Quad Cities Times
January 27, 2025- Olivia Allen
Three charter schools will be open in Davenport by fall 2026, another step in Iowa's school choice movement. The schools — Horizon Science Academy, Davenport Prep and Great Oaks High School and Career Center — are set to serve close to 600 local students in their first years of operations.
Davenport charter school quick facts
A look at five year enrollment projections, grades served and intended outcomes at each incoming Davenport charter school, according to their respective Iowa State Board of Education applications and interviews with reporters.
Davenport Prep, managed by Opportunity Education
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Year 1: 215 students; sixth and ninth-grade.
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Year 5: 785 students; TBD.
"We're offering (a) college-prep education for free,” said James Troupis, chief of schools for Opportunity Education.
Great Oaks High School and Career Center, managed by Oakmont Education
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Year 1: 138
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Year 5: 325
Like its Des Moines campus, the school will primarily serve students who are at-risk of dropping out and severely low on credits. "We provide them with more opportunities to gain skills they need to have a quality life after high school," said Cristina Gulacy-Worrel, vice president of Oakmont Education.
Horizon Science Academy, managed by Concept Schools
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Year 1: 210 students; kindergarten through sixth-grade.
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Year 5: 410 students; TBD, could expand to 10th grade.
Christopher Murphy, chief growth and communications officer for Concept Schools, said the school will offer a "rigorous, STEM-focused college prep opportunity" in a unique, small setting. Pending charter renewal, Murphy said the school plans to add 11th and 12th grade in the future, with an enrollment cap of 660 by fall 2037. The Iowa State Board of Education approved six new charter school applications last week, bringing the total number of charter schools approved statewide to 17. Of these, Horizon Science Academy will open in Davenport next school year.
Charter schools are non-selective, tuition-free and publicly funded, but operate independently from local school boards. They instead operate under charter agreements with the state, giving them more flexibility over curriculum, staffing, discipline and other areas. Despite recent changes to Iowa's charter school application process and other school choice laws, Mike Huguelet, executive director of the Iowa Coalition for Public Charter Schools, suspects that the volume of annual applications for new charter schools will remain "steady" each year. "I think we'll remain in the (high) single digits," he said. The ICPCS is a lobbying group aimed at growing and supporting Iowa's public charter school options.
Davenport public school leaders say they're continuing to evaluate the impact charter schools may have on the broader Iowa Quad-Cities region. "As the educational landscape continues to evolve, we are committed to providing an exceptional educational experience for all students," said district spokeswoman Sarah Ott.
Concept Schools, a nationwide charter management firm, will operate Horizon Science Academy. Christopher Murphy, chief growth and communications officer for Concept Schools, said HSA is now collecting enrollment interest forms – totaling 29 as of Jan. 17. Concept Schools is negotiating an agreement to move into the former Johnson School building on Locust Street. Under its current five-year application plan, the school will house three kindergarten sections, capped at 20 students each. All other grades will have one section, capped at 25 students each. "That allows our teachers and administrative staff to truly know our kids (and) families," Murphy said. "And (provide) those unique and differentiated learning experiences."
Davenport Prep, managed by Opportunity Education, will open up applications next winter. Depending on the demand, chief of schools James Troupis said the school may open a seventh and eighth-grade section in the future, but does not plan to add 10th, 11th or 12th grades.
Iowa charter schools are required by law to hold a public lottery if the number of students applying to their school exceeds available capacity. "We cannot select our kids – everybody is welcome to apply," Murphy said, noting between 85% and 95% of students in Concept Schools' network are low-income. Iowa charter schools can set application restrictions based on geography, though many accept all state residents. Students selected via the lottery process would then undergo a more typical school registration process, he added, such as state-mandated physical forms and health requirements.
HSA plans to add one section of seventh grade by the 2026-27 school year and an eighth-grade section the following. Murphy said enrollment, grades served and other areas will “expand, naturally” as needed
Cristina Gulacy-Worrel, