Cedar Rapids Prep charter school opens for fall enrollment as Transamerica building renovation nears completion

Background

CEDAR RAPIDS — In January 2024, the Iowa State Board of Education approved applications for three new charter schools in Cedar Rapids.

One, Empowering Excellence, has already opened.

CIVICA, a company based in Florida with charter schools in three other states, has proposed a K-5th grade elementary schools in Cedar Rapids and Des Moines. As of September 2024, CIVICA was looking for a property to build a “brand-new facility” for the 2025-26 academic year.

This fall, another charter middle school will open in Cedar Rapids and gradually expand to offer sixth through 12th grade.

What’s happened since

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As renovation continues for its temporary classrooms at the former Transamerica property off Edgewood Road NE, Cedar Rapids Prep has opened enrollment for sixth and seventh grade students to attend the inaugural 2025-26 school year. Online applications at CedarRapidsPrep.org will be accepted through March 31.

If there’s enough demand, the new charter school also will add an eighth grade class for the upcoming academic year. The school plans to grow gradually over several years by adding one successive grade per year.

The school, launched by parent company Opportunity Education, previously was referred to as Quest Forward.

With the opportunity for an experience similar to some private schools — but without the tuition — the school’s rigorous focus on college preparation plans to offer quality through small classes, a small faculty-to-student ratio and one-on-one interactions that reinforce a tight-knit community throughout middle and high school.

Principal Justin Blietz, a former principal at Roosevelt Creative Corridor Business Academy, brings 15 years of educational experience from Houston, Des Moines and Cedar Rapids as he heads the new institution. Most recently, he served as associate principal at McKinley STEAM Academy for seven years.

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“I’m very excited about this opportunity. After listening for the last seven years in Cedar Rapids to the community, families and educators around what they feel is important, I feel we are providing an option for families that centers on academic excellence,” he said. “It was one of those opportunities that’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience, where you get to start a school from the ground up and really design it in a way that is focused on the needs of the community.”

With an experience that focuses on data to know how students are performing and matches instruction accordingly, one of the charter school’s top priorities for high school students will be to ensure they leave with acceptance letters to at least two “best fit” colleges.

Each student will be matched with an adviser, who will stay with students through graduation. Advisers, who will work closely with students and families to ensure school schedules reflect goals and aspirations, will be a “key and integral piece” of the model, Blietz said.

Cedar Rapids Prep also will have alumni counselors on staff to connect with students at the end of high school and ensure a smooth transition as they graduate and start attending college.

With each grade capped at 150 students, the experience will be unlike some other schools.

“Often, in some schools, students feel like they’re a number. Our goal is to have a small feel,” Blietz said. “We can provide that tight-knit experience where families join us in sixth grade and stay with us through graduation.”

Another distinction at Cedar Rapids Prep will be the classes themselves. With state-of-the-art facilities and off-campus learning opportunities, the school will offer a robust catalog of elective courses across categories like biomedical science, computer science and engineering.

Electives will reflect high-interest areas for students, demonstrate a commitment to active and engaged learning and align with community workforce needs, Blietz said.

Unlike private schools offering a similar caliber of college preparation, Cedar Rapids Prep is a public school open to any student in the state, including those who may have Individual Education Plans or who are learning English as a second language.

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If applications exceed available seats, students will be selected by a lottery, with acceptance notifications sent by April 5. Students not initially selected will be placed on a waitlist. “We’re not a school that is accepting elite, premier students with the highest GPA,” Blietz said.

Renovations at the former Transamerica site, 4515 North River Blvd. NE, are well underway. One of the company’s former towers will be a starting point for the school’s opening as construction continues on the 19-acre campus adjacent to them.

When completed, the campus will include a full competition-sized gymnasium and turf stadium with football and soccer fields, an esports center, common areas, a cafeteria, several tennis courts and an athletic field house.

A pond on site will be enlarged and fully stocked, providing opportunities for environmental science education. Built into the campus will be several acres of wooded space with a trail for outdoor classes, as well as use by neighborhood residents.

The principal said funding of $35 million from Opportunity Education founder and billionaire philanthropist Joe Ricketts will help stand up operations and complete construction of buildings as the school sets its foundation with teachers and curriculum. In the near future, the school will be self-sustainable and operate off per-pupil funding from the Iowa Department of Education.

The school has no religious or political affiliations.

“As somebody who not only grew up here but is raising my family here, I feel thankful to bring this opportunity to the local community,” Blietz said. “I think it’s going to be a great experience that touches all aspects of our community.”

Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.