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Idea Harlingen Academy

Public, Charter Grades K-5
2379th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 4,627 Texas Elementary Schools
Better than 49% of Texas elementary schools
Summary

Idea Harlingen Academy is a K-5 elementary school in Harlingen, TX, serving 651 students as part of the Idea Public Schools charter network, where about 85% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

This school stands out for its unique resource allocation: it spends a relatively high $13,466 per student, yet has larger class sizes (21:1 student-to-teacher ratio) compared to nearby schools like Stuart Place Elementary ($9,246 per student, 16.2:1 ratio) and Long Elementary ($10,235 per student, 14:1 ratio). The school shows a dramatic contrast in supporting different student groups: it has been a top performer for Special Education students, ranking in the 95th percentile in 2023-2024, but has struggled significantly with its White student population, ranking in the 8th percentile recently. Academically, Reading is a relative strength—5th-grade proficiency reached 63.3%, above the district average of 52.89%—but Mathematics is a major weakness, with 3rd-grade math proficiency at just 34.31% compared to the state's 44.33%. Science scores have also dropped sharply, from outperforming the state in 2023-2024 to just 20.56% proficiency in 2024-2025, far below the district and state averages.

An interesting comparison is Bowie Elementary, which has the highest poverty rate in the area (93.43%) yet is the highest-performing school in the group, ranking in the 78th percentile with exceptional test scores (77.14% proficiency in 5th-grade Reading and Math). This shows that high poverty does not prevent academic success and suggests Idea Harlingen Academy could learn from Bowie's strategies. The school's overall state ranking has been volatile, swinging from the 33rd percentile to the 57th percentile and back to the 49th percentile, indicating challenges in maintaining consistent improvement. As part of the Idea Public Schools charter network (ranked in the 43rd percentile statewide), it operates under a different model than nearby schools in the Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District (ranked in the 71st percentile), which is a key factor in its performance.

651
Students ?
21.0
Student/teacher ratio ?
$11,355
Per pupil spending ?
84.8%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 24240 Chester Park Rd
       Harlingen, TX  78552

(956) 377-8000

District: Idea Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
91.6%
White:
6.5%
African American:
1.1%
more
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 Compare Idea Harlingen Academy to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Improving — 33rd percentile in 2023 → 49th in 2026
Strengths
Ranking is trending up — up 16 percentile points since 2023
Among the top-ranked schools in Idea Public Schools
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
!Mathematics scores 10 pts below the Texas average
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school46%
District avg40%
Texas avg51%
2,379th of 4,627
Texas public elementary schools ?
Bottom 49%▲ up 16 pts since 2023
From bottom 33% (2023) to bottom 49% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Texas Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
14th of 62Elementary Schools in the Idea Public Schools
546th 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202645.12379 of 462748.6%★★☆☆☆
202540.42743 of 465141.0%★★☆☆☆
202452.72005 of 471057.4%★★★☆☆
202334.53124 of 464732.8%★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202537.61875 of 291835.7%★★☆☆☆
202451.11604 of 366856.3%★★★☆☆
202332.22662 of 355625.1%★☆☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202642.52589 of 457543.4%★★☆☆☆
202550.31726 of 374453.9%★★★☆☆
202460.51547 of 465866.8%★★★☆☆
202343.92545 of 458844.5%★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202651.71958 of 441355.6%★★★☆☆
202553.71537 of 364457.8%★★★☆☆
202465.61157 of 446574.1%★★★★☆
202341.92639 of 440140.0%★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202653.61875 of 452058.5%★★★☆☆
202560.51211 of 370567.3%★★★☆☆
202473.1766 of 459483.3%★★★★☆
202345.62514 of 452144.4%★★☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202647.62270 of 458250.5%★★★☆☆
202543.82041 of 373945.4%★★☆☆☆
202456.01822 of 464760.8%★★★☆☆
202328.23533 of 458522.9%★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202642.52290 of 430146.8%★★☆☆☆
202572.0592 of 354983.3%★★★★☆
202488.7212 of 429295.1%★★★★★
202345.71912 of 408653.2%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202616.32772 of 30067.8%☆☆☆☆☆
202534.31897 of 261227.4%★☆☆☆☆
202450.81580 of 310849.2%★★☆☆☆
202316.72839 of 31068.6%☆☆☆☆☆
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)
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)59th percentile+10 vs school
Hispanic (2026)56th percentile+7 vs school
Male (2026)50th percentile~ school
Special Education (2026)47th percentile~ school
Female (2026)43rd percentile-5 vs school
English Language Learner (2025)36th percentile-5 vs school
White (2026)8th percentile-41 vs school
By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?
Reading56%~ state avg
Mathematics37%-10 vs state

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Frequently Asked Questions about Idea Harlingen Academy

In the 2024-25 school year, 651 students attended Idea Harlingen Academy.

Students at Idea Harlingen Academy are 92% Hispanic, 6% White, 1% African American.

Idea Harlingen Academy ranks 2379th of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.


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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.





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