Charter to open pre-K to Grade 12 health professions school in 2018

Charter school IDEA Austin is set to open a dedicated pre-K through 12th-grade health professions school, the first in the country, according to the organization.

Scheduled to open in 2018, IDEA Comprehensive Health Professions will enroll students for free and by lottery. The school will feature a college-preparatory program.

A location for the school has not been secured, but it will be in or near downtown Austin, said Larkin Tackett, executive director of IDEA Public Schools Austin. With construction expected to begin in 2017, the school will open in August 2018 with pre-K, kindergarten, first and sixth grades.

“The time is right for IDEA’s first health professions school,” Tackett said. “Austin is the only large city in Texas without a dedicated health professions school. The city’s first medical school just welcomed its first class of future physicians.”

IDEA will aim to address the ongoing state shortage of health care professionals while also hoping to increase the amount of diversity within the field. Students at the new school will take STEM—science, technology, engineering and math—and elective offerings in addition to learning through IDEA’s instructional model.

IDEA estimates it will need $5 million in donations to open the health professions school.

“While the campus will reach financial sustainability by the fourth year of operation, it requires startup support to cover one-time costs spanning from specialized equipment to advanced teacher training,” a news release states. “Ninety-five percent of IDEA schools’ operating costs come from public money.”

For more information about IDEA Public Schools Austin, visit www.ideapublicschools.org.