Texas Border Business
RIO GRANDE VALLEY, Texas – IDEA Public Schools in the Rio Grande Valley will celebrate its graduating classes as they announce their college choices at College Signing Day 2026. The event will span three days during five different events for various IDEA RGV schools on Wednesday, May 20, Thursday, May 21, and Friday, May 22. The first day will have an afternoon session, while the second and third day will have both a morning event at 9:30 a.m. and an afternoon event at 2 p.m. During College Signing Day, over 1,800 IDEA seniors will announce for the first time, to their friends, family and community, the college they plan to attend this fall.
“The graduating classes across the district for the Class of 2026 had over 15,000 acceptance letters, with over 8,600 of those acceptances belonging to Rio Grande Valley students,” said Jeff Cottrill, Ed.D., IDEA Public Schools CEO & Superintendent. “CSD celebrates not just college acceptances, but the hard work, perseverance, and dreams that brought our seniors to this moment. We are excited to see how they carry what they’ve learned here into the world and continue to lead, serve, and succeed.”
College Signing Day is the culmination of years of hard work and marks a momentous occasion in each IDEA student’s life. Scholars from this year’s graduating classes across the district will accept spots at Boston University, Emory University, Brown University, University of Texas at Austin, John Hopkins University, Stanford University, Vanderbilt University, Yale University and more. Out of the entire Rio Grande Valley 2026 class, scholars received 3,050 total acceptances into selective and highly selective different colleges and universities across the U.S. and beyond. This year, IDEA Robindale and IDEA Los Encinos welcome their first senior classes as they take part in the College Signing Day (CSD) events.
Over 1,800 seniors from various IDEA Rio Grande Valley schools will announce their college choice for the first time in front of friends and family at College Signing Day 2026. The three-day, five-session events will be held on May 20, May 21, and May 22 with morning ceremonies beginning at 9:30 a.m. and afternoon ceremonies beginning at 2:00 p.m. The first day will not have a morning session. This year, IDEA Robindale and IDEA Los Encinos welcome their first senior classes as they take part in the College Signing Day (CSD) events.
WHO:
IDEA RGV 2026 graduating class and families
IDEA Public School leaders
WHEN:
Wednesday, May 20
- 2:00 p.m. – IDEA Los Encinos, IDEA McAllen, IDEA Mission, and IDEA Weslaco
Thursday, May 21
- 9:30 a.m. – IDEA Frontier, IDEA Rio Grande City, IDEA Robindale, IDEA Sports Park
- 2:00 p.m. – IDEA North Mission, IDEA Owassa, IDEA Pharr, IDEA San Juan, IDEA Weslaco Pike
Friday, May 22
- 9:30 a.m. – IDEA Brownsville, IDEA Else, IDEA Edinburg, IDEA Riverview, IDEA Tres Lagos
- 2:00 p.m. – IDEA Alamo, IDEA Donna, IDEA Quest, IDEA San Benito, and IDEA Toros
WHERE:
McAllen Convention Center, 700 Convention Center Blvd., McAllen, TX 78501
