Welcome to the IB Program at Lamar Academy!

What is the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program at Lamar Academy? 

Lamar Academy is home to the high school level IB programs for McAllen ISD. These include the Middle Years Programme Years 4 and 5 (or, 9th & 10th grades) and the Diploma Programme Years 1 and 2 (or, 11th & 12th grades). 

The IB Programme at Lamar Academy was established in 2001 and had its first IB diploma candidates complete the program in 2003. The IB Programme is bound to the IB World Schools, which is a global community that includes schools located in 156 countries across the world. IB schools must be authorized by the IB World School program and maintain the authorization through a rigorous review process every five years. Therefore, the curriculum, its guidelines/criterion, assessments, and requirements are unique, and students who participate in the IB Programme at Lamar Academy are expected to meet all IB requirements in addition to McAllen ISD and the state of Texas graduation requirements. Students who are in the program are working toward earning college credits as well as receiving an International Baccalaureate Diploma, which is an additional diploma beyond the Texas High School Diploma. 

The IB Programme at Lamar Academy was recognized by IB World Schools in 2017 for its achievements and was named an IB World School of Distinction. To date, the IB Programme at Lamar Academy has graduated 1150+ students who have received their IB Diploma. The historical diploma attainment rate is 92% over twenty-two years, which is one of the highest in the world.