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Idea Academy

Public, Charter Grades K-5

3595^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 4,627 Texas Elementary Schools

Better than 22% of Texas elementary schools

Summary

Idea Academy in Donna, TX, is a K-5 charter school serving 744 students, where over 97% qualify for free or reduced lunch, and it is part of the Idea Public Schools district. This school has experienced a sharp decline in performance, dropping from the 51st percentile statewide in 2022-2023 to the 22nd percentile in 2025-2026, a concerning trend that sets it apart from nearby traditional public schools. For example, Capt D Salinas II Elementary and Le Noir Elementary, both part of the Donna Independent School District (Isd), have shown significant improvement over the same period, with Le Noir achieving 86.57% proficiency in 4th-grade math compared to Idea Academy’s 36%.

Idea Academy struggles notably in math and science, with proficiency rates consistently below state averages and local peers. In 2025-2026, only 33% of 5th graders were proficient in math, while Capt D Salinas II Elementary reached 65%. Science scores are similarly weak, with just 26.72% of 5th graders proficient in 2024-2025. The school also operates with a high student-to-teacher ratio of 21.5:1, much higher than the nearby average of 15.7:1, which may limit individualized support for its high-needs population. While reading was once a relative strength, with scores exceeding state averages in 2023-2024, this advantage has faded, and all grade levels now fall below state benchmarks.

A critical concern is the school’s performance with special education students, which ranks in the 11th percentile and shows no signs of improvement. This is a major red flag for a school serving a highly disadvantaged community. Interestingly, Idea Academy previously excelled with "At Risk" students, ranking in the 79th percentile in 2018-2019, but this strength appears to have diminished. Overall, the school is being outperformed by local Donna ISD schools, which spend more per student (over $10,000 vs. Idea Academy’s $8,600-$9,000) and are showing stronger upward trends. Parents considering this school should weigh these factors carefully.

744

Students ?

21.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,651

Per pupil spending ?

97.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

401 S 1st St
Donna, TX 78537

(956) 464-0203

District: Idea Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

95.6%

White:

3.9%

African American:

0.4%

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Compare Idea Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 58th percentile in 2016 → 22nd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Texas average (38% vs 51% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (22nd percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 36 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school38%

District avg40%

Texas avg51%

3,595^th of 4,627

Texas public elementary schools ?

Bottom 22%▼ down 36 pts since 2016

From top 42% (2016) to bottom 22% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

39^th of 62Elementary Schools in the Idea Public Schools

546^th of 951Idea Public Schools among Texas districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	27.5	3595 of 4627	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	34.7	3147 of 4651	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.3	3001 of 4710	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.3	2281 of 4647	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.4	2528 of 4581	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.4	3357 of 4578	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	45.4	2318 of 4479	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.8	2371 of 4359	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	48.9	2030 of 4329	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	59.4	1800 of 4286	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	61.3	1713 of 4320	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2014	33.7	3216 of 4260	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	19.5	3823 of 4221	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	27.1	3564 of 4206	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	43.6	2768 of 4095	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2010	61.3	1689 of 3937	57.1%	★★★☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	62.4	1265 of 4461	71.6%	★★★★☆
2021	42.0	2420 of 4331	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	68.0	890 of 4295	79.3%	★★★★☆
2018	47.4	2126 of 4240	49.9%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	41.8	1680 of 2918	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.3	2493 of 3668	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	51.9	1583 of 3556	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.3	1749 of 3487	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.3	2123 of 3446	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.0	1620 of 3333	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	39.0	2103 of 3226	34.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	27.7	3591 of 4575	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	36.2	2471 of 3744	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.4	2943 of 4658	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.1	2023 of 4588	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	40.9	2720 of 4561	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.6	3490 of 4499	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	46.8	2233 of 4348	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.0	2551 of 4306	40.8%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	34.3	3162 of 4413	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	43.8	2097 of 3644	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.3	2822 of 4465	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	56.9	1665 of 4401	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.4	2063 of 4376	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	34.9	2927 of 4329	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.0	1845 of 4188	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.8	1947 of 4168	53.3%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	39.1	2930 of 4520	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	50.6	1739 of 3705	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.8	2501 of 4594	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	64.9	1191 of 4521	73.7%	★★★★☆
2022	59.2	1516 of 4477	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	39.5	2768 of 4451	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.3	1400 of 4309	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.4	1684 of 4264	60.5%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	29.8	3471 of 4582	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	37.6	2393 of 3739	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.8	3336 of 4647	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	45.4	2427 of 4585	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.1	2323 of 4563	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.6	2998 of 4498	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.6	2423 of 4357	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.1	2313 of 4319	46.4%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	23.2	3832 of 4301	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.8	3030 of 3549	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.0	4022 of 4292	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	43.6	2039 of 4086	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.7	1366 of 3952	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	38.2	2169 of 3799	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	58.2	1020 of 3684	72.3%	★★★★☆
2018	23.3	3149 of 3558	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	11.3	2891 of 3006	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	19.4	2352 of 2612	10.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	33.7	2275 of 3108	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.7	2290 of 3106	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

