Summary
Idea Palmview College Preparatory in Mission, TX, serves 446 students in grades 6 through 10 as part of the Idea Public Schools district, a unique grade span that allows students to earn high school credit in courses like Algebra I and English II earlier than peers at traditional middle schools.
This school stands out for its exceptional support of Special Education and At-Risk students, ranking in the 67th and 82nd percentiles respectively—far outperforming its overall 41st percentile state ranking. It spends $20,851 per student, nearly double that of nearby schools like Mission J H ($10,993), yet maintains a student-teacher ratio of 14.5:1, similar to neighbors. In recent testing, the school exceeded both district and state averages in U.S. History (74% proficient) and English II Reading (60%). However, math scores are a challenge: while 7th-grade math (33%) actually tops the state average (29%), this may reflect top math students taking Algebra I, where proficiency (45%) lags behind the state (54%). Notably, every nearby school reports Algebra I proficiency rates of 91-100%, suggesting they are highly selective about which students take the exam, making direct comparisons misleading.
Reading is a relative strength, with 7th and 8th-grade scores (46% and 47%) closer to state averages (54% and 59%) than math. The school serves a high-poverty population (over 99% free/reduced lunch), and its high spending appears targeted at support resources. However, a dropout rate spike from 0.0% to 1.7% (2023-2024) is a concern, though the school’s grade span up to 10th grade may capture disengaged high school students. For context, the top-performing nearby school, Memorial Middle (79th percentile), achieves higher scores with lower spending ($12,984 per student), highlighting that while Idea Palmview invests heavily, it has room to grow in overall academic outcomes.
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