Today, the Houston-based research and advocacy nonprofit Children at Risk (Children@Risk) announced its annual list of San Antonio’s Best Schools. IDEA South Flores College Prep and IDEA Carver College Prep ranked in the top 10 for Best Middle Schools! Additionally, four IDEA Public Schools elementary and middle schools were ranked as top Pandemic Proof schools and top performers in the Racial Equity Index in San Antonio. IDEA also led in the top two spots for elementary and middle schools for Pandemic Proof Schools and 100% of the top three middle schools for racial equity in San Antonio! Congratulations!

Due to the pandemic, this year’s rankings focused on three-year analyses that showcased campus and district consistency over time via its Three-Year Strong ranking.  

IDEA South Flores Academy and IDEA Carver Academy ranked first and second for Pandemic Proof elementary schools, and IDEA Carver College Prep and IDEA Monterrey Park College Prep ranked first and second for Pandemic Proof middle schools by Children@Risk. These schools have 75% or more of a campus’ students classified as low-income that have been classified as high performing campuses (receiving A or B Children@Risk Grades) for three years running. 

IDEA Carver College Prep, IDEA Monterrey Park College Prep and IDEA Eastside College Prep ranked first, second and third in the Racial Equity Index for San Antonio middle schools. The Racial Equity Index is a comparative measure indicating how well schools are serving students of color. The Racial Equity Index accounts for 25% of elementary and middle school campuses’ and 20% of high school campuses’ overall rank.  

This new indicator accounts for relative performance based on campus race/ethnicity demographics, ratio of economically disadvantaged students that meet or exceeds grade level at that campus which measures performance for economically disadvantaged students, and ratio of students of color that meet or exceeds grade level at that campus which measures performance for students of color. 

“I am so proud of our all of our school’s accomplishments,” says JoAnn Gama, CEO of IDEA Public Schools. “This year has been marred with trials and uncertainty, but one thing remains true–IDEA scholars will continue their path to college.”

Most recently, IDEA’s Class of 2020 matriculated to college. The class was accepted to more than 360 colleges and universities across the nation and received more than $26 million in grants and scholarships. Among the 1,143 students who matriculated to college, over 850 of those students were the first members of their family to attend college.  

Congratulations, IDEA San Antonio! We are so proud of the hard work or our teachers and scholars. Learn more about the Children@Risk rankings here!