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Idea Frontier College Preparatory

Q: Is Idea Frontier College Preparatory a good school?

Idea Frontier College Preparatory ranks 686 th of 2009 Texas high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades 6-12

686^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,009 Texas High Schools

Better than 66% of Texas high schools

Summary

Idea Frontier College Preparatory in Brownsville, TX, is a public charter school serving 781 students in grades 6-12 as part of the Idea Public Schools district, and it serves a high-poverty community where 88-93% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

This school has a unique story: it was once a top-tier performer, ranking in the 93rd to 95th percentile statewide, but has since declined to the 66th percentile (3 stars) in 2025-2026. Despite this overall drop, Idea Frontier remains a powerhouse for specific student groups. It ranks in the 82nd percentile for low-income students and the 84th percentile for English Language Learners, far outperforming nearby traditional high schools like Lopez Early College High School (33rd percentile overall) and Porter Early College High School (39th percentile overall) on these measures. The school also boasts exceptional graduation rates, with 100% in two of the last five years, and a 0.0% dropout rate in four of the last five years. On high school end-of-course exams, it beats its district and the state in Algebra I, English II Reading, and U.S. History. However, a key weakness is the English I Reading exam, where only 53.39% of students are proficient—below the state average. Additionally, its middle school test scores lag behind its sister school, Idea Riverview College Preparatory, which shows stronger foundational academics in grades 6-8.

One interesting factor is the presence of Brownsville Early College High School, a selective magnet school ranking in the 99th percentile, which likely draws many of the highest-achieving students away from schools like Idea Frontier. This context makes Frontier's strong performance with low-income and English-learning students even more impressive. A warning sign, however, is a sharp drop in support for special education students, whose ranking fell from the 63rd to the 39th percentile in just one year. Overall, Idea Frontier is a solid, above-average school that excels at supporting students from challenging backgrounds, but it faces clear challenges in reversing its overall decline and improving middle school and special education outcomes.

781

Students ?

15.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,062

Per pupil spending ?

88.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2800 S Dakota Ave
Brownsville, TX 78521

(956) 541-2002

District: Idea Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

97.3%

White:

2.7%

See top rated Texas high schools

Compare Idea Frontier College Preparatory to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 94th percentile in 2016 → 66th in 2026

Strengths

✓100% graduate within 4 years

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Idea Public Schools

✓Above the Texas median (66th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 28 percentile points since 2016

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school54%

District avg49%

Texas avg53%

Middle school

993^rd of 2,335

Texas public middle schools ?

Top 43%▼ down 23 pts since 2016

From top 20% (2016) to top 43% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

686^th of 2,009

Texas public high schools ?

