New Midland School Offers Scholarship Support

The IDEA Henry Academy provides local students with new K-12 options and funding for the first graduating class.

Updated on Oct. 29, 2026 in Scholarships

Bold vector editorial illustration of a graduation cap on textbooks, representing educational opportunity and growth in the community. — IDEA Public Schools has opened the new IDEA Henry Academy in Midland, serving over 1,300 students and establishing a new college scholarship program. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Do charter schools provide better educational options for students in your community than public schools?

IDEA Public Schools has opened a new K-12 campus in Midland, the IDEA Henry Academy and College Preparatory, serving over 1,300 students. The institution is also launching the Paula and Jim Henry Scholarship to assist graduating seniors beginning in 2027.

Why it matters

This new campus aims to expand educational options for families in Midland and Odessa by providing a full-scale K-12 learning environment. The newly established scholarship program directly supports college-bound seniors, reducing the financial barriers to higher education for qualifying students.

The school currently serves 1,300 students across grades K-12, while the Paula and Jim Henry Scholarship is set to support half of the 29 seniors in the 2027 graduating class. Additionally, the Henry Foundation plans to provide $300,000 in annual programmatic scholarships across the network.

The players

IDEA Public Schools

A network of tuition-free public charter schools that focuses on college preparation and expanded academic options.

Henry Foundation

A philanthropic organization that has awarded over $30 million to more than 850 nonprofit organizations.

IDEA Henry Academy and College Preparatory

A new K-12 campus in Midland serving over 1,300 students through a partnership with the Henry Foundation.

The details

The campus was established through a partnership between IDEA Public Schools and the Henry Foundation, which donated the land for the site. Rather than using a phased grade-level rollout, the school opened at full scale to immediately serve the local community. The scholarship program will specifically target members of the inaugural graduating class, providing financial aid as they transition into post-secondary education.

October 29, 2026: IDEA Henry held a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Spring 2027: The school will celebrate its first College Signing Day.
2027: The first class of seniors will complete their studies.

Education Landscape

The opening of the new Midland campus follows the IDEA Public Schools expansion model, which prioritizes the rapid establishment of full-scale K-12 facilities. This development reflects a broader regional trend in the Permian Basin to increase academic and scholarship opportunities for K-12 students.

Students and families in the Midland and Odessa areas should contact the school’s admissions office for details on enrollment capacity and upcoming application cycles. Seniors in the class of 2027 should monitor school communications for specific eligibility rules regarding the Paula and Jim Henry Scholarship.

The takeaway

New institutional partnerships are creating direct financial pathways for graduating high school students in the Permian Basin. Families should keep a close watch on future announcements from the school office regarding the 2027 scholarship application window and specific qualification criteria.