as well as proficiency in Mathematics and English. IDEA Frontier, as well as seven other IDEA campuses, made their second appearance in Jay Mathews article, America's Most Challenging High Schools, published by The Washington Post. Frontier made its first appearance in the list in 2015, ranking 22 in the nation and 8th in the state of Texas. The following year, the school moved up several spots to rank as the 15th most challenging school in the country and the 5th most challenging in the state of Texas. The index given to each school is based on the number of college level exams given at the school divided by the number of graduates the school has that year. The report also takes into account students who are under the reduced-lunch program. American publishing and education company, Scholastic, ranked the school as 15th in the nation for the Scholastic Summer Challenge, a program designed to encourage students to read during the summer in order to prevent the "summer slide", a loss of academic skills and knowledge over the course of a summer vacation. The school also placed 5th in the state of Texas and 1st in the South Texas region. IDEA Frontier read a total of 873,380 minutes, placing them in Scholastic’s Book of World Records for the 2013 issue. Other recognition The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) announced its authorization of IDEA Frontier as an International Baccalaureate World School in 2016. Starting in 2017, the school will include IB courses, which are arguably more rigorous and demanding than AP classes. This recognition is ideal to the school since it is the second IDEA campus, after Donna and the only school in Cameron county that will offer IB courses. Frontier will be one of less than 900 schools in the nation offering IB courses. The school, along with two other IDEA campuses, was recognized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for demonstrating excellence in nutrition and physical activity. IDEA Frontier received the highest recognition, receiving a Gold award of Distinction for HUSSC or the Healthier US School Challenge, with both Academy and College Preparatory receiving this honor. Part of IDEA Public Schools IDEA Frontier is a charter school operated by the IDEA Public Schools System. IDEA was founded in 2000 by Tom Torkelson and JoAnn Gama, Teach For America corps members dedicated to making sure all underserved students can go to college. System