Andrielle Figueroa

27 IDEA High Schools Ranked Among the Most Challenging in the Nation by the Jay Mathews Challenge Index

July 18, 2024
Events & Announcements

IDEA is thrilled to announce 27 IDEA college preparatory schools were ranked among the top one percent of the most challenging high schools in the nation by the Jay Mathews Challenge Index High School Rankings.

These 27 schools include 17 schools from the Rio Grande Valley, seven schools from IDEA San Antonio, and three schools from IDEA Austin. See the list below to see where each campus landed on the 2024 national list:

Within the top 10 in the nation:

#2 – IDEA College Preparatory Pharr

#3 – IDEA College Preparatory McAllen

#5 – IDEA College Preparatory North Mission

#6- IDEA College Preparatory Mission

#8 – IDEA College Preparatory San Juan

#9 – IDEA College Preparatory Edinburg

Within the top 20 in the nation:

#12 -IDEA Mays College Preparatory

#13 – IDEA College Preparatory Weslaco

#16 – IDEA College Preparatory San Benito

#17 – IDEA Walzem College Preparatory

#20 – IDEA College Preparatory Alamo

Other IDEA high schools that made the list and top 1% nationally include:

#21 – IDEA Monterrey Park College Preparatory

#22 – IDEA Sports Park College Preparatory

#28 – IDEA Judson College Preparatory

#29 – IDEA Frontier College Preparatory

#30 – IDEA Weslaco Pike College Preparatory

#31 – IDEA Rundberg College Preparatory

#32 – IDEA Riverview College Preparatory

#33 – IDEA Carver College Preparatory

#34 – IDEA Toros College Preparatory

#36 – IDEA Montopolis College Preparatory

#40 – IDEA Bluff Springs College Preparatory

Other IDEA high schools that made the top 100 list nationally:

#41 – IDEA Quest College Preparatory

#49 – IDEA College Preparatory Brownsville

#63 – IDEA South Flores College Preparatory

#65 – IDEA Eastside College Preparatory

#77 – IDEA College Preparatory Donna

The Challenge Index is the oldest high school ranking system in the country, beginning in 1998 in both Newsweek and The Washington Post. It ranks public and private high schools the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or Cambridge tests given at a school each year divided by the number of seniors who graduated that year. Schools ranked from #220 or above are in the top one percent of America’s 22,000 high schools. 

We are incredibly proud of our students, teachers, and staff for their hard work and dedication. This recognition is a testament to our commitment to preparing every student for success in college and beyond. Congratulations to all our ranked schools!