We're IDEA - Tuition-Free Public Schools Open to All Students

We’re IDEA Tuition-Free Public Schools Open To All Students

Pre-K

LEARNING HOW TO BE A STUDENT In Pre-K at IDEA, your child will learn how to read by building letter sound awareness, and blending letters and sounds – the foundation to reading!

ACADEMIC JOURNEY

Our Approach Is Different – And It Works.

K-2

From the first day students set foot on an IDEA Public Schools campus, we begin preparing them for success in college and in life. We achieve our record of 100% college acceptance through a focus on personalized learning, and character and leadership development.

MASTERING THE FUNDAMENTALS Each student will become an exceptional reader, writer and mathematician through a blend of tried and true instructional methods and personalized technology.

3-5

ACADEMICS & BEYOND

*International Baccalaureate courses are available at select IDEA Public Schools campuses.

Your child will transform from a student who is learning to read, to one who is reading to learn. Increasingly complex books, expressive writing, and challenging math are hallmarks of our 3-5 grade program.

6-8

ON THE PATH TO COLLEGE

Middle school students begin structured Pre-AP coursework, mastering strategies that prepare them for the next phase of our college prep program, high school.

COLLEGE PREPARATION Campuses offer Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate* courses to prepare students for the rigors of college.

COLLEGE BOUND 100% of our graduating seniors are accepted to college and our commitment doesn’t end there. We provide every student with college counseling, support, and resources to ensure they graduate in four years.

AC A D E M I C J O U R N E Y

9 - 12

WHOLE CHILD DEVELOPMENT At IDEA, one of our primary goals is to instill children with the meaningful skills needed to have a competitive edge as they progress through life. Because of our commitment to developing intellectually, emotionally, and physically well-rounded children, IDEA students stand out from their peers, and blossom into

leaders, critical thinkers, and changemakers.

*Athletics and elective programming vary by campus.

Please contact your campus of interest to confirm programs offered.

ACADEMICS & ATHLETICS Our athletic programs help each student athlete advance, both on and off the playing field. Our programs are competitive and award-winning, instilling in students a strong work ethic, dedication, and accountability.*

EREN KIRKSEY

Athletic Director, IDEA Public Schools

CAMPUS ELECTIVES

In addition to a thriving sports scene, IDEA offers a variety of clubs that span the interests of our students, enhancing their overall development on the road to success in college and beyond. Each campus offers unique enrichment programming, such as robotics team, gardening, art, band, cooking, and photography.*

W H O L E C H I L D D E V E LO P M E N T

“

At IDEA Public Schools, we believe in developing the whole child, and for many students, that comes in the form of athletic competition. Not only are we fostering world-class scholar athletes on the field, we are also teaching students how to apply the lessons gained from teamwork and sportsmanship to everyday life in school, at home, and as they progress to and through college.�

S TAT E - O F - T H E - A R T FACILITIES IDEA campuses are constructed with care, providing a space where students will learn and grow, from Academy to College Prep.

ď ą CAMPUS

SAFET Y

Your child's safety is our highest priority. We know that students cannot learn and grow if they do not feel secure. IDEA families rest easy knowing that their campus is equipped with a single-entry, coded gate or door.

CLASSROOMS We design our classroom layout with the curriculum in mind, ensuring students can transition smoothly between the whole group and small group breakouts in younger years and participate in rich dialogue as they progress in college prep.

Technology is a key component of the personalized learning that IDEA offers. Students engage in cutting-edge curriculum that ensures they are met at their level, and advance at the pace that’s right for them.

GYM Our students work hard, both in and out of the classroom. Each day students participate in innovative physical education programs, where they set goals and measure progress toward them. IDEA is on track to becoming the healthiest school district in the nation!

S TAT E - O F -T H E -A R T FAC I L I T I E S

COMPUTER LABS

R E S U LT S We are committed to building upon our track record of success to ensure that each and every IDEA student achieves stellar results on the path to and through college. And our commitment doesn’t stop at graduation either – we continue to support IDEA students as they progress through their college experience through an alumni mentor program, internship placement, and emergency loans provided by IDEA employees themselves!

Since our first graduating class in 2007, IDEA students have achieved amazing results, including 100% college acceptance for thirteen consecutive years.

