(Radio Iowa) – Iowa will soon have ten charter schools open statewide, including a new high school in Des Moines’ East Village. Des Moines Prep is operated by Opportunity Education, a nonprofit founded by billionaire Joe Ricketts. This year, Des Moines Prep will offer eighth and ninth grades, with plans to add higher grades in the coming years. Matt Lakis is the school’s founding principal. He says the school is open to students across the state, regardless of learning needs.

(As above) “We don’t tell families you have to be at the top of your class, you don’t have to have a certain skill set or even know what you want to do,” Lakis says. “That’s our job to help them unlock that within themselves. All that we ask is that kids are just willing to work and be challenged, and that’s the sort of student that we’re looking for.”

Lakis says the school is focused on college preparation and fostering connections with the business community. He says offering eighth grade wasn’t part of the original plan but it was added after a number of families expressed interest.

(As above) “With the ability to serve 150 students in our first school year, to get to that number, we’re allowing for an eighth grade, early high school program to be a part of our building,” he says. “As our ninth graders grow, it will become an eight, nine, ten building, then an eight, nine, ten, eleven building and so on.”

The nonprofit is also opening a school in Cedar Rapids and is slated to open one in Davenport next year. Charter schools receive public money and can be tied to a school district but most are independently run after a law change in 2021.