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What's the most underrated thing about IDEA BLUFF SPRINGS ACADEMY that outsiders don't know?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
521
Elementary
DISTRICT 657 · STATE 519
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·IDEA PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 480021113510
IDEA Bluff Springs Academy
1700 E SLAUGHTER LN, AUSTIN, TX 78744 · (512) 822-4200 · Travis County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBCHARTERTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL521 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
17.0:1
31 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 21.6:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
84%
438 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 | 62 | 12% |
| Grade 1 | 79 | 15% |
| Grade 2 | 99 | 19% |
| Grade 3 | 98 | 19% |
| Grade 4 | 99 | 19% |
| Grade 5 | 84 | 16% |
This year's kindergarten class (62) is 26% smaller than its 5th grade class (84).
Student demographics
30%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
29.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +1.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
25.0%
TX avg 45.3% . +12.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 29 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 25 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 1 points since 2020, while math scores are up about 12 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 13.0% | 16.0% | 26.0% | 45.0% |
| Mathematics | 8.0% | 17.0% | 25.0% | 50.0% |
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 | 29.0% | 25.0% |
| 2024-25 | 31.0% | 34.0% |
| 2023-24 | 46.0% | 34.0% |
| 2022-23 | 54.0% | 32.0% |
| 2021-22 | 49.0% | 33.0% |
| 2020-21 | 28.0% | 13.0% |
% 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
34.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
37.8%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-3.4pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 34% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 38% 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 Bluff Springs Academy
IDEA Bluff Springs Academy's state test result (34.4% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| IDEA Bluff Springs Academy this school | 521 | 84.1% | 34.4% |
| Sam Rayburn El Steam Academy GRAND PRAIRIE | 526 | 82.9% | 33.4% |
| Carlos Coon Elementary School SAN ANTONIO | 547 | 83.2% | 25.1% |
| Henderson Elementary School BRYAN | 533 | 83.5% | 43.7% |
| Daggett Elementary School FORT WORTH | 526 | 86.1% | 35.5% |
| Adams Hill Elementary School SAN ANTONIO | 473 | 83.7% | 29.9% |
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 Bluff Springs Academy ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In Travis County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 34.4% | #3,220 of 4,401 | #97 of 166 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 25.0% | #4,191 of 4,466 ▼ 862 | #148 of 176 ▼ 40 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 29.0% | #4,298 of 4,466 ▼ 186 | #159 of 176 ▼ 21 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -16.0pp | #128 of 3,998 | #4 of 166 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 521 | #2,325 of 4,938 | #84 of 183 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.0:1 | #3,875 of 4,622 | #149 of 174 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 30.4% | #3,406 of 4,628 | #132 of 174 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 84.1% | #1,636 of 4,789 | #62 of 170 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +12.3% | #655 of 1,307 | #21 of 36 |
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
521
-153 (-23%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
17.0:1
was 25.0:1
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 | 521 | 30.7 | 17.0:1 | 84% (438) |
| 2023-24 | 597 | 30.4 | 19.7:1 | 82% (489) |
| 2022-23 | 634 | 32.6 | 19.5:1 | 84% (535) |
| 2020-21 | 674 | 27 | 25.0:1 | 84% (567) |
| 2017-18 | 464 | 29.2 | 15.9:1 | 80% (371) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for IDEA Bluff Springs Academy.
Since 2017-18: students up 12% (464 to 521); teachers up 5% (29.2 to 30.7).
About IDEA Bluff Springs Academy
Families in AUSTIN, Texas, are served by IDEA Bluff Springs Academy, a mid-sized elementary school. It had 521 students in 2024-25, spanning kindergarten through 5.
IDEA PUBLIC SCHOOLS runs IDEA Bluff Springs Academy along with 124 other schools, enrolling 79,430 students in total.
At IDEA Bluff Springs Academy, 83% of students are Hispanic. The remaining students are 9% Black and 6% White. Census figures show Travis County is about 33% Hispanic. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 30%.
The school lists 30.7 full-time-equivalent teachers and a student-to-teacher ratio of 17.0:1. Statewide, elementary schools in Texas average 15.1:1. Free or reduced-price lunch covers 84% of the student body. Public schools in Travis County average 54%.
Given its share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, IDEA Bluff Springs Academy would be expected to post about 37.8%. Its actual average proficiency rate across its state test results is 34.4%.
Looking at the county, Travis County, median household income comes to about $99,611, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 57% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 7%. The county has 333 public schools and about 191,706 students.
IDEA Bluff Springs Academy's closest public school neighbor is IDEA Bluff Springs College Preparatory, less than a tenth of a mile away. The five-mile area around IDEA Bluff Springs Academy holds at least 8 other public schools. Ranking the closest schools with test data puts IDEA Bluff Springs Academy at 6th of 9.
The National Center for Education Statistics classifies the school's location as Suburb: Large, meaning it is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more. This is a charter school, which is a tuition-free public school operating under a charter.
In 2020-21, IDEA Bluff Springs Academy enrolled 674 students. By 2024-25, that number had fallen to 521. Staffing shifted too: the ratio moved from 25.0:1 to 17.0:1.
People can post here about special education services, counseling, and support programs and other school topics. Members of the school community can share what they know.
Travis County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
1,330,015
Census ACS
Median income
$99,611
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
57%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
333
191,706 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 AUSTIN
- Lake Travis High SchoolHigh · 3,569 students
- Bowie High SchoolHigh · 2,876 students
- Westwood High SchoolHigh · 2,858 students
- Westlake High SchoolHigh · 2,854 students
- McNeil High SchoolHigh · 2,660 students
- Vandegrift High SchoolHigh · 2,437 students
Nearby schools
- IDEA Bluff Springs College Preparatory0.0 mi · 689
- Blazier Elementary School1.1 mi · 1,275
- Wayside Altamira Academy1.3 mi · 354
- Perez Elementary School1.4 mi · 460
- Palm Elementary School1.7 mi · 329
- Langford Elementary School1.7 mi · 391
Frequently asked questions
About IDEA Bluff Springs AcademyWhat is the total enrollment at IDEA Bluff Springs Academy?
IDEA Bluff Springs Academy enrolls approximately 521 students in grades KG-05.
Is IDEA Bluff Springs Academy an elementary, middle, or high school?
IDEA Bluff Springs Academy is an elementary school covering grades KG-05.
How many teachers does IDEA Bluff Springs Academy have?
IDEA Bluff Springs Academy employs 31 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 17.0:1.
What is the student diversity at IDEA Bluff Springs Academy?
Student demographics at IDEA Bluff Springs Academy are roughly 6% White, 83% Hispanic, 9% Black, 2% Asian, 1% Two or more.
Is IDEA Bluff Springs Academy public or private?
IDEA Bluff Springs Academy is a public K-12 school operated as a charter, overseen by IDEA PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.