Enrollment
848
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Pharr, TX
Idea College Preparatory Pharr
Federal NCES profile for Idea College Preparatory Pharr, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 480021112390Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 29
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 27
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Idea College Preparatory Pharr earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of Texas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #13 of 25
- schools in Pharr · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.7:1
- large classes for Texas
- 92.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Idea College Preparatory Pharr has class sizes larger than 84% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Idea College Preparatory Pharr ranks #13 of 25 schools in Pharr, TX.
School address
District: Idea Public Schools · Texas
NCES ID 480021112390 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.7:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
92.2%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+49% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Idea College Preparatory Pharr compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Idea College Preparatory Pharr
Idea College Preparatory Pharr is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Pharr, Texas, enrolling 848 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.7:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 92.2% of students qualify for free meals, 49% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 848 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,183 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #816.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (100% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 1/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 283 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.1% 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 Montopolis College Preparatory (835 students) and Idea College Prep (823 students) alongside Idea College Preparatory Pharr.
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 Preparatory Pharr compares
Idea College Preparatory Pharr on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.7:1 | ▲ 20% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 92.2% | ▲ 49% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 848 | top 16% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.7:1
Leaner classes than 26% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
848
Bigger than 87% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
92.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 49% 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
17.7:1
students per teacher
- 20% above state mean
Top 84% in Texas - lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
29.1%
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 283 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 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 99.5%
White 0.4%
African American 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 99.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 1.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 1.0, Idea College Preparatory Pharr is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 15
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Idea Public Schools, which includes Idea College Preparatory Pharr.
$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 Preparatory Pharr Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idea Montopolis College Preparatory | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Idea College Prep | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Idea Mcallen College Preparatory | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Idea Riverview College Preparatory | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Idea College Preparatory Mission | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Idea College Preparatory Pharr's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 835
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 823
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- 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 (~848 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Idea College Preparatory Pharr's federal record.
- Compare Idea College Preparatory Pharr 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 Preparatory Pharr
How many students attend Idea College Preparatory Pharr?
Idea College Preparatory Pharr has 848 students enrolled. It is a public school in Pharr, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Idea College Preparatory Pharr?
The student-teacher ratio at Idea College Preparatory Pharr is 17.7:1, which is 20% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Idea College Preparatory Pharr?
92.2% of students at Idea College Preparatory Pharr are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Idea College Preparatory Pharr?
The largest demographic group at Idea College Preparatory Pharr is Hispanic or Latino at 99.5% of enrollment, in Pharr, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Idea College Preparatory Pharr?
Idea College Preparatory Pharr has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (typical 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 Preparatory Pharr rank among schools in Pharr?
By Resource Investment Index, Idea College Preparatory Pharr ranks #13 of 25 schools in Pharr, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Pharr on the city page.
Is Idea College Preparatory Pharr a good school?
Idea College Preparatory Pharr earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of Texas schools. 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 Preparatory Pharr, Idea Public Schools also operates Idea Montopolis College Preparatory (835 students), Idea College Prep (823 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.