Before high school students can graduate from Des Moines Prep, at least 40 hours of career exploration must be completed, a stipulation that will require strong ties with the business community, the new charter school’s principal said.

The 40 hours can include internships, apprenticeships, employer visits and job shadowing experiences.

“We have every intention of getting our students out into the community doing job shadows, internships and apprenticeships, learning what they like to do and what they don’t like,” said Matt Lakis, principal of Des Moines Prep, which will be located at 106 E. Locust St. in Des Moines’ East Village district. 

“We expect our students to get out into the community and into local businesses to learn about the real world and what it takes to be successful.”

Des Moines Prep is one of six charter schools expected to open in Iowa in August, boosting the number of charter schools in the state to 13. Four others are expected to open in August 2026.

Des Moines Prep, operated by Omaha-based Opportunity Education, will open in August with a founding class of about 150 ninth grade students. Each year, a new class of ninth graders will be added so that by the 2028-29 school year, Des Moines Prep is serving 600 to 700 students in ninth through 12th grades.

Students from all over Central Iowa have submitted enrollment applications to Des Moines Prep, Lakis said.

“I think the common denominator between the [applicants] is that they are all ambitious students who want to be challenged,” he said. “They don’t want to get lost in the shuffle of a really big district where they might not get the personalized attention that they feel that they deserve.”

What is a charter school?

Charter schools are public and don’t charge tuition. Most operate independently of the school districts in which they are located. Under Iowa law, charter schools must have a governing board and follow all of the state’s codes and regulations unless a waiver is obtained.

The schools, which can set enrollment caps, often focus on specific areas such as science, the arts and job skills, particularly in the trades.

Iowa established charter school laws in 2002, which resulted in the creation of two charter schools. Legislation signed into law in 2021 expanded who can open a charter school in the state. The law also allowed charter schools to apply to the Iowa State Board of Education for operational approval rather than local school districts.

Regular per-pupil state funding follows students to the charter school they attend. Legislation signed into law in 2024 allows charter schools to receive state per-pupil money for professional development and early intervention. Those funds previously stayed with the school district in which a student lives.

All charter schools must provide the state with annual reports that include information about student proficiency in reading, math and science. Charters must be renewed every five years. If a school fails to meet specific goals, the state can revoke the charter.

Currently, seven charter schools operate in Iowa, including two in Des Moines (Horizon Science Academy and Great Oaks Charter School and Career Center). The seven schools have a combined enrollment of 804 students, according to state enrollment data.

In Iowa, critics have expressed concerns that charter schools could potentially harm traditional public schools because state funding is diverted away from public schools to charter schools. Critics also question the accountability and transparency of charter schools and say they are not being held to the same standards as traditional public schools.

Lakis acknowledges that charter schools have detractors.

“Anytime you try to do something new or different, there’s obviously going to be some misunderstandings, and there’s going to be absence of information,” said Lakis, who has worked in the Des Moines, Johnston and Woodward-Granger school districts. “With an absence of information, people make assumptions. It is part of our responsibility to educate folks on what [Des Moines Prep] is and what we’re not, and what we’re offering our students and families.”

What is Opportunity Education?

Opportunity Education was founded in 2005 by Joe Ricketts, founder and former CEO of Ameritrade, an online global brokerage firm. Ricketts also owns the Chicago Cubs, a Major League Baseball team.

The nonprofit Opportunity Education currently operates two Quest Forward high schools, one in Santa Rosa, Calif., and the other in Omaha. Both opened in 2017 as private high schools. Information about students’ academic performances at the schools was not immediately available.

In August, the organization plans to open charter high schools in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids. It plans on opening Davenport Prep in August 2026.

Des Moines Prep will offer dual credit and concurrent enrollment through partnerships with community colleges and universities. It will also offer Advanced Placement courses, Lakis said. “That is not going to be something that is reserved for an exclusive top tier of students. It will be for all students.”

The school is on a 1-acre parcel acquired by Opportunity Education in December for $5.4 million. The nearly 50,000-square-foot building, constructed about 90 years ago, is being remodeled to include a gymnasium, classrooms and a student union.

The building began as a railroad fuel station and then was used as a parts plant for General Motors, Lakis said. It most recently was occupied by Two Rivers Marketing.

Now the structure “will become a school,” Lakis said. “I want our kids to come to school every day, look around and say, ‘This doesn’t feel like a traditional K-12 program.’ It’s not meant to feel that way. Our campus is going to look like a university campus or modern corporate office building.

“We want our students to learn how to live in the spaces that they’re going to be occupying down into the future.”

More about Des Moines Prep

When fully operational, Des Moines Prep’s enrollment is expected to be between 600 and 700 students, Lakis said. “If you draw a ring around the metro area, there are not many high schools that sit at that size.”

This school year, the average enrollment of 20 traditional public high schools in the Greater Des Moines area is 1,374 students, state data shows. Fifteen of the schools have enrollments of 1,000 students or more. The smallest is Saydel, with 458 students; the largest is Des Moines Lincoln with an enrollment of 2,364, state data shows.

Des Moines Prep’s smaller enrollment will allow more personalized learning environments, Lakis said. Class sizes in core classes like English and math will range between 25 and 30 students. Elective courses will likely have smaller classes, he said.

Des Moines Prep, which will employ 15 staff members its first year, will put extra emphasis on language arts and math. Students will spend at least 90 minutes a day in classes related to the two areas, Lakis said. Students who excel in the classes will be able to accelerate through the course and move into the next grade level of work. Students who are struggling will get extra help.

“We’re not worrying about the bell going off and running to the next thing,” Lakis said. “We’re really taking our time and getting the fundamentals down to make sure [students] are successful long-term.”

Des Moines Prep is guaranteeing that each student will graduate with acceptance letters from at least two colleges. “Not every kid has to go to college, but every kid deserves the opportunity to go to college,” Lakis said.

Each school day will begin with an advisory period led by an adviser who will stay with the group all four years of school. During the advisory periods, students will get extra help in courses they may be struggling in and learn about new extracurricular activities or clubs.

Once a month, area business leaders from a variety of backgrounds and industries will be part of the advisory periods, Lakis said. “We want our kids to see that there’s no straight trajectory toward personal success. We want them to understand that it’s going to look different for all of them.”

Before they can graduate, students will be required to complete 40 hours of career exploration and 40 hours of community service.  

Lakis has 12 years of experience working in traditional public schools. He said he is excited about being part of a nontraditional way of approaching education.

“We’re just not thinking about a diploma but the long-term ramification of a high school experience,” Lakis said. “We are empowering kids to take ownership of their own life and not be passive consumers anymore.”

MORE ONLINE: Interactive Iowa charter school map

Iowa currently has seven charter schools that operate in the state including two in Des Moines. Six charter schools are expected to open in August and four others in August 2026. The Business Record has compiled an interactive map that includes information about each of the charter schools including enrollment, year the school opened or is opening, and the entity that operates the school. To view the interactive map, click here.  

Click on the icon on the upper left corner of the map to open the key. Click on the icon in the upper right corner to view the map in a separate tab.