At Risk (2022)72nd percentile+27 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)42nd percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)35th percentile+13 vs school

Hispanic (2026)28th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)24th percentile~ school

Female (2026)22nd percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)11th percentile-11 vs school

White (2026)4th percentile-18 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Reading41%-13 vs state

Mathematics35%-12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Idea Academy

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				STAAR Spanish Reading (2026)			STAAR Spanish Mathematics (2026)			STAAR Reading (2026)			STAAR Mathematics (2026)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	STAAR Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	STAAR Spanish Reading 4th Grade	STAAR Spanish Reading 5th Grade	STAAR Spanish Mathematics 3rd Grade	STAAR Spanish Mathematics 4th Grade	STAAR Spanish Mathematics 5th Grade	STAAR Reading 3rd Grade	STAAR Reading 4th Grade	STAAR Reading 5th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 3rd Grade	STAAR Mathematics 4th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 5th Grade	Total
Idea Academy	Public, Charter	K-5	401 S 1st St	Donna	78537	Hidalgo County	Idea Public Schools	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 464-0203	744	35	21.5	97.3%	29 (3.9%)	3 (0.4%)	711 (95.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27.5	3595^th of 4627 public elementary schools	22.3%		34.7	3147^th of 4651 public elementary schools	32.3%	448							40.7	38.1	44.9	36.0	36.3	33.3	$9,651
M Rivas Pri Discovery Academy	Public	PK, KG-2	503 S Hutto Rd	Donna	78537	Hidalgo County	Donna Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 464-1990	413	21	19.4	87.7%	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	412 (99.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)													$11,690
J W Caceres Discovery Intermediate Academy	Public	1-5	503 S Hutto Rd	Donna	78537	Hidalgo County	Donna Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 464-1995	299	22	13.7	95.3%	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	296 (99.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27.9	3567^th of 4627 public elementary schools	22.9%		31.4	3341^st of 4651 public elementary schools	28.2%	226	0.0	12.5	16.7	0.0	0.0	12.5	44.7	34.1	43.2	31.3	38.4	37.6	$12,302
A M Ochoa Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	424 S 11th St	Donna	78537	Hidalgo County	Donna Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 464-1900	580	34	17.1	93.6%	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	578 (99.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)													$8,509
Le Noir Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	316 N Main St	Donna	78537	Hidalgo County	Donna Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 464-1685	457	28	16.3	82.1%	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	455 (99.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	58.8	1659^th of 4627 public elementary schools	64.1%		48.5	2222^nd of 4651 public elementary schools	52.2%	563	87.5	46.2		17.7	38.5		55.4	61.2	62.1	28.1	86.6	38.6	$10,066
C Stainke Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1309 S Ave	Donna	78537	Hidalgo County	Donna Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 464-1940	509	33	15.4	88.0%	9 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	500 (98.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40.9	2671^st of 4627 public elementary schools	42.3%		46.9	2329^th of 4651 public elementary schools	49.9%	342	24.0	33.3	15.0	28.0		33.3	41.3	51.7	49.3	46.7	50.0	28.4	$11,067
Guzman Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	510 S D Salinas Blvd	Donna	78537	Hidalgo County	Donna Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 464-1920	291	22	13.2	93.8%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	291 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)													$12,271
Eloy Garza Salazar Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3207 N Goolie Rd	Donna	78537	Hidalgo County	Donna Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 464-1977	446	28	15.9	95.1%	5 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	441 (98.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46.8	2288^th of 4627 public elementary schools	50.6%		49	2198^th of 4651 public elementary schools	52.7%	90	27.3	36.4	38.9	27.3	9.1	16.7	43.1	55.4	48.7	45.1	61.8	36.5	$10,111
T Price Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2906 E Roberts	Donna	78537	Hidalgo County	Donna Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 464-1303	416	25	16.6	90.1%	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	411 (98.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)								(n/a)													$9,063
Capt D Salinas II Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	333 E Hwy 83	Alamo	78516	Hidalgo County	Donna Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 783-1332	457	33	13.6	86.0%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	457 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	61.5	1543^rd of 4627 public elementary schools	66.7%		48.5	2226^th of 4651 public elementary schools	52.1%	683	34.8	60.0	18.5	52.2	61.9	42.1	44.7	48.9	57.7	51.3	57.9	65.0	$10,270

Frequently Asked Questions about Idea Academy

Is Idea Academy a good school?

Idea Academy ranks in the bottom 22.3% of Texas elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Idea Academy?

Students at Idea Academy are 96% Hispanic, 4% White.

How many students attend Idea Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 744 students attended Idea Academy.

What district is Idea Academy in?

Idea Public Schools

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Latest Texas data All new data »

2025–26 STAAR, STAAR EOC & STAAR Spanish test scoresJun 12, 2026

2021–22 through 2023–24 school spending dataJan 10, 2026

2023–24 dropout rates & graduation ratesSep 17, 2025

2024–25 STAAR EOC & STAAR Spanish test scoresJun 23, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Texas Education Agency.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.