IDEA Paula A. and James C. Henry (or IDEA Henry for short) honors the couple whose life work continued through the Henry Foundation. The charitable organization’s mission is to use resources to change lives, and it has awarded more than $30 million in grants to more than 850 nonprofit organizations.
Through the partnership with the Henry Foundation, land was generously donated by Henry Resources.
The new campus, located at 5820 Briarwood Ave., will feature two schools, the IDEA Henry Academy and the IDEA Henry College Preparatory.
IDEA Henry is set to open its doors to students for the 2026-27 school year. This will be IDEA’s fourth campus in the Permian Basin region.
Annette Macias, the executive director of IDEA Permian Basin, said the need and want for IDEA Public Schools in the Permian Basin is great, adding that there is an extensive waiting list at both IDEA campuses in Odessa and at IDEA Travis in Midland.
“This expansion means everything that IDEA is about,” Macias said. “We see the need because we have scholars and families that continuously apply and want to join IDEA Schools.”
In its first year of operations, the Academy will serve students in grades K-2. College Preparatory will serve students in 6th grade and students 9-12 in the first year.
IDEA Henry will continue to add grade level offerings each year until it reaches a full K-12 curriculum.
“Typically, we launch with kindergarten through second grade and sixth grade, so we have to wait multiple years before we get a graduating class,” Macias said. “Here in Midland, we’ve had the tremendous opportunity to bring our scholars from IDEA Travis to IDEA Henry (if they choose), to be our first graduating class.”
College Preparatory students at Travis will have the opportunity to transfer to the Henry Campus, if the grade level is offered at the new school.
“What’s really exciting about this opportunity is our kids will have their first college signing day, and that just shows us where they’re going to go to college,” Macias said.
One of IDEA’s missions is to get students to and through college, she added. The school places an emphasis on preparing students to go to college.
“We have advanced coursework and a college ready, college-going culture,” Macias said. “I think what helps us move our kids along further is just having the culture and the coursework available to scholars.”
Macias said that at Travis, there are about 65% of kids in the 11th grade that are demonstrating they are college and career ready.
“They’re ready to move on the next level, and that is before they even get to their senior year,” she said. “We’re seeing a higher student population because of the advanced academics that we offer to prepare them for college.”
Macias encourages parents and students interested in IDEA to visit the school to learn more and to apply to the school.
She said the recruiting and operations team has been working diligently to not only recruit students for the new school, but to also recruit staff.
“If you are wanting, as a parent, for your child to go to and get through college, or to just prepare them for it, come join IDEA,” she said. “If you want to join the IDEA team, whether you want to work for us or you want your child to join us, please go to IDEA Public Schools on our website and apply.”
