idea College Prep against another school. Compare schools
- Idea Public Schools's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Idea College Prep
How many students attend Idea College Prep?
Idea College Prep has 823 students enrolled. It is a public school in Donna, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Idea College Prep?
The student-teacher ratio at Idea College Prep is 15.5:1, which is 5% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Idea College Prep?
93.7% of students at Idea College Prep are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Idea College Prep?
The largest demographic group at Idea College Prep is Hispanic or Latino at 96.8% of enrollment, in Donna, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Idea College Prep?
Idea College Prep has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Idea College Prep rank among schools in Donna?
By Resource Investment Index, Idea College Prep ranks #9 of 13 schools in Donna, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Donna on the city page.
Is Idea College Prep a good school?
Idea College Prep earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Idea Public Schools?
Besides Idea College Prep, Idea Public Schools also operates Idea College Preparatory Pharr (848 students), Idea Montopolis College Preparatory (835 students), and Idea Mcallen College Preparatory (820 students). See the Idea Public Schools district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.