Enrollment
719
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Houston, TX
Idea Lake Houston Academy
Federal NCES profile for Idea Lake Houston Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 480021114275Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 50
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Idea Lake Houston Academy earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of Texas schools.
- #98 of 114
- elementary schools in Houston · Resource Index
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 39.9:1
- large classes for Texas
- 88.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Idea Lake Houston Academy has class sizes larger than 99% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Idea Lake Houston Academy ranks #98 of 114 elementary schools in Houston, TX.
School address
District: Idea Public Schools · Texas
NCES ID 480021114275 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
39.9:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+171% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
88.5%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+43% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Idea Lake Houston Academy compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Idea Lake Houston Academy
Idea Lake Houston Academy is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter elementary school in Houston, Texas, enrolling 719 students.
Class loads run heavy: 39.9:1 is larger than about 99% of Texas schools and 171% 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 88.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 719 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 1,751 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 led by Hispanic or Latino (75%) and African American (22%) (diversity index 39/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.2% 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 Lake Houston 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 Lake Houston Academy compares
Idea Lake Houston 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 | 39.9:1 | ▲ 171% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 88.5% | ▲ 43% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 719 | top 25% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
39.9:1
Leaner classes than 1% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
719
Bigger than 81% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
88.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 43% 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
39.9:1
students per teacher
- 171% 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
20.2%
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 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 74.8%
African American 21.7%
White 2.8%
Two or More 0.4%
Asian 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 74.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 39.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 39.3, Idea Lake Houston 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 Lake Houston 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 Lake Houston Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idea College Preparatory Pharr | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Idea Montopolis College Preparatory | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Idea College Prep | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Idea Mcallen College Preparatory | Similar size | 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 Lake Houston 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 (~719 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Idea Lake Houston Academy's federal record.
- Compare Idea Lake Houston 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 Lake Houston Academy
How many students attend Idea Lake Houston Academy?
Idea Lake Houston Academy has 719 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Houston, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Idea Lake Houston Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Idea Lake Houston Academy is 39.9:1, which is 171% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 154% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Idea Lake Houston Academy?
88.5% of students at Idea Lake Houston Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Idea Lake Houston Academy?
The largest demographic group at Idea Lake Houston Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 74.8% of enrollment, in Houston, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Idea Lake Houston Academy?
Idea Lake Houston Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (lower 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 Lake Houston Academy rank among elementary schools in Houston?
By Resource Investment Index, Idea Lake Houston Academy ranks #98 of 114 elementary 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 elementary schools in Houston on the city page.
Is Idea Lake Houston Academy a good school?
Idea Lake Houston Academy 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 Lake Houston 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.