IDEA Public Schools

Legal name: Idea Public Schools Louisiana Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
813194334
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Weslaco, TX, US
Phone
1 (956) 377-8000
Rating
73
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Primary, Elementary Schools

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$30,126,965
Expenses
$29,957,230
Assets
$10,742,225
Liabilities
$266,405

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • LAKEISHA ROBICHAUX (FORMER PRESIDENT)
  • MICHAEL TIPTON (FORMER VICE PRESIDENT)
  • TONNISHA ELLIS (PRESIDENT, FORMER SECRETARY)
  • DARREL LEWIS (DIRECTOR, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT)
  • THEODORE RICHARDS (FORMER DIRECTOR, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • LAKEISHA ROBICHAUX (FORMER PRESIDENT)
  • MICHAEL TIPTON (FORMER VICE PRESIDENT)
  • JOHN MURRAY (TREASURER)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

IDEA Public Schools prepares students from underserved communities for success in college and citizenship.

What it reported doing in 2024

Idea public schools Louisiana (idea) will create and operate public elementary and secondary schools in Louisiana. Idea is committed to "college for all children".

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 98% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 48
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 41
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 53%; rating input score 53
  • Program expense ratio: 55.8%; rating input score 56
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 0.6%; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.36; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 96; 96th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 21.1% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 21.1% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 25.5% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 2 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 6 operating locations identified
  • Where the money goes: 53% of revenue deployed · 55.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 7 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $16.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 9 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $22.8M reported
  • Consistency: 23 of 23 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 9 filing years from 2016 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 53/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 56/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 35/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 10/100.