Enrollment
635
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Houston, TX
Idea Hardy College Preparatory
Federal NCES profile for Idea Hardy College Preparatory, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 480021113979Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 77
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Idea Hardy College Preparatory earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of Texas schools.
- #109 of 116
- middle schools in Houston · Resource Index
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 52.9:1
- large classes for Texas
- 94.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Idea Hardy College Preparatory has class sizes larger than 99% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Idea Hardy College Preparatory ranks #109 of 116 middle schools in Houston, TX.
School address
District: Idea Public Schools · Texas
NCES ID 480021113979 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
52.9:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+260% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
94.7%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+53% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Idea Hardy College Preparatory compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Idea Hardy College Preparatory
Idea Hardy College Preparatory is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter middle school in Houston, Texas, enrolling 635 students.
Class loads run heavy: 52.9:1 is larger than about 99% of Texas schools and 260% above the 14.7:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need is high: 94.7% of students qualify for free meals, 53% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 635 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 94% of the 8,960 Texas schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 1,554 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #1,338, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (83% of enrollment) (diversity index 29/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 635 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.1% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 20.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Idea Public Schools also operates Idea College Preparatory Pharr (848 students) and Idea Montopolis College Preparatory (835 students) alongside Idea Hardy College Preparatory.
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 Hardy College Preparatory compares
Idea Hardy College Preparatory on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 52.9:1 | ▲ 260% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 94.7% | ▲ 53% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 635 | top 33% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
52.9:1
Leaner classes than 0% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
635
Bigger than 76% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
94.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 53% 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
52.9:1
students per teacher
- 260% above state mean
Top 99% in Texas - lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
9.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
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 635 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 38 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
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 82.8%
African American 15.0%
White 1.9%
Two or More 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 82.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 29.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 29.2, Idea Hardy College Preparatory is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Idea Public Schools, which includes Idea Hardy College Preparatory.
$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 Hardy College Preparatory Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idea College Preparatory Pharr | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Idea Montopolis College Preparatory | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Idea College Prep | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Idea Mcallen College Preparatory | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Idea Riverview College Preparatory | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Idea Hardy College Preparatory'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
- 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
Similar middle 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 (~635 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Idea Hardy College Preparatory's federal record.
- Compare Idea Hardy College Preparatory 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 Hardy College Preparatory
How many students attend Idea Hardy College Preparatory?
Idea Hardy College Preparatory has 635 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Houston, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Idea Hardy College Preparatory?
The student-teacher ratio at Idea Hardy College Preparatory is 52.9:1, which is 260% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 237% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Idea Hardy College Preparatory?
94.7% of students at Idea Hardy College Preparatory are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Idea Hardy College Preparatory?
The largest demographic group at Idea Hardy College Preparatory is Hispanic or Latino at 82.8% of enrollment, in Houston, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Idea Hardy College Preparatory?
Idea Hardy College Preparatory has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Idea Hardy College Preparatory rank among middle schools in Houston?
By Resource Investment Index, Idea Hardy College Preparatory ranks #109 of 116 middle schools in Houston, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Houston on the city page.
Is Idea Hardy College Preparatory a good school?
Idea Hardy College Preparatory earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of 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 Hardy College Preparatory, Idea Public Schools also operates Idea College Preparatory Pharr (848 students), Idea Montopolis College Preparatory (835 students), and Idea College Prep (823 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.