How did it all begin?
During their stints as Teach For America corps members, Tom Torkelson and JoAnn Gama founded the IDEA Academy as an after school program in Donna, TX in 1998. It was created as a way to help combat some of the major educational deficiencies they saw in their students, focusing the program on student achievement and college readiness.
Torkelson and Gama named the program IDEA, an acronym for “Individuals Dedicated to Excellence and Achievement,” and “No Excuses!” was their motto. IDEA enjoyed quick success, and the state of Texas granted a charter to IDEA in 2000. Beginning with only grades 4 to 8, the original flagship campus in Donna has expanded into a full-scale Pre-K—12 campus today.
IDEA Public Schools embarked upon an ambitious expansion plan in 2005, titled “The 2012 Plan,” with the goal of launching 22 IDEA schools across the Rio Grande Valley by the year 2012.
With the opening of 18 new campuses for the 2018-19 school year, IDEA served more than 45,000 students at 79 schools in the Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio, Austin, El Paso, and Southern Louisiana.
By 2022, IDEA will educate more than 100,000 students across the country on their journey to and through college.
The flagship campus in Donna graduated its first class of seniors in 2007, sending 100% of its graduating students to college. To date, IDEA has kept its promise of sending all students to college. In the 2018-19 school year, IDEA graduated more than 1,185 seniors from 15 campuses, and for the 13th consecutive year, 100% of our seniors were accepted to college.
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, Collin Sewell – Vice Chair, Ed Rivera – Treasurer, Ryan Vaughan – Secretary, Michael Burke, Reba Cardenas McNair, David Earl, David Handley, Erich Holmsten, Saam Zarrabi, Xenia Garza.
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