Top 34%▼ down 28 pts since 2016

From top 6% (2016) to top 34% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^th of 39High 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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	51.8	993 of 2335	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	49.6	1085 of 2344	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.4	550 of 2372	76.8%	★★★★☆
2023	69.7	532 of 2330	77.2%	★★★★☆
2022	70.5	483 of 2254	78.6%	★★★★☆
2021	58.5	776 of 2252	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	75.7	385 of 2193	82.4%	★★★★☆
2018	88.6	161 of 2080	92.3%	★★★★★
2017	83.9	233 of 2027	88.5%	★★★★☆
2016	75.5	389 of 1987	80.4%	★★★★☆
2015	74.4	414 of 2043	79.7%	★★★★☆
2014	82.6	215 of 1987	89.2%	★★★★☆
2013	80.8	233 of 1973	88.2%	★★★★☆
2012	84.3	172 of 1951	91.2%	★★★★★
2011	82.0	74 of 1895	96.1%	★★★★★
2010	76.7	192 of 1803	89.4%	★★★★☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	85.7	138 of 2182	93.7%	★★★★★
2021	71.4	296 of 2118	86.0%	★★★★☆
2019	92.3	69 of 2058	96.6%	★★★★★
2018	96.0	32 of 2008	98.4%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	62.2	360 of 1428	74.8%	★★★★☆
2024	73.9	274 of 1770	84.5%	★★★★☆
2023	80.7	172 of 1720	90.0%	★★★★★
2022	82.1	143 of 1643	91.3%	★★★★★
2021	68.1	256 of 1592	83.9%	★★★★☆
2019	68.6	261 of 1445	81.9%	★★★★☆
2018	91.5	45 of 1376	96.7%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	48.1	1076 of 2240	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	44.8	952 of 1825	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	69.9	475 of 2242	78.8%	★★★★☆
2023	65.6	593 of 2241	73.5%	★★★★☆
2022	63.5	619 of 2221	72.1%	★★★★☆
2021	57.3	791 of 2151	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	72.4	419 of 2047	79.5%	★★★★☆
2018	88.9	139 of 2008	93.1%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	62.6	593 of 2141	72.3%	★★★★☆
2025	59.3	553 of 1731	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	77.7	267 of 2119	87.4%	★★★★☆
2023	79.0	262 of 2116	87.6%	★★★★☆
2022	79.3	260 of 2077	87.5%	★★★★☆
2021	68.2	440 of 2043	78.5%	★★★★☆
2019	82.6	197 of 1935	89.8%	★★★★☆
2018	92.4	79 of 1895	95.8%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	63.6	579 of 2253	74.3%	★★★★☆
2025	57.9	597 of 1820	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	80.4	206 of 2235	90.8%	★★★★★
2023	80.9	211 of 2251	90.6%	★★★★★
2022	82.4	187 of 2220	91.6%	★★★★★
2021	72.7	334 of 2172	84.6%	★★★★☆
2019	86.6	112 of 2073	94.6%	★★★★★
2018	94.8	43 of 2039	97.9%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	54.9	860 of 2253	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.4	783 of 1818	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.6	609 of 2246	72.9%	★★★★☆
2023	71.9	457 of 2245	79.6%	★★★★☆
2022	75.2	380 of 2228	82.9%	★★★★☆
2021	57.0	792 of 2168	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	76.0	355 of 2069	82.8%	★★★★☆
2018	85.1	202 of 2030	90.0%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	47.5	813 of 1956	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	24.9	1338 of 1568	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	46.8	926 of 1891	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.9	700 of 1815	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.3	805 of 1757	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	44.5	774 of 1712	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.3	272 of 1626	83.3%	★★★★☆
2018	48.9	597 of 1597	62.6%	★★★☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	60.0	686 of 2009	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	59.9	675 of 1974	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.2	733 of 1990	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	71.2	402 of 1961	79.5%	★★★★☆
2022	76.4	264 of 1876	85.9%	★★★★☆
2021	64.2	547 of 1861	70.6%	★★★★☆
2019	85.4	124 of 1857	93.3%	★★★★★
2018	87.7	90 of 1797	95.0%	★★★★★
2017	85.8	116 of 1777	93.5%	★★★★★
2016	79.5	113 of 1762	93.6%	★★★★★
2015	76.3	206 of 1743	88.2%	★★★★☆
2014	74.6	265 of 1734	84.7%	★★★★☆
2013	74.1	246 of 1652	85.1%	★★★★☆
2012	64.7	426 of 1603	73.4%	★★★★☆
2011	80.4	80 of 1672	95.2%	★★★★★
2010	82.0	42 of 1568	97.3%	★★★★★

