Idea Spears Academy, Houston TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Idea Spears Academy

IDEA Spears Academy is a charter elementary school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in the Houston area, part of IDEA Public Schools. It enrolls a diverse student body of about a little more than five hundred students, with a population that is roughly equally split between Hispanic and Black students. An overwhelming majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a school that serves a low-income community.

Academic performance as measured by state testing shows meaningful challenges. In mathematics across grades three through five, proficiency rates range from about one-fifth at the third and fourth grade levels to about one-fifth at fifth grade. English language arts performance is somewhat stronger: third grade sits around one-fifth proficient, fourth grade moves to about one-third, and fifth grade reaches about two-fifths. In science at fifth grade, proficiency falls to roughly one-sixth. When looking across all tested subjects and grades together, the school shows an overall proficiency rate that places it in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Harris County. Parents may want to look into these results further with the school to understand what instructional supports and interventions are in place.

The school is small enough that every student knows many classmates across the grade band, and enrollments are stable across grades. All kindergarten through fifth grade classes are present and run at similar size.

IDEA Spears operates under the IDEA Public Schools charter network, which underwent significant governance and financial change beginning in early 2024. The Texas Education Agency placed the entire IDEA network under conservatorship following a years-long investigation into improper spending, a development that gives appointed conservators authority to oversee district actions and report to the state. As part of a settlement, IDEA committed to returning a substantial amount in grant and formula funding through installments extending into late 2026. In response, the network has installed new board members and expanded leadership, strengthened grant management and compliance staff, and reinforced internal controls. For families considering this school, the ongoing conservatorship and financial remediation are material facts about the governance structure and accountability environment they would be entering, though corrective measures are underway.

The school sits in Houston, a sprawling city characterized by mixed-use neighborhoods without traditional zoning, where commercial, residential, and industrial uses coexist. Housing values in the immediate area are modest relative to Texas and national benchmarks. Houston is one of the fastest-growing metropolitan regions in the country and offers cultural amenities including major museums, parks, and public libraries, though the city remains car-dependent outside a few walkable districts downtown and near Hermann Park.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 323%

School 23% · District 7% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 420%

School 20% · District 8% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 14% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 323%

School 23% · District 4% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 433%

School 33% · District 51% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 543%

School 43% · District 19% · ▲ 24 pts above district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Science

Grade 517%

School 17% · District 5% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

This schoolIDEA PUBLIC SCHOOLS, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income24%Higher-income23%1 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income31%Higher-income42%11 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income41%Higher-income71%30 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income24%Higher-income23%1 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income19%Higher-income25%6 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income20%Higher-income14%6 pp gap