Israel Ybarra is senior vice president of school improvement at IDEA Public Schools, partnering with regional and campus leaders across the San Antonio and Austin regions to improve outcomes in forty‑six schools. In this role, Israel leads targeted improvement efforts, strengthens leadership practice, and advances joyful, inclusive learning environments.

Israel has spent 27 years in education as a secondary humanities teacher, school principal, and senior organizational leader. His work has focused on strengthening systems, scaling effective practices, and expanding access to high-quality educational opportunities for students from low income and underrepresented communities.
At IDEA Public Schools, Israel has served as director of curriculum and student support services, principal, vice president of schools, and senior vice president of school development. As a principal, he led an Advanced Placement for All initiative that expanded access to Advanced Placement coursework and increased the number of AP Scholars. Under his leadership, IDEA College Prep Alamo was recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the Most Challenging High Schools in America, and he graduated three senior classes with one hundred percent college matriculation.

A first generation college graduate, Israel earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Texas at San Antonio and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. He lives in South Texas with his wife, Nereida, and they are the parents of four children, including one attending the University of Texas at Austin and another who recently graduated from Southern Methodist University.