Proudly serving the parents, families and students of Tampa Bay, Florida.
IDEA Hope sets high expectations for every student and goes the extra mile to make sure every student realizes their own potential. Personalized learning, critical thinking skills, mastery of core subjects is our recipe for success.
The next step in joining IDEA is completing a paper application or submitting it online via STREAM. You may choose to apply to multiple IDEA Tampa Bay schools and submit one application per child. Any family can submit an application at any time.
At IDEA Tampa Bay, we will host three lottery events to randomly select students to fill spots for the school year. During the lottery, applicants in each grade level offered will be selected at random and placed on a lottery – ordered applicant roster.
The Dates of the Tampa Bay Lottery are:
1. November 14, 2020 (Focus: Lottery priorities 1 – 4)
2. January 16, 2021 (Focus: Lottery Priorities 1 – 6)
3. February 20, 2020 (Focus: Lottery Priorities 1 – 7)
Lottery priorities are listed below, (click priorities 4 – 6 to learn more about the schools/zones that fall under these categories).
Not sure if you live in an opportunity zone? Click here to check your status with your home address.
Families can find their attendance zones by entering their address at this link: School Attendance Zone Locator.
After the completion of each lottery round, families will be notified of the outcome via email and phone. For the 2021-22 school year, we will have three lottery rounds beginning November 14, 2020. The application is now open.
Ready to apply? Click the button below to get started.
IDEA Hope is located at
5050 E 10th Ave
Tampa, FL 33619
(813) 755-4690
As Founding Principal for IDEA Tres Lagos Academy, Benigna’s mission is to provide a strong Lobos nation with daily affirmations of “yes, you can and you will” to empower students to achieve great gains academically and socially. Students will be rigorously challenged and prepared for the next level by focusing on data driven instruction and collaborative & exceptional culture.
These two areas of focus along with her commitment to work smart to model and lead by example will demonstrate to students that anything is possible. IDEA Tres Lagos students will know there is not any limit to what they can accomplish as individuals and as a team!
Born and raised in McAllen, Texas, Benigna loves to serve others and believes in servant leadership since she was child. This is Benigna’s sixteen year in education and she brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to her Tres Lagos Team and Family. Being driven by her parents to put the needs of others before her own, Benigna began working with children for the Tri-County YMCA right after graduation from high school. This job acknowledged Benigna’s love of helping others especially school age children. When she began her post-secondary career at University of Texas Pan American, she knew she wanted to continue to work with students after seeing the impact she had made with after-school programming tailored to her students’ needs. While obtaining two Bachelor of Arts in English & History, Benigna tutored students on campus and was compelled to help her fellow students at a larger scale. She also served in the Student Government Association (SGA) first as Senator and then as President to bring the students’ needs to center stage and make impactful changes at the university level. Benigna’s passion to serve others confirmed that teaching was the best career choice in order to assist students in achieving their goals. She began her teaching career at Mission CISD as ELA teacher while also serving students as the Yearbook Advisor, Jr. Class Co-Sponsor, and Student Council Sponsor. She taught English I-IV, Reading I-II, & Journalism in grades 9-12. Working hard and believing that her students could accomplish anything, her students were able to make tremendous academic gains. Driven to keep learning and moving forward, she then sought a Master’s in Educational Leadership knowing she could best serve students and teachers in an administrative role. Upon finishing graduate school, she transitioned to a leadership opportunity at Hidalgo ISD where she remained for six years in administration serving students and staff from PK-12 grade as the Dean of Instruction and Assistant Principal. After fourteen rewarding years in public schools, she joined IDEA’s Team and Family as a member of the Principal in Residence cohort. Blessed by her previous and current experiences and successes, Benigna is ready to lead Tres Lagos Academy to great achievements!
Benigna currently lives in Mission with her husband, Jose, with two of their four sons, Michael and Maximiliano. Her two adult sons, Brock and Benjamin, both reside in the RGV. She is also a proud glam-ma to her grandson, Anthony! Benigna thanks God for all that she has and is blessed by the goodness and mercy he has demonstrated in her life. Benigna loves to spend her free time cooking big meals for her family & friends and baking sweets to share! When not in the kitchen, she enjoys fishing and boating with her family.
As Founding Principal of IDEA Tres Lagos College Preparatory, Megan Arenas-Goossen is committed to building a school culture that fosters high expectations and propels life-long learning. She is excited that even more students here in McAllen will now be able to attain an excellent education at IDEA Public Schools and knows that students’ hard work will lead them to reach and surpass their goals.
Megan grew up in the rural San Joaquin Valley of California. After high school she made the long journey to attend Wellesley College, a liberal arts college near Boston, Massachusetts. At Wellesley, she received degrees in Sociology and Spanish and honors for her senior thesis on how educational programming in museums open access to these elite institutions for diverse communities. This experience propelled her to join Teach for America and move to McAllen, Texas to pursue her career in education.
Megan joined IDEA as a Pre-AP and AP Biology teacher in 2010 and she quickly became a grade team leader, content leader, a district curriculum writer, an assistant principal of operations, an International Baccalaureate coordinator, and a principal in residence. In addition, she has participated in Teach for America’s Rural School Leadership fellowship and Harvard’s Certificate for Advanced Education Leadership program. She and her husband, who is a pastor and a musician, enjoy traveling and great food.
2115 W. PIKE BLVD
WESLACO, TX 78596
956-377-8000
FAX: 956-447-3796
2800 South IH 35, Suite 265
Austin, Texas 78704
512-822-4959
813 N. Kansas St.
Suite 100
El Paso, TX 79902
915-888-4600
7035 San Pedro Ave.
San Antonio, Texas 78216
210-239-4959
804 Main Street
Suite D
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
225-571-5910
5001 Nebraska Ave, Ste A
Tampa, FL 33603
(813) 467-3004
As required by Title IX, IDEA Public Schools does not (and is required not to) discriminate on the basis of sex in its educational programs or activities. This non-discrimination requirement applies to admission to and employment with IDEA Public Schools. Inquiries into issues related to Title IX may be referred to IDEA’s Title IX Coordinator(s) (identified below), to the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights of the Department of Education, or both. IDEA’s Title IX Coordinator is: Martin Winchester, Chief Human Assets Officer, 2115 W. Pike Blvd., Weslaco, Texas 78596, (956) 377-8000, martin.winchester@ideapublicschools.org.
IDEA Public Schools National Board Members: Al Lopez – Chair, Xenia Garza – Vice Chair, Ed Rivera – Treasurer, Ryan Vaughan – Secretary, Michael Burke, Reba Cardenas McNair, David Earl, David Handley, Erich Holmsten, Bill Martin, Saam Zarrabi, Collin Sewell
Ready to start your journey at IDEA Tampa Bay? Our second lottery is on January 16, 2021.
Be sure to submit your application by 11:59 p.m. on January 15 to be considered for our second date!
We are so happy you are here!
Hi! Click on the link below to access this month’s parent menu. Also, please consider completing a brief survey regarding our menu. Feedback on our menu can be submitted using the link to the right. Thank you!
¡Hola! Haga clic en el enlace para acceder al menú para padres de este mes. Por favor considere completar una encuesta breve sobre nuestro menú. Sus comentarios e impresiones sobre nuestro menú se pueden enviar mediante el enlace a derecha. Gracias!