Enrollment
344
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · La Joya, TX
Idea La Joya College Preparatory
Federal NCES profile for Idea La Joya College Preparatory, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 480021114265Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 79
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Idea La Joya College Preparatory earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of Texas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #6 of 9
- public schools in La Joya · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 31.3:1
- large classes for Texas
- 81.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Idea La Joya 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 La Joya College Preparatory ranks #6 of 9 public schools in La Joya, TX.
School address
District: Idea Public Schools · Texas
NCES ID 480021114265 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
31.3:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+113% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
81.6%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+32% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Idea La Joya College Preparatory compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Idea La Joya College Preparatory
Idea La Joya College Preparatory is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter middle school in La Joya, Texas, enrolling 344 students.
Class loads run heavy: 31.3:1 is larger than about 99% of Texas schools and 113% above the 14.7:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 81.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 344 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Among 1,400 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #1,007, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (98% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 4/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 8.4% 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.
Idea Public Schools also operates Idea College Preparatory Pharr (848 students) and Idea Montopolis College Preparatory (835 students) alongside Idea La Joya 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 La Joya College Preparatory compares
Idea La Joya 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 | 31.3:1 | ▲ 113% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 81.6% | ▲ 32% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 344 | top 70% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
31.3:1
Leaner classes than 1% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
344
Bigger than 39% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
81.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 32% above the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
31.3:1
students per teacher
- 113% 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
8.4%
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.6 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 98.0%
White 1.5%
Asian 0.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 98.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 3.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 3.9, Idea La Joya 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 La Joya 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 La Joya College Preparatory Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idea College Preparatory Pharr | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Idea Montopolis College Preparatory | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Idea College Prep | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Idea Mcallen College Preparatory | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Idea Riverview College Preparatory | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Idea La Joya 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 (~344 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Idea La Joya College Preparatory's federal record.
- Compare Idea La Joya 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 La Joya College Preparatory
How many students attend Idea La Joya College Preparatory?
Idea La Joya College Preparatory has 344 students enrolled. It is a middle school in La Joya, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Idea La Joya College Preparatory?
The student-teacher ratio at Idea La Joya College Preparatory is 31.3:1, which is 113% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 99% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Idea La Joya College Preparatory?
81.6% of students at Idea La Joya College Preparatory are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Idea La Joya College Preparatory?
The largest demographic group at Idea La Joya College Preparatory is Hispanic or Latino at 98.0% of enrollment, in La Joya, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Idea La Joya College Preparatory?
Idea La Joya College Preparatory has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Idea La Joya College Preparatory rank among public schools in La Joya?
By Resource Investment Index, Idea La Joya College Preparatory ranks #6 of 9 public schools in La Joya, 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 La Joya on the city page.
Is Idea La Joya College Preparatory a good school?
Idea La Joya College Preparatory earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% 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 La Joya 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.