Enrollment
656
Elementary
DISTRICT 657 · STATE 519
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·IDEA PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 480021114271
IDEA La Joya Academy
725 E EXPY 83, LA JOYA, TX 78560 · (956) 766-3100 · Hidalgo County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBCHARTERTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL656 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 14% of Texas public elementary schools
- DTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- CBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- CThree-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Texas public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
20.5:1
32 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 21.6:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
91%
594 students
DISTRICT 83% · STATE 65%
Community
0
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 | 77 | 12% |
| Grade 1 | 97 | 15% |
| Grade 2 | 125 | 19% |
| Grade 3 | 124 | 19% |
| Grade 4 | 120 | 18% |
| Grade 5 | 113 | 17% |
This year's kindergarten class (77) is 32% smaller than its 5th grade class (113).
Student demographics
4%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% . +9.0pp since 2022
Mathematics
26.0%
TX avg 45.3% . -7.0pp since 2022
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 26 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 9 points since 2022, while math scores are down about 7 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 13.0% | 28.0% | 19.0% | 40.0% |
| Mathematics | 8.0% | 18.0% | 25.0% | 49.0% |
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% | 26.0% |
| 2024-25 | 37.0% | 21.0% |
| 2023-24 | 38.0% | 29.0% |
| 2022-23 | 32.0% | 33.0% |
% 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
28.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
35.0%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-6.5pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 29% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 35% 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 La Joya Academy
IDEA La Joya Academy's state test result (28.6% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| IDEA La Joya Academy this school | 656 | 90.5% | 28.6% |
| Allen & William Arnold Elementary School PHARR | 657 | 91.3% | 50.4% |
| Radcliffe & Sue Killam Elementary School LAREDO | 631 | 90.0% | 40.2% |
| Woodlawn Hills Elementary School SAN ANTONIO | 663 | 91.0% | 18.3% |
| Stonewall/Flanders Elementary School SAN ANTONIO | 691 | 90.7% | 24.8% |
| Carmen V Avila Elementary School EDINBURG | 636 | 89.9% | 40.6% |
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 La Joya Academy ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In Hidalgo County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 28.6% | #3,785 of 4,401 | #172 of 181 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 26.0% | #4,132 of 4,466 ▲ 115 | #178 of 183 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 41.0% | #3,518 of 4,466 ▲ 209 | #158 of 183 ▲ 10 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +1.0pp | #2,662 of 3,998 | #122 of 180 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 656 | #1,207 of 4,938 | #40 of 192 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 20.5:1 | #4,477 of 4,622 | #163 of 185 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 3.6% | #4,387 of 4,628 | #79 of 185 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 90.5% | #1,009 of 4,789 | #90 of 190 |
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.
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 656 | 32 | 20.5:1 | 91% (594) |
| 2023-24 | 548 | 27.2 | 20.2:1 | 93% (507) |
| 2022-23 | 383 | 20.9 | 18.3:1 | 95% (365) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for IDEA La Joya Academy.
About IDEA La Joya Academy
IDEA La Joya Academy is a public elementary school run by IDEA PUBLIC SCHOOLS in LA JOYA, Texas. Enrollment in 2024-25 was 656 students in kindergarten through 5. The average for elementary schools in Texas is about 519 students, so this school is 26% larger than average.
IDEA La Joya Academy is in IDEA PUBLIC SCHOOLS, a district with 79,430 students across 125 schools.
Hispanic students make up 98% of enrollment at IDEA La Joya Academy. Pick two students at random and there is a 4% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
The school has about 20.5 students per teacher and 32 full-time-equivalent teachers. This ratio sits 5.4 above the 15.1:1 average for elementary schools in Texas. Federal records put free or reduced-price lunch eligibility at 91%.
IDEA La Joya Academy is graded D by allk12, scoring above 14% of Texas public elementary schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
The school's average proficiency rate on state tests is 28.6%. For its free or reduced-price lunch share, the predicted value is 35.0%.
Census Bureau estimates for Hidalgo County show that the median household income is $54,338, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 21%, and roughly 23% of residents are in poverty. IDEA La Joya Academy is one of 364 public schools in the county.
IDEA La Joya College Preparatory is the closest public school, less than a tenth of a mile away in a straight line. In all, at least 8 other public schools sit within five miles of IDEA La Joya Academy. On state test proficiency, IDEA La Joya Academy ranks 8th in a group of 8 nearby schools.
Locale: Suburb: Large. In NCES terms, the school is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more. It is a charter school, open to the public and funded by taxpayers.
Threads on this page can be about sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
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 LA JOYA
- La Joya High SchoolHigh · 2,405 students
- Lorenzo De Zavala Middle SchoolMiddle · 545 students
- Tabasco Elementary SchoolElementary · 544 students
- Thelma Rosa Salinas STEM Early College High SchoolHigh · 471 students
- IDEA La Joya College PreparatoryMiddle · 344 students
- Jimmy Carter Early College High SchoolHigh · 327 students
Nearby schools
- IDEA La Joya College Preparatory0.0 mi · 344
- Lorenzo De Zavala Middle School0.1 mi · 545
- La Joya High School0.5 mi · 2,405
- Jimmy Carter Early College High School0.6 mi · 327
- Thelma Rosa Salinas STEM Early College High School0.7 mi · 471
- Hope Academy0.7 mi · 78
Frequently asked questions
About IDEA La Joya AcademyHow large is IDEA La Joya Academy?
IDEA La Joya Academy enrolls approximately 656 students in grades KG-05.
What age range does IDEA La Joya Academy serve?
IDEA La Joya Academy serves students from grade KG through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at IDEA La Joya Academy?
Approximately 20.5:1 students per teacher at IDEA La Joya Academy.
What is the racial breakdown of students at IDEA La Joya Academy?
At IDEA La Joya Academy, the student body is approximately 2% White, 98% Hispanic.
Who oversees IDEA La Joya Academy?
IDEA La Joya Academy 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.