Texas Border Business
TEXAS – (October 1, 2026) – IDEA Public Schools, a network of tuition-free public charter schools across the United States, is excited to announce the network has earned the ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification, an internationally recognized standard for information security, marking a significant milestone in the network’s efforts to protect the sensitive information entrusted to it by students, families, and staff. Armanino Certified, LLC awarded the network certification following an independent audit. IDEA is among the first charter school systems in the country to receive the prestigious certification.
The certification comes as schools face growing cybersecurity threats. According to the U.S. Department of Education, school districts nationwide experience an average of five cyber incidents a week. These incidents can include data breaches and ransomware attacks that disrupt teaching and learning and expose sensitive information about students, employees, and other members of the school community.
K-12 school systems maintain significant amounts of sensitive information, including student and employee records, contact information, academic and financial data, and, in some cases, Social Security numbers and other personally identifiable information. For children, stolen personal information can be particularly damaging because identity theft may go undetected for years, potentially creating financial consequences before a student is old enough to establish credit
“Families trust us with much more than their children’s education. They trust us with information that could follow their children for a lifetime,” said Thomas Anderson, Chief Information Officer for IDEA Public Schools. “Protecting that information is part of protecting our students. This certification provides families and staff with independent assurance that IDEA has put rigorous systems, safeguards, and accountability in place to manage that responsibility.”
The certification, issued in July, confirms IDEA’s information security management practices meet the requirements of the global standard. It covers information systems supporting teaching, learning, school operations, and administration across the network’s campuses. This includes student information, staff records, instructional data, financial information, and other important records used in daily operations.
As part of the certification process, IDEA voluntarily subjected its information-security practices to an independent audit and made significant investments in its information-security infrastructure. This included establishing a dedicated five-person information security team, engaging outside expertise, developing 28 information security policies, and achieving a 100 percent compliance rating.
“Cybersecurity threats continue to evolve, which means our work must evolve with them,” Anderson said. “Certification is an important milestone, but it is not the finish line. We will continue reviewing, testing, and strengthening our practices to protect the students, families, and staff who place their trust in IDEA.”
IDEA’s ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification is valid through July 2029 and requires continued reviews to verify that the network maintains the standard and continues to improve its information security practices.
For more information on IDEA Public Schools, please visit www.ideapublicschools.org.
