IDEA Frontier (commonly referred to as Frontier) is an independently managed charter school within the IDEA Public Schools system in the Rio Grande Valley in deep South Texas, United States. It is located in Brownsville and was founded in 2006. The school is known for its high performance in national high school rankings, mandatory Advanced Placement testing, and high graduation rates. The U.S. News & World Report named it in the top 100 American high schools for 2013–2016. History The IDEA Frontier campus was founded in 2006 under principals Ernesto Cantú (of the secondary school) and Roberta Harris (of the primary school). The school held classes at Amigoland Mall for its first two years, after which the campus moved to its current Dakota Avenue location. Frontier graduated its first senior class in 2011. The campus currently includes six buildings, with plans to add a seventh that will feature a new gymnasium. Academics IDEA Frontier offers Advanced Placement and dual-credit courses (through the University of Texas at Austin system). Since becoming a fully scaled school, IDEA Frontier has successfully sent all of its graduating seniors to colleges and universities. Principals and teachers The school is divided into two academic levels: Academy (grades K-5) and College Preparatory (grades 6-12). The current College Preparatory principal is Virginia Callaway. Dora Villegas has replaced Roberta Harris as the principal of the Academy. Most teachers at IDEA Frontier are members of the Teach for America program, a non-profit organization that recruits teachers for public schools. According to the Houston Association of Realtors (HAR), the average teacher experience at this school is 2.8 years, while the average tenure for teachers is 2.1 years. The faculty is roughly 60% female and 40% male. Teacher awards Senior Vice President of Schools Michael Hardy won the Texas State Educator awards through H-E-B in the Rising Star Secondary Category, winning a $5,000 prize for his campus and another $5,000 for himself. Two years prior, former assistant principal Marco Lopez was nominated for the award as well. In 2013, AP Biology teacher Rachel Willcutts became a national finalist for the Shell Lab Science Challenge, a contest created by Shell Oil Company and the National Science Teachers Association. Willcutts, along with three other finalists, received a laboratory grant which included a $3,000 cash grant, $3,000-worth of donated lab equipment, and $1,000 in NSTA prizes. Facilities The school is located at the intersection of