CLASS OF 2019 STATS

1,185

Graduating Seniors

1,257

Acceptances to Selective and Highly Selective Colleges

752

Graduates Are the First in Their Family to Attend College

$36M Received In Grants and Scholarships

CLASS OF 2019 COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

In the latest rankings of America’s Most Challenging High Schools by The Washington Post, six of IDEA’s eligible College Preparatory high schools were ranked in the top 1% nationally (top 200 high schools nationwide):

IDEA Frontier

IDEA San Juan

IDEA Mission

IDEA San Benito

IDEA Quest

IDEA Donna

in the nation

in the nation

in the nation

in the nation

in the nation

in the nation

6TH 10TH 12TH 13TH 21ST 90TH R E S U LT S

In U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 ranking of best high schools in the nation, eight IDEA high schools received rankings on the list. More than 17,000 public high schools across the country were analyzed in order to determine the rankings. The IDEA Public Schools’ high schools that received a ranking as a 2019 Best High School from U.S. News & World Report include:

IDEA Frontier

IDEA San Juan

IDEA Quest

IDEA Mission

IDEA Donna

IDEA San Benito

in Texas

in Texas

in Texas

in Texas

in Texas

in Texas

15TH 16TH 24TH 54TH 59TH 79TH IDEA Pharr

TOP 25% of Charter Schools in the Nation

IDEA Alamo

TOP 25% of Charter Schools in the Nation

MATH MASTERY Students learn their numbers, their shapes, how to count, add, subtract, and more in our math Pre-K curriculum. Our math lessons provide the practice needed to achieve mastery.

P R E - K AT IDEA

Where the Road to College Begins IDEA’s Pre-K program offers so much more than a traditional Pre-K classroom.

It’s a learning-intensive program that gradually develops the tools children need to engage with and retain the lessons they’re exposed to. When it’s time for a kindergarten, they will be more than ready.

LANGUAGE FOUNDATION Students learn basic vocabulary, sentence forms, and more in our English language Pre-K curriculum. For non-native English speakers, our Español to English program teaches the skills Spanish-speaking students need to gradually transition fully into our English language program.

THE JOY OF LEARNING One of the greatest feelings a parent can have is to watch their children grow and take pride in their own personal development. Nothing gets children more excited about learning than having fun and enjoying the process, so we infuse a joy of learning into our Pre-K classrooms.

CITIZENSHIP, SCIENCE, AND SOCIAL SKILLS Beyond reading, language, and math, our teachers guide Pre-K students through science lessons, field trips, and activities that promote academic, social, and emotional growth.

“

I am very excited because my daughter, Madelyn, is learning how to write. At home, if something is written on a bag, a tag, or a book, she sits down with a pencil and paper and writes it on her own. She is coming home and applying the knowledge she learned at school every day in front of my eyes.

These kind of results are why I choose IDEA.” SAMANTHA SANCHEZ 

PRE-K

Pre-K Parent at IDEA South Flores Academy

The Overall Impact of Classroom-Based Pre-K1 Data shows that students who enter school in Pre-K, as opposed to Kindergarten, have a competitive advantage over their peers and are: • More likely (by 11.4%) to graduate from high school

• Less likely (by 8.3%) to be retained in a grade • Less likely (by 8.1%) to be placed in special education

1

Dallas Morning News

EXCEPTIONAL EARLY ELEMENTARY TEACHING Our youngest scholars are exposed to a detailed and systematic approach to learning that allows them to build on their skills in each grade level.

IDEA’S CULTURE OF READING

E L E M E N TA RY S C H O O L AT I D E A

A Balanced Approach with High Expectations Our K-5 academy curriculum provides a foundation that puts students on the path to graduation and success in college. All elementary students focus on core subjects including reading, writing and math. Our unique approach also provides every student with opportunities to develop problem-solving and social skills.

In IDEA’s K-5 academy environment, we create a culture of reading to help students master the art of reading fluency and comprehension that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

MASTERING MATH Our math instruction combines the best of traditional coursework and lots of problem solving, leveraging cutting-edge technology that allows students to go as fast as they can or as slow as they need to really master math concepts.

Matter, Mixtures, Solutions,

And...Dinosaurs!

By Jared Cardenas

My name is Jared Cardenas, and I love science. We get to learn about new things!

I love matter, and I love learning about dinosaurs, which I have learned a lot about while reading books in the Accelerated Reader Zone. Do you know the difference between a tiborasaurusrex and a tyrannosaurus rex? Let me tell you.

