Enrollment
651
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Harlingen, TX
Idea Harlingen Academy
Federal NCES profile for Idea Harlingen Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 29/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 480021114099Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Idea Harlingen Academy earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 96% of Texas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #32 of 33
- public schools in Harlingen · Resource Index
- 29
- Resource Index · Lower
- 22.4:1
- large classes for Texas
- 89.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Idea Harlingen Academy has class sizes larger than 96% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Idea Harlingen Academy ranks #32 of 33 public schools in Harlingen, TX.
School address
District: Idea Public Schools · Texas
NCES ID 480021114099 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.4:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+52% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
89.8%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+45% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Idea Harlingen Academy compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Idea Harlingen Academy
Idea Harlingen Academy is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter elementary school in Harlingen, Texas, enrolling 651 students.
Class loads run heavy: 22.4:1 is larger than about 96% of Texas schools and 52% above the 14.7:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need is high: 89.8% of students qualify for free meals, 45% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 651 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 93% of the 8,960 Texas schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 1,852 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #1,512, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (92% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 16/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 326 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights 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 Harlingen Academy.
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 Harlingen Academy compares
Idea Harlingen Academy on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 22.4:1 | ▲ 52% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 89.8% | ▲ 45% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 651 | top 32% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
22.4:1
Leaner classes than 9% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
651
Bigger than 77% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
89.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 45% 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
22.4:1
students per teacher
- 52% above state mean
Top 96% in Texas - lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
23.2%
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 326 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: 0.5 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 91.6%
White 6.5%
African American 1.1%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 91.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 15.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 15.7, Idea Harlingen Academy 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 Harlingen Academy.
$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 Harlingen Academy 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 | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Idea Harlingen Academy'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 elementary 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 (~651 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Idea Harlingen Academy's federal record.
- Compare Idea Harlingen Academy 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 Harlingen Academy
How many students attend Idea Harlingen Academy?
Idea Harlingen Academy has 651 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Harlingen, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Idea Harlingen Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Idea Harlingen Academy is 22.4:1, which is 52% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 43% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Idea Harlingen Academy?
89.8% of students at Idea Harlingen Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Idea Harlingen Academy?
The largest demographic group at Idea Harlingen Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 91.6% of enrollment, in Harlingen, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Idea Harlingen Academy?
Idea Harlingen Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (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 Harlingen Academy rank among public schools in Harlingen?
By Resource Investment Index, Idea Harlingen Academy ranks #32 of 33 public schools in Harlingen, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Harlingen on the city page.
Is Idea Harlingen Academy a good school?
Idea Harlingen Academy earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 96% 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 Harlingen Academy, 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.