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Idea La Joya Academy

Public, Charter Grades K-5

4450^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 4,627 Texas Elementary Schools

Better than 4% of Texas elementary schools

Summary

Idea La Joya Academy is a K-5 elementary school in La Joya, TX, serving 656 students as part of the Idea Public Schools charter network, and it serves a high-poverty community where over 90% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

This school faces significant academic challenges, ranking in the bottom 5% of all Texas elementary schools for three consecutive years, with a declining trajectory from the 15th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 4th percentile in 2025-2026. Mathematics proficiency is a critical weakness, with only 18-23% of students meeting state standards across grades 3-5, roughly half the state average. Science performance is also concerning, with just 8.74% of 5th graders proficient in 2024-2025. In contrast, nearby Tabasco Elementary (0.79 miles away) ranks in the 48th percentile and achieves 53.23% proficiency in 5th-grade math, more than double Idea La Joya's 18.49%. The school also has a higher student-to-teacher ratio of 20.5:1, compared to surrounding La Joya Independent School District (Isd) schools that average around 14.9:1.

Despite these struggles, Idea La Joya Academy has two notable strengths. Its Special Education program ranks in the top 33% statewide, suggesting effective services for students with disabilities. Additionally, 71.43% of 5th graders taking the STAAR Spanish Reading test were proficient, far exceeding district and state averages. These bright spots indicate that successful strategies exist within the school, particularly in bilingual instruction and special education, which could be expanded to improve overall performance in math and science.

656

Students ?

20.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,185

Per pupil spending ?

90.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

725 E Expy 83
La Joya, TX 78560

(956) 766-3100

District: Idea Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

98.2%

White:

1.8%

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Compare Idea La Joya Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 15th percentile in 2024 → 4th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Texas average (27% vs 50% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (4th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 11 percentile points since 2024

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school27%

District avg40%

Texas avg50%

4,450^th of 4,627

Texas public elementary schools ?

Bottom 4%▼ down 11 pts since 2024

From bottom 15% (2024) to bottom 4% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

55^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	10.9	4450 of 4627	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	12.4	4397 of 4651	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	20.8	4020 of 4710	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	18.6	2648 of 2918	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	32.9	2626 of 3668	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	10.9	4430 of 4575	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	17.1	3404 of 3744	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	35.7	3120 of 4658	33.0%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	14.3	4218 of 4413	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	19.6	3279 of 3644	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.4	3239 of 4465	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	18.8	4182 of 4520	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	22.5	3267 of 3705	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.5	3244 of 4594	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	13.9	4324 of 4582	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	17.5	3370 of 3739	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.8	3943 of 4647	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	55.7	1408 of 4301	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.3	1046 of 3549	70.5%	★★★★☆
2024	64.3	1047 of 4292	75.6%	★★★★☆

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)

Special Education (2026)67th percentile+63 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)9th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)7th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2026)6th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)4th percentile~ school

Female (2026)3rd percentile~ school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Reading33%-22 vs state

Mathematics21%-26 vs state

★

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Schools Near Idea La Joya 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 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 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 La Joya Academy	Public, Charter	K-5	725 E Expy 83	La Joya	78560	Hidalgo County	Idea Public Schools	Yes	No	(n/a)	No	(956) 766-3100	656	32	20.5	90.5%	12 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	644 (98.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10.9	4450^th of 4627 public elementary schools	3.8%		12.4	4397^th of 4651 public elementary schools	5.5%	53			71.4	26.1	30.7	41.1	21.2	23.1	18.5	$13,185
Tabasco Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	223 S Leo Ave	La Joya	78560	Hidalgo County	La Joya Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 323-2440	544	34	15.8	90.4%	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	542 (99.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	44.4	2424^th of 4627 public elementary schools	47.6%		53.6	1926^th of 4651 public elementary schools	58.6%	498	50.0	64.7	47.1	44.7	43.6	57.8	49.2	28.2	53.2	$8,272
John F Kennedy Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1801 N Diamond Ave	Penitas	78576	Hidalgo County	La Joya Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 323-2330	676	40	16.9	83.1%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	676 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	47.1	2262^nd of 4627 public elementary schools	51.1%		57.7	1685^th of 4651 public elementary schools	63.8%	577				36.0	52.8	50.5	52.2	58.3	40.2	$7,538
Corina Pena Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4800 Liberty Blvd	Penitas	78576	Hidalgo County	La Joya Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 323-2750	523	35	14.9	96.6%	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	522 (99.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28.4	3531^st of 4627 public elementary schools	23.7%		25.4	3705^th of 4651 public elementary schools	20.3%	174	26.9	21.4	22.2	34.2	33.9	48.1	30.2	40.3	41.4	$12,418
Guillermo Flores Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1913 Roque Salinas	Mission	78572	Hidalgo County	La Joya Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 323-2760	452	29	15.6	93.1%	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	451 (99.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37.1	2944^th of 4627 public elementary schools	36.4%		34	3190^th of 4651 public elementary schools	31.4%	246	40.0	33.3	57.1	44.6	38.9	45.8	47.0	43.3	36.4	$9,534
Leo J Leo Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1625 Roque Salinas	Mission	78572	Hidalgo County	La Joya Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 323-2370	319	25	12.6	95.3%	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	318 (99.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15.5	4266^th of 4627 public elementary schools	7.8%		26.8	3623^rd of 4651 public elementary schools	22.1%	643	5.9	44.4	0.0	19.2	48.3	37.5	9.3	34.2	23.1	$11,148
Sam Fordyce Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	801 Fm 886	Sullivan City	78595	Hidalgo County	La Joya Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 323-2490	356	28	12.6	98.6%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	356 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	54.4	1891^st of 4627 public elementary schools	59.1%		65.2	1338^th of 4651 public elementary schools	71.2%	553	76.9			44.8	41.1	57.5	56.1	50.9	57.5	$9,186
Patricio Perez Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4431 Minnesota Rd	Mission	78572	Hidalgo County	La Joya Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 323-2450	421	29	14.5	94.1%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	421 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29.1	3490^th of 4627 public elementary schools	24.6%		34	3192^nd of 4651 public elementary schools	31.4%	298	0.0	31.3	18.8	47.1	42.2	44.2	31.9	39.3	31.0	$9,842
Narciso Cavazos	Public	PK, KG-5	4563 Minnesota Rd	Mission	78572	Hidalgo County	La Joya Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 323-2430	471	31	15.0	94.3%	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	470 (99.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	47.5	2245^th of 4627 public elementary schools	51.5%		29.6	3456^th of 4651 public elementary schools	25.7%	1211	37.0	48.3	10.5	53.1	56.4	43.6	50.9	41.8	44.6	$8,123
Dr Maria Palmira Mendiola Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6401 N Abram Rd	Mission	78572	Hidalgo County	La Joya Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 323-2420	583	34	17.2	95.5%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	583 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19.6	4066^th of 4627 public elementary schools	12.1%		19.2	4073^rd of 4651 public elementary schools	12.4%	7	16.7	8.3	6.1	21.4	41.3	47.8	19.1	41.4	23.4	$9,638

Frequently Asked Questions about Idea La Joya Academy

Is Idea La Joya Academy a good school?

Idea La Joya Academy ranks in the bottom 3.8% of Texas elementary schools.

What district is Idea La Joya Academy in?

Idea Public Schools

How many students attend Idea La Joya Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 656 students attended Idea La Joya Academy.

What is the racial makeup of Idea La Joya Academy?

Students at Idea La Joya Academy are 98% Hispanic, 2% White.

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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.