120 SCHOOLS
24 NEW SCHOOLS
65,407 STUDENTS
15 YEARS OF 100% COLLEGE ACCEPTANCE
99.44% COLLEGE MATRICULATION
This past school year, IDEA accomplished many incredible things. We served over 65,000 students and saw the Class of 2021 break records, with 61% of our 1,433 graduating seniors having been accepted to tier one and tier two schools. We successfully launched 24 new schools in 2020 during a pandemic; had more Master Teacher designations (315+) than ever before, and 15 of IDEA’s high schools made the U.S. News and World Report list of America’s best high schools. Nonetheless, the 2020-21 school year was extremely challenging. Absolute academic performance was not up to IDEA standards but we still showed significant student growth in key areas. We are proud of the all the work our team executed to drive for excellent education at every campus, in every region, and in every state. You can read the highlights for each region below.
While IDEA’s enrollment will continue to grow in the coming years, we are taking advantage of this time in our history to continue to focus on other measures of growth as well, such as maximizing student achievement, always striving for A ratings at all our existing schools, enriching our curriculum and broadening our students’ perspectives on the world. In this report, you will learn more details about our scholars’ academic accomplishments, our district-wide impact and growth, and how your investment is impacting the lives of our Team & Family.
We maintain the steadfast belief that in-person learning is the best option for students, both from an academic achievement and a social-emotional development perspective. We will continue to make every reasonable accommodation to abide by CDC protocols around health and safety. The following are examples of some of the precautions IDEA is taking to do our part in slowing the spread of COVID-19: Facility and bus modifications to
further improve ventilation, promotion of mask-wearing, physical distancing to the extent possible, hosting vaccine clinics, frequent handwashing throughout the day and before and after meals and limiting visitors in schools. In addition, most recently IDEA has hosted vaccine clinics for our younger scholars.
Finally, despite the difficulties the leadership transitions brought at the end of the school year, the top IDEA leadership team has come together extremely well. Owing to the growth and complexity of our organization, the group has grown this year in number, experience, and diversity of background and identity. Over the past year, four members of the executive team have been promoted internally to a chief cabinet role: Chief Information Officer Cody Grindle, Chief Financial Officer Leanne Hernandez, Chief Compliance & Administrative Officer Jessica Hess, and Chief Operating Officer Layne Fisher. These promotions serve as a key indicator of IDEA’s strong leadership pipeline and its culture of developing its staff. In addition, IDEA hired its first Chief Communications Officer, Candice Burns. Candice was recruited through a national search and is the first Black woman to join IDEA’s executive leadership team. The Chief cabinet boasts over 80 years of IDEA tenure combined which gives us great comfort in maintaining our leading academic performance and results.
We are a strong community, and we are grateful to have you as part of our Team & Family. Your support is essential in making our mission of College for All possible.
AL LOPEZ BOARD CHAIR AND ACTING CEO & SUPERINTENDENT61% Accepted into the nation’s top colleges (top tier 1 or 2).
14 Ivy League college-bound students.
75% First-generation college students.
AUSTIN
40% of IDEA Austin Class of 2021 scholars were accepted into the nation’s top colleges.
IDEA Montopolis ranked 3rd best high school and best charter school in Austin by US News and World Report.
31 Scholars named Dell Scholar Finalists.
$83M in grants & scholarships earned by students.
IDEA Donna’s Class of 2014 achieved a 64% college completion rate, 2 percentage points higher than the national completion rate for students in the highest income quartile.
Source: The Pell Institute
88% of IDEA El Paso staff returned for the 2020-21 academic year, surpassing IDEA’s 85% organizational goal.
IDEA El Paso scholars performed above the state average in English Language Arts, Writing, and Science.
IDEA Greater Houston launched its first two schools, IDEA Hardy and IDEA Spears, and transformed those campuses from an F-rated campus (based on low student beginning-ofyear benchmark exam scores) into a B-worthy campus in one school year.
Nearly 80% of IDEA Greater Houston students ended the school year learning in-person.
PERMIAN
IDEA Permian Basin launched as the first new region to achieve and surpass start-ofschool student enrollment goals and also achieve its student persistence goal in year one.
IDEA Travis, and in district charter, transformed from an F-rated campus into a B-worthy campus in one school year.
Thirteen IDEA Rio Grande Valley college preparatory schools were ranked as the best performing high schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.
Sixty-six percent of IDEA Rio Grande Valley Class of 2021 scholars were accepted into the nation’s top colleges (tier 1 or 2).
Fifty percent of the IDEA San Antonio Class of 2021 scholars were accepted into the nation’s top colleges (tier 1 and 2).
Thirty-three percent of IDEA
South Flores Class of 2021 scholars were International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma recipients and fifty-one percent were IB Medallion Recipients.
SOUTHERN LOUISIANA
IDEA SOLA successfully launched its fourth campus, IDEA University Prep, with 497 students.
More than 50% of IDEA Innovation Academy scholars achieved Math Master or Math Genius status by completing over 200 lessons in the iLearning Hot Spot math program earning IDEA Innovation Academy the iLearning Hot Spot Honor Roll Distinction.
