Enrollment
738
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 480021112688 Charter school
Idea Mcallen Academy — Mcallen, TX
Federal NCES profile for Idea Mcallen Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 22/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 36
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Idea Public Schools · Texas
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
26.9:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
+84% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
71.3%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Idea Mcallen Academy compares with Texas and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Idea Mcallen Academy reports 738 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 33.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 26.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 84% above the Texas state mean of 14.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 69% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 71.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 15% above the Texas average and 38% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 25.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Idea Public Schools spends $11,965 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 2.8% from local sources (property taxes), 76.8% from the state, and 20.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (F), calculated from 3 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Idea Mcallen Academy compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Texas state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 26.9:1 | ▲ 84% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 71.3% | ▲ 15% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 738 | top 77% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
71.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 15% 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
26.9:1
students per teacher
— 84% above state mean
Top 99% in Texas — lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
25.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,965
per pupil, district-wide
— below Texas avg of $17,150
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 738 Top 77% in Texas — larger than 23% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 33.0
Students per teacher 26.9:1 +84% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 71.3% +15% vs state
NCES ID 480021112688
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 94.0%
White 4.3%
Asian 0.9%
African American 0.7%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 94.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 25.6%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Idea Public Schools, which includes Idea Mcallen Academy.
$11,965
Per student
-30%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 848
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 835
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 823
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Enrollment
- 820
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Enrollment
- 813
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
Similar other schools in Mcallen
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Idea Mcallen College Preparatory
Standard public school
820 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
Gonzalez El
Standard public school
818 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
Milam El
Standard public school
811 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Idea Los Encinos Academy
Standard public school
770 students 24.8:1 students per teacher
Idea Los Encinos College Preparatory
Standard public school
753 students 19.5:1 students per teacher
Idea Tres Lagos Academy
Standard public school
695 students 22.5:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Idea Mcallen Academy
How many students attend Idea Mcallen Academy?
Idea Mcallen Academy has 738 students enrolled. It is a other school in MCALLEN, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Idea Mcallen Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Idea Mcallen Academy is 26.9:1, which is 84% higher than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 69% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Idea Mcallen Academy?
71.3% of students at Idea Mcallen Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Idea Mcallen Academy?
The largest demographic group at Idea Mcallen Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 94.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in MCALLEN, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Idea Mcallen Academy?
Idea Mcallen Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.