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	82.3	133 of 1837	92.8%	★★★★★
2021	76.0	193 of 1829	89.4%	★★★★☆
2019	92.0	55 of 1810	97.0%	★★★★★
2018	95.6	35 of 1784	98.0%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	68.0	188 of 1153	83.7%	★★★★☆
2024	64.2	285 of 1437	80.2%	★★★★☆
2023	77.2	160 of 1371	88.3%	★★★★☆
2022	84.9	94 of 1278	92.6%	★★★★★
2021	66.1	222 of 1195	81.4%	★★★★☆
2019	90.5	60 of 1136	94.7%	★★★★★
2018	98.0	31 of 1113	97.2%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	58.6	675 of 1936	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	56.0	547 of 1504	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.1	601 of 1880	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.8	570 of 1891	69.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	71.9	347 of 1841	81.2%	★★★★☆
2021	55.8	750 of 1815	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	82.8	135 of 1798	92.5%	★★★★★
2018	83.5	138 of 1781	92.3%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	64.5	449 of 1860	75.9%	★★★★☆
2025	65.9	304 of 1453	79.1%	★★★★☆
2024	66.0	370 of 1805	79.5%	★★★★☆
2023	75.5	242 of 1820	86.7%	★★★★☆
2022	80.1	166 of 1762	90.6%	★★★★★
2021	69.4	348 of 1743	80.0%	★★★★☆
2019	87.7	94 of 1714	94.5%	★★★★★
2018	89.7	72 of 1691	95.7%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	67.6	357 of 1937	81.6%	★★★★☆
2025	65.9	280 of 1513	81.5%	★★★★☆
2024	66.8	338 of 1884	82.1%	★★★★☆
2023	76.4	229 of 1897	87.9%	★★★★☆
2022	81.4	141 of 1847	92.4%	★★★★★
2021	73.4	255 of 1848	86.2%	★★★★☆
2019	89.7	76 of 1818	95.8%	★★★★★
2018	91.7	68 of 1794	96.2%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	56.7	722 of 1954	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.8	482 of 1515	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.3	596 of 1891	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	74.7	301 of 1913	84.3%	★★★★☆
2022	77.7	234 of 1853	87.4%	★★★★☆
2021	68.6	425 of 1840	76.9%	★★★★☆
2019	85.6	124 of 1824	93.2%	★★★★★
2018	89.2	81 of 1803	95.5%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	37.1	964 of 1581	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	51.5	484 of 1299	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.0	584 of 1548	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	72.1	219 of 1478	85.2%	★★★★☆
2022	67.5	254 of 1418	82.1%	★★★★☆
2021	44.9	650 of 1382	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	73.6	175 of 1357	87.1%	★★★★☆
2018	81.6	128 of 1347	90.5%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	30.5	935 of 1294	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Middle school

At Risk (2022)94th percentile+15 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)75th percentile+21 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)74th percentile+17 vs school

Hispanic (2026)72nd percentile+15 vs school

Male (2026)62nd percentile+4 vs school

Special Education (2026)58th percentile~ school

Female (2026)52nd percentile-6 vs school

High school

At Risk (2022)93rd percentile+7 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)84th percentile+18 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)82nd percentile+16 vs school

Hispanic (2026)76th percentile+10 vs school

Female (2026)65th percentile~ school

Male (2026)63rd percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2026)39th percentile-27 vs school

White (2025)28th percentile-38 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

U.S. History80%+10 vs state

Biology74%+3 vs state

English II Reading65%+5 vs state

Algebra I64%+10 vs state

English I Reading53%~ state avg

Reading52%-4 vs state

Mathematics40%+5 vs state

Social Studies28%-3 vs state

★

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Schools Near Idea Frontier College Preparatory

