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Which teacher or staff member at IDEA ACADEMY PHARR deserves more recognition?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
717
Elementary
DISTRICT 657 · STATE 519
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·IDEA PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 480021112266
IDEA Academy Pharr
600 E LAS MILPAS RD, PHARR, TX 78577 · (956) 283-1515 · Hidalgo County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY13-CITYCHARTERTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL717 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
22.8:1
31 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 21.6:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
94%
672 students
DISTRICT 83% · STATE 65%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 81 | 11% |
| Grade 1 | 123 | 17% |
| Grade 2 | 131 | 18% |
| Grade 3 | 125 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 125 | 17% |
| Grade 5 | 132 | 18% |
This year's kindergarten class (81) is 39% smaller than its 5th grade class (132).
Student demographics
0%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 27% · STATE 63% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
STAAR 2025-26 . % Meets Grade Level or AboveReading
41.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +13.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
45.0%
TX avg 45.3% . +27.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 41 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 45 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 13 points since 2020, while math scores are up about 27 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 21.0% | 20.0% | 25.0% | 34.0% |
| Mathematics | 19.0% | 26.0% | 21.0% | 34.0% |
Share of tested students at each STAAR level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
STAAR results by year
| School year | Reading | Mathematics |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 41.0% | 45.0% |
| 2024-25 | 43.0% | 43.0% |
| 2023-24 | 45.0% | 39.0% |
| 2022-23 | 44.0% | 38.0% |
| 2021-22 | 55.0% | 36.0% |
| 2020-21 | 28.0% | 18.0% |
% Meets Grade Level or Above, all students and all tested grades.
Source: STAAR. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
42.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
33.7%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+8.9pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 43% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 34% typical for Texas schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Texas's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like IDEA Academy Pharr
IDEA Academy Pharr's state test result (42.6% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| IDEA Academy Pharr this school | 717 | 93.7% | 42.6% |
| General Ricardo Sanchez Elementary School RIO GRANDE CITY | 712 | 94.2% | 63.0% |
| Champion Elementary School BROWNSVILLE | 710 | 94.8% | 47.3% |
| John McKeever Elementary School ALAMO | 699 | 92.4% | 42.5% |
| Maria Alicia P Munoz Elementary School DONNA | 688 | 95.1% | 31.4% |
| John W Arndt Elementary School LAREDO | 766 | 94.5% | 45.9% |
Matched among Texas elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where IDEA Academy Pharr ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In Hidalgo County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 42.6% | #2,252 of 4,401 | #96 of 181 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 45.0% | #2,231 of 4,466 ▲ 63 | #114 of 183 ▼ 14 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 41.0% | #3,516 of 4,466 ▼ 352 | #157 of 183 ▼ 12 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +2.0pp | #2,526 of 3,998 | #119 of 180 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 717 | #808 of 4,938 | #20 of 192 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 22.8:1 | #4,574 of 4,622 | #181 of 185 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 0.3% | #4,590 of 4,628 | #161 of 185 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 93.7% | #659 of 4,789 | #61 of 190 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -18.2% | #1,318 of 2,838 | #64 of 128 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
717
-142 (-17%) vs 2020
+596% since 2010-11, when it was 103
Student : Teacher
22.8:1
was 28.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 717 | 31.5 | 22.8:1 | 94% (672) |
| 2023-24 | 758 | 30.1 | 25.2:1 | 93% (707) |
| 2022-23 | 812 | 32.7 | 24.8:1 | 97% (785) |
| 2020-21 | 859 | 30 | 28.6:1 | 94% (805) |
| 2017-18 | 876 | 41.6 | 21.1:1 | 93% (811) |
| 2015-16 | 826 | 22 | 37.5:1 | 98% (808) |
| 2010-11 | 103 | 5 | 20.6:1 | 96% (99) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for IDEA Academy Pharr.
Since 2017-18: students down 18% (876 to 717); teachers down 24% (41.6 to 31.5).