Tiborasaurusrex lived in Asia, ate different foods, like plants when they were sick (even though they were carnivores), and had different features in their fossils than the tyrannosaurus. The tyrannosaurus rex had shorter arms and lived in North America.

Cool, right?

I want to become a paleontologist once I graduate from college in 2031. I know my science class at IDEA Public Schools will help me get there.

E L E M E N TA R Y S C H O O L

SO FAR, IN 3RD GRADE AT IDEA MONTOPOLIS ACADEMY, we’ve been learning about matter.

You know—liquids, solids, and gasses. What’s fascinating is how a solid can change to a liquid, and liquid, to a gas! If you leave an ice cube out in the heat, before long, it will be water, and if you let it stay out longer in the hot sun, it will evaporate.

Everything around us — and I mean everything — is matter!

PRE-ADVANCED PLACEMENT

MIDDLE SCHOOL AT I D E A

Pre-Advanced Placement (Pre-AP) coursework is built specifically for our 6th, 7th, and 8th grade IDEA scholars.

Through these courses, students learn to master strategies that prepare them for the next phase of IDEA’s college preparatory program—high school.

Pre-AP courses get students ready for Advanced Placement (AP) courses in the 9th grade and ultimately improves college readiness. Our academic model at IDEA ensures students are preparing for college at the start of middle school.

Ensuring a Successful Transition Middle School at IDEA may seem hard – taking Pre-AP courses and engaging in more comprehensive areas of study, but IDEA provides students with the support, guidance, and instruction they need to ensure each student reaches their highest potential. This includes access to college counselors, expert teachers, college field lessons, and variety of extracurricular, community-based and leadership opportunities beyond the classroom.

A RESPONSE TO LITERATURE

Hi, I'm Oscar Cantu, and I'm Daniela Martinez. We’re 8th graders at IDEA College Preparatory North Mission. We want to tell you about the connections we’ve been making with great books in our Pre-Advanced Placement English class. It’s called a “Response to Literature” essay.

IN A RESPONSE TO LITERATURE ESSAY, WE: • Closely read a text and analyze the literary elements within the piece • Address a prompt that asks us to explore a literary element within a text • Use examples from the text to connect our analysis to the meaning of the work The Response to Literature essay is getting us ready for the AP Literature exam in the years to come.

For the work we want to show you, we addressed the wonderful novel, I Am Malala.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

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HIGH SCHOOL AT I D E A

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College For All IDEA has a proven program that guarantees that 100% of students are accepted to college. Our students work hard and are never alone on the road to and through college.

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AP FOR ALL

At IDEA, we believe that if every student is going to succeed in college, then every student should engage with college preparatory coursework. As part of IDEA’s AP for All initiative, every student is required to take at least 11 AP courses as part of their core curriculum in high school. In order to succeed in these courses, students begin the AP sequence in 9th grade.

COLLEGE COUNSELORS & EXPERT TEACHERS

Our college counselors work with students starting in the 6th grade to ensure they transition successfully into college and stay enrolled.

COLLEGE FIELD LESSONS

College field lessons, which begin for our students as early as 1st grade, are just one of many ways we strive to create an environment that teaches students to dream big and understand that they can attend the college of their choice.

THE ROAD TO AND THROUGH COLLEGE COURSE

Students will take The Road To and Through College course in all four years of high school. In this class, they’ll define their own passion and purpose, and align them with the college or university that is the best fit for them.

THE COLLEGIATE SUMMER AWAY PROGRAM

In 11th grade, students will be encouraged to participate in the IDEA Collegiate Summer Away Program (CSAP).

Through CSAP, they will attend summer programs at colleges and universities across the country before they start their senior year.

COLLEGE SIGNING DAY

College Signing Day is an event where students reveal their college choice to a packed arena of IDEA staff, friends, and family. It’s a time to commemorate their hard work as they transition to college!

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SUPPORT THROUGH COLLEGE

Students receive the financial and personal assistance they need to succeed in and graduate from college. IDEA staff helped the Class of 2019 to secure more than $36 million in grants and scholarships, and offers zero-interest emergency loans funded entirely by our staff.

Our counselors and alumni team also offer personal connection and support throughout each student’s college commitment ­— from start to finish.