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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 EOC Algebra I (2026)	STAAR EOC Biology (2026)	STAAR EOC English I Reading (2026)	STAAR EOC English II Reading (2026)	STAAR EOC U.S. History (2026)	STAAR Reading (2026)			STAAR Mathematics (2026)			STAAR Social Studies (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 EOC Algebra I End of Course	STAAR EOC Biology End of Course	STAAR EOC English I Reading End of Course	STAAR EOC English II Reading End of Course	STAAR EOC U.S. History End of Course	STAAR Reading 6th Grade	STAAR Reading 7th Grade	STAAR Reading 8th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 6th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 7th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 8th Grade	STAAR Social Studies 8th Grade	Total
Idea Frontier College Preparatory	Public, Charter	6-12	2800 S Dakota Ave	Brownsville	78521	Cameron County	Idea Public Schools	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 541-2002	781	50	15.6	88.3%	21 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	760 (97.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	60	686^th of 2009 public high schools	65.9%		59.9	675^th of 1974 public high schools	65.8%	11	63.6	73.7	53.4	65.1	80.0	49.6	47.3	58.3	44.4	35.4		28.4	$13,062
Lopez Early College High School	Public	9-12	3205 S Dakota Ave	Brownsville	78521	Cameron County	Brownsville Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 982-7400	1,739	125	13.8	98.7%	11 (0.6%)	2 (0.1%)	1,726 (99.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36	1336^th of 2009 public high schools	33.5%		30.6	1378^th of 1974 public high schools	30.2%	42	48.1	66.7	33.0	49.2	63.1								$11,425
Porter Early College High School	Public	9-12	3500 International Blvd	Brownsville	78521	Cameron County	Brownsville Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 548-7800	1,543	112	13.8	93.3%	11 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	1,531 (99.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40.2	1229^th of 2009 public high schools	38.8%		37.9	1215^th of 1974 public high schools	38.4%	14	76.2	53.4	33.9	54.7	63.3								$11,772
Rivera Early College High School	Public	9-12	6955 Fm 802	Brownsville	78521	Cameron County	Brownsville Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 831-8700	2,150	136	15.7	94.4%	13 (0.6%)	2 (0.1%)	2,134 (99.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37.5	1300^th of 2009 public high schools	35.3%		36.7	1238^th of 1974 public high schools	37.3%	62	37.3	53.1	42.2	55.7	68.6								$10,438
Brownsville Early College High School	Public	9-12	343 Ringgold Rd	Brownsville	78520	Cameron County	Brownsville Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 698-1476	311	15	20.1	94.2%	3 (1.0%)	2 (0.6%)	302 (97.1%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	93.7	17^th of 2009 public high schools	99.2%		93.5	25^th of 1974 public high schools	98.7%	8	100.0	95.1	98.1	98.6	94.4								$8,306
Hanna Early College High School	Public	9-12	2615 Price Rd	Brownsville	78521	Cameron County	Brownsville Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 548-7600	2,039	137	14.8	91.2%	12 (0.6%)	3 (0.1%)	2,015 (98.8%)	8 (0.4%)	1 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56.4	781^st of 2009 public high schools	61.1%		50.5	897^th of 1974 public high schools	54.6%	116	62.3	68.4	52.2	67.1	71.1								$10,143
Premier H S Of Brownsville	Public, Charter	9-12	955 Paredes Line Rd	Brownsville	78521	Cameron County	Premier High Schools	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 550-0084	147	8	17.6	85.7%	7 (4.8%)	2 (1.4%)	138 (93.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32.5	1426^th of 2009 public high schools	29.0%		29.1	1422^nd of 1974 public high schools	28.0%	4	28.6		15.4	38.1	70.4								$10,756
Texasworks - Brownsville	Public, Charter	9-12	955 Paredes Line Rd	Brownsville	78521	Cameron County	Texas Works	Yes	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(972) 316-3663	16	2	8.0		0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2.6	1949^th of 2009 public high schools	3.0%					(n/a)					27.3
Brownsville Academic Center	Public	6-12	3308 Robindale Rd	Brownsville	78526	Cameron County	Brownsville Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(956) 504-6305	0	14	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Harmony School Of Innovation - Brownsville	Public, Charter	6-12	3451 Dana Ave	Brownsville	78526	Cameron County	Harmony Public Schools - South Texas	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 574-9555	498	35	14.2	90.8%	15 (3.0%)	2 (0.4%)	478 (96.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	48.1	991^st of 2009 public high schools	50.7%		55.2	785^th of 1974 public high schools	60.2%	206	33.8	54.4	54.4	71.9	84.4	70.4	74.4	60.0	38.5		45.2	33.9	$13,686

Frequently Asked Questions about Idea Frontier College Preparatory

Is Idea Frontier College Preparatory a good school?

Idea Frontier College Preparatory ranks 686^th of 2009 Texas high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Idea Frontier College Preparatory?

In the 2024-25 school year, 781 students attended Idea Frontier College Preparatory.

What is the racial makeup of Idea Frontier College Preparatory?

Students at Idea Frontier College Preparatory are 97% Hispanic, 3% White.

What district is Idea Frontier College Preparatory 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.