About IDEA Academy Pharr
IDEA Academy Pharr is an elementary school in PHARR, Texas, and it is part of IDEA PUBLIC SCHOOLS. The school enrolls 717 students, from kindergarten through 5. Average enrollment for elementary schools in Texas is about 519, so this school runs 38% bigger than that.
The district, IDEA PUBLIC SCHOOLS, operates 125 schools serving 79,430 students.
About 100% of the student body at IDEA Academy Pharr is Hispanic. IDEA Academy Pharr's diversity index is 0%, against a US figure of 70%.
The ratio of students to teachers is 22.8:1, with 31.5 full-time-equivalent teachers on staff. The school has more students per teacher than the 15.1:1 average for elementary schools in Texas. Lunch subsidy eligibility at IDEA Academy Pharr is 94%. Among public schools in Hidalgo County, the average eligibility rate is 85%.
On a poverty-adjusted basis, IDEA Academy Pharr falls in the middle 80% of Texas schools: 42.6% actual against 33.7% predicted.
Federal survey data for Hidalgo County show that the median household income is $54,338, about 21% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 23% of residents are in poverty. Hidalgo County is home to 364 public schools and about 212,859 public school students.
The school nearest to IDEA Academy Pharr is IDEA College Preparatory Pharr, at a distance of less than a tenth of a mile. Other public schools within five miles number at least 8. Ranked by average proficiency, IDEA Academy Pharr places 8th out of 9 schools in its immediate area.
NCES assigns IDEA Academy Pharr the locale City: Small, meaning inside a principal city with a population under 100,000. The school is a charter school, funded with public money and operated under a charter agreement.
The school enrolled 717 students in 2024-25, 142 fewer than the 859 it had in 2020-21. There were fewer students per teacher in 2024-25 (22.8:1) than in 2020-21 (28.6:1).
Conversations here can range across enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Hidalgo County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
891,977
Census ACS
Median income
$54,338
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
21%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
23%
Below federal line
Schools in county
364
212,859 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in IDEA PUBLIC SCHOOLS
- IDEA College Preparatory PharrHigh · 848 students
- IDEA Montopolis College PreparatoryHigh · 835 students
- IDEA College PrepHigh · 823 students
- IDEA McAllen College PreparatoryHigh · 820 students
- IDEA Riverview College PreparatoryHigh · 813 students
- IDEA College Preparatory MissionHigh · 798 students
Other schools in PHARR
- Psja North Early College High SchoolHigh · 2,166 students
- Vanguard RembrandtCombined · 1,978 students
- Psja Southwest Early College High SchoolHigh · 1,588 students
- Vanguard Van GoghCombined · 1,048 students
- Lyndon B Johnson Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,006 students
- IDEA College Preparatory PharrHigh · 848 students
Nearby schools
- IDEA College Preparatory Pharr0.0 mi · 848
- Jc Kelly Elementary School0.3 mi · 260
- Hidalgo Park Elementary School0.6 mi · 239
- Cesar Chavez Elementary School1.2 mi · 403
- Berta S Palacios Elementary School1.2 mi · 470
- Carmen Anaya Elementary School1.3 mi · 429
Frequently asked questions
About IDEA Academy PharrHow many students attend IDEA Academy Pharr?
IDEA Academy Pharr enrolls approximately 717 students in grades KG-05.
Is IDEA Academy Pharr an elementary, middle, or high school?
IDEA Academy Pharr is an elementary school covering grades KG-05.
How many teachers does IDEA Academy Pharr have?
IDEA Academy Pharr employs 31 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 22.8:1.
What is the student diversity at IDEA Academy Pharr?
Student demographics at IDEA Academy Pharr are roughly 0% White, 100% Hispanic.
Who oversees IDEA Academy Pharr?
IDEA Academy Pharr is overseen by IDEA PUBLIC SCHOOLS in Hidalgo County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.