TARRANT COUNTY
IDEA Rise 6th graders ranked #1 in math out of all IDEA 6th graders across Texas, outperformed all of its neighboring schools in math by double digits, and scored higher in reading.
In its second year of operations, IDEA Edgecliff exceeded enrollment goals, mirroring enrollment total of campuses in their 3rd year of operations.
59 IDEA SCHOOLS AMONG AMERICA’S HEALTHIEST SCHOOLS IN THE NATION
7,929 COVID VACCINATIONS ADMINISTERED TO STAFF
as of June 30, 2021
14 CLASS OF 2022 SCHOLARS SELECTED FOR THE QUESTBRIDGE COLLEGE PREP SCHOLARS PROGRAM*
* The QuestBridge National College Match program is a college and scholarship application process that helps outstanding high school seniors gain admission and full four-year scholarships to the nation’s most selective colleges. QuestBridge accomplishes this by partnering with these schools to identify and support students who otherwise may not apply to leading colleges.
+17 MILLION MEALS SERVED
To students and children under 18 years old
as of May 30, 2021
6.2M IN-SCHOOL
Thanks to the efforts of Dr. Saam Zarrabi – IDEA Fiduciary Board Member and co-founder of Rodeo Dental & Orthodontics, over 200 IDEA scholars attended the renowned Leadership Excellence and Achievement Program (LEAP) Foundation’s LEAP Week, hosted at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Every July, participating students from across the globe live on campus and learn life lessons for higher personal, academic, and professional achievement.
$18.1M RAISED FOR LEARNING PROGRAMS
“After joining the IDEA Board and realizing IDEA students’ high level of drive and talent, my team and I were motivated to provide these scholars access to this incredible program that is very much aligned with IDEA’s mission of College for All,” Zarrabi shared. “The workshops focus on building students’ soft skills and best practices for how to apply for college, how to interview for a job, and how to find a mentor.”
In the summer of 2014, Rodeo Dental sponsored the first IDEA student to LEAP Week, and the following year, three more students received scholarships to the event. Three years ago, they upped it to five scholarships, and then, in 2019, Dr. Bill Dorfman – Zarrabi’s long-time mentor and Leadership Excellence and Achievement Program (LEAP) Foundation co-founder – challenged Zarrabi with an ambitious idea. In honor of his 60th birthday, Bill asked Rodeo Dental to sponsor scholarships for 60 students to attend LEAP Week.
His request inspired each of Rodeo Dental’s 24 locations to commit to awarding one IDEA scholar a $2,000 scholarship to attend LEAP Week every year moving forward, removing any financial limitations for IDEA scholars and creating the opportunity for more and more students to experience this life-changing program.
“As we grow the Rodeo brand throughout Texas and beyond, we will continue our commitment because IDEA scholars who attend LEAP Week walk away with invaluable mentorship and leadership skills that help them apply to and attend top-tier universities like Boston University, Notre Dame, and UT Austin,” Zarrabi shared.
“We also think it’s pretty cool that many IDEA scholars get to experience their first time flying when traveling to LEAP Week.”
This fall, I am heading to the University of Southern California in Los Angeles to study engineering. I will be the first person in my family to attend college. I know that a lot of my accomplishments have been possible due to my IDEA teachers’ efforts, the constant motivation and push from staff, collaboration with peers, and the endless support from my family. Here are a few accomplishments I am proud of:
• I became a QuestBridge finalist.*
• I took 14 Advanced Placement classes.**
• I was part of the National Honor Society, Student Council, Model United Nations, Colts for Community, Varsity Soccer, Feminist Club (secretary), Reading Nights (founder), NTI Mentorship, and Camp ARCH (summer 2020).
• I was the valedictorian of my graduating class.
It was not an easy road. This past year, as it has been for so many students around the world, was one full of challenges. I constantly had to adapt and
explore new ways of learning. Last spring, our lives took an unexpected turn and forced us to accommodate. Throughout my senior year, my parents’ motivation, my peers’ drive to succeed, and my perseverance kept me going. As students, we had to develop a whole new type of responsibility and accountability. Virtual learning required a level of participation far beyond the usual. Teachers and students alike tried so hard but, still, there were days when engagement was not at its highest, and learning and teaching was difficult.
I will take the lessons I learned from this unprecedented year and carry them with me, just as I will harness the wisdom and love of my school, my family, and friends as I begin a new chapter of my life and create some of the most significant memories and relationships. I am ready to face new challenges and break barriers as an IDEA Alumna and Hispanic female engineer.
*The QuestBridge National College Match program is a college and scholarship application process that helps outstanding high school seniors gain admission and full four-year scholarships to the nation’s most
selective colleges. QuestBridge accomplishes this by partnering with these schools to identify and support students who otherwise may not apply to leading colleges.
** All College Prep scholars are required to take a minimum of 11 AP courses.
JOHANNA REYES, IDEA WESLACO 2021 GRADUATE