IDEA Public Schools
Academics & Activities
IDEA Public Schools is a growing network of tuition-free, open enrollment, public charter schools serving grades Pre-K through 12. In San Antonio, IDEA operates 28 schools serving about 17,000 students. IDEA is committed to developing students with the academic, social, and leadership characteristics needed to apply, matriculate, and succeed in a four-year college or university. IDEA’s battle cry is “College for all children – No excuses!” For thirteen years in a row 100% of IDEA graduates have been accepted to college and have graduated at a rate three times the national average for students from low-income backgrounds.
IDEA’s Pre-K program consists of small, intimate learning groups with no more than ten students per group. The IDEA Academy (K-5) curriculum includes a hybrid-learning model, which provides students with a combination of individual instruction and web-based, adaptive support.
Beginning in third grade, IDEA students attend college field lessons. These lessons expose students to college and university campuses, museums, and historical sites.
The IDEA College Prep (6-12) curriculum focuses on college preparation across all subjects. The primary goal of IDEA’s college-readiness efforts is for every student to enter the first year of college without requiring remedial courses.
IDEA high school students will take at least 11 Advanced Placement (AP) courses before graduation. 30% of the Class of 2018 were AP scholars, which means these students earned credit for at least three college courses before graduating high school.
Each IDEA school sponsors a variety of student activities, including chess, basketball, soccer, robotics, student council, and newspaper.
Notable Achievements
The IDEA class of 2020 includes 1,143 college-bound seniors, 850 of whom are first-generation college students. Students received offers of more than $11 million in scholarships and $7 million in grants.
San Antonio graduates will be attending Baylor University, Howard University, Our Lady of the Lake University, St. Mary’s University, Texas A&M University, Texas A&M – San Antonio, Texas Christian University, Texas State University, Trinity University, University of Kentucky, University of North Texas, University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas at San Antonio, University of the Incarnate Word, and more!