IDEA Charter Schools in Tampa Bay

Apply Now for the 2025-2026 School Year

Our Impact

IDEA Tampa Bay is actively engaging with the local community, recruiting students for the next fiscal year, and recruiting top-notch principals, educators, and operations team members. Cultivating community partnerships, champions, and advocates that will enable IDEA Tampa Bay to most effectively provide a high-quality education to students as they progress along the road to and through college is a top priority in our region.

WELCOME, FUTURE IDEA TAMPA BAY FAMILIES!

The next step in joining IDEA is completing a paper application or submitting it online via STREAM. Our application opened on September 1, 2024 and IDEA’s lottery date is February 15, 2025.

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.

As a public charter school, enrollment is determined through a random lottery selection process.  If our schools receive more applications than available seats, student names will be placed in a lottery and randomly selected. 

As required by Florida law, students from persistently low-performing (PLP) public schools and opportunity zones will be given enrollment preference, as well as siblings of currently enrolled students.

Lottery priorities are listed below:

Siblings of current IDEA students and children of IDEA employees
Students who attend or are zoned for a Persistently Low Performing (PLP) school or who reside within an Opportunity Zone. Not sure if you live in an Opportunity Zone, check your status with your home address.
1. Within 5 miles of the campus
2. Within 8 miles of the campus
3. Beyond 8 miles of the campus
Children of Founding Board Members
All other applicants

Ready to apply? Click the button below to get started.

Lottery Process

IDEA's Schools in Tampa Bay

IDEA Hope
EST. 2021
IDEA Victory
EST. 2021
IDEA Lakeland
EST. 2024

Four reasons parents love IDEA Applying to IDEA Tampa Bay Charter Schools

College-Prep Academic Model

Through structured, challenging coursework, IDEA Public Schools focuses on college preparation for all children.

We Are Open To All Students

We are a tuition-free public school option in your neighborhood. IDEA is one of the nation’s highest-performing public school networks.

Focus On the Whole Child

We understand that success is more than just mastering lessons and passing exams. In addition to teaching core subjects, IDEA’s personalized instructional courses include character development and culture education.

Highly Trained & Experienced Teachers

We partner with families to see every student to and through college. Our teachers help students identify their goals, track their progress, and adjust instruction as needed to ensure each student masters every subject and realizes their goals.

6

SCHOOLS

Our tuition-free public schools are open to all students.

2,609

STUDENTS

We serve over 2,600 children in grades Kindergarten – 9 for the 2024-2025
academic year.

100%

COLLEGE BOUND

Since IDEA’s first graduating class in 2007, 100% of our seniors have been accepted to colleges and universities nationwide.

PERSONALIZED LEARNING

Through small learning groups and daily access to technology, every student learns at the level and speed just right for them.

Expert Teachers

Our teachers bring subject matter expertise and an unwavering commitment to set each student on a path to success.

FAMILY PARTNERSHIP

Our school is family. Parents, teachers, and administrators work as a team to help each student reach their full potential.

IDEA believes a quality K – 12 public education is the key to success in college and life and is committed to helping every student achieve their own success. Personalized learning, critical thinking skills, mastery of core subjects and continued support through college is IDEA’s recipe for success.

Apply Now for the 2025-2026 School Year

Work at IDEA

We are a looking for hard-working, talented individuals to help make college a reality for all children in the Tampa Bay region. From the classroom to transportation and everything in between – your work will directly deliver on IDEA’s mission.