NEXT STOP, COLLEGE DEGREE

JACQUELYNN WALKER 

2019 IDEA Montopolis Graduate

HIGH SCHOOL

“

I’m excited that I got accepted to UT nursing school and that I get to follow my dream to become a nurse practitioner – becoming a nurse is all I’ve wanted to do since I was a little girl.”

A P P L I C AT I O N & ENROLLMENT PROCESS

1.

COMPLETE APPLICATION

2.

LOTTERY

Tuition-Free Public Schools Open to All Students.

Like a traditional public school, any child can attend IDEA without paying tuition.

Prospective students are not required to take an entrance exam to be considered for admission – meaning anyone can apply and all students are eligible.

If selected, parents must accept their student’s offer online and attend registration events to officially enroll in IDEA. Once enrolled, parents will be able to re-register their student each year and remain at IDEA through their graduation.

3.

4.

5.

You may apply to multiple IDEA schools.

To be included in the lottery, applications must be submitted online, by phone, or at a campus by midnight CST on February 15, 2020. After the lottery, we enroll students on an ongoing basis, as seats are available.

IDEA Public Schools holds a random lottery to ensure equal access to all applicants. Current students of Travis Elementary, and those in the Travis Elementary attendance zone, will be given priority in the open enrollment process to attend IDEA Travis. IDEA’s lottery will be held on February 15, 2020 at 8AM CST. Families will be notified of the outcome via email and phone.

ENROLLMENT If selected, students must accept their offer online or by phone and attend registration events to officially enroll in their designated IDEA Public Schools’ campus. Once enrolled, parents will be able to re-register their student each year to remain at IDEA through graduation.

WAIT LIST If students are not granted a seat, they will be placed on a wait list for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year.

TRANSFER We try to accommodate students by placing them in their preferred school, but they can also be given admission to any school in their region then apply for a transfer to their school of choice after one year.

IDEA PUBLIC SCHOOLS IDEA Tarrant County IDEA El Paso

 EST. 2018

4

 EST. 2019

6 8

4

IDEA Permian Basin

(Baton Rouge & New Orleans)

IDEA Austin  EST. 2012

2

3

7 IDEA Greater Houston Area

IDEA Edgemere IDEA Horizon Vista** IDEA Mesa Hills IDEA Tampa Bay  OPENINGIDEA 2021 Rio Vista 5

IDEA Bridge IDEA Innovation IDEA Oscar Dunn

IDEA Rio Grande Valley  EST. 2000

1

RIO GRANDE VALLEY

2

6

IDEA Brackenridge IDEA Burke IDEA Carver IDEA Converse** IDEA Eastside IDEA Ewing Halsell IDEA Harvey Najim IDEA Hidden Meadow** IDEA Ingram Hills IDEA Judson IDEA Mays IDEA Monterrey Park IDEA South Flores IDEA Walzem 3

TARRANT COUNTY est. 2019

est. 2012

est. 2000

IDEA Alamo IDEA Brownsville IDEA Donna IDEA Edinburg IDEA Elsa IDEA Frontier IDEA Harlingen** IDEA Los Encinos IDEA McAllen IDEA Mission IDEA North Mission IDEA Owassa IDEA Palmview** IDEA Pharr IDEA Quest IDEA Rio Grande City IDEA Riverview IDEA Robindale IDEA San Benito IDEA San Juan IDEA Sports Park** IDEA Toros* IDEA Tres Lagos IDEA Weslaco IDEA Weslaco Pike

SAN ANTONIO

SOUTHERN LOUISIANA est. 2018

 OPENING 2020

IDEA Achieve IDEA Edgecliff** IDEA Rise 7

HOUSTON

OPENING 2020 IDEA Hardy** IDEA Spears** 8

PERMIAN BASIN OPENING 2020

AUSTIN

IDEA Travis**

IDEA Bluff Springs IDEA Health Professions IDEA Kyle IDEA Montopolis IDEA Parmer Park IDEA Pflugerville IDEA Round Rock Tech** IDEA Rundberg

*IDEA Toros is College Prep only ** Schools opening 2020

est. 2012

Learn more at ideapublicschools.org or contact us at apply@ideapublicschools.org

A P P L I C AT I O N A N D E N R O L L M E N T P R O C E S S

IDEA San Antonio

5

 EST. 2012

 EST. 2018

EL PASO est. 2018 9

IDEA Southern Louisiana

 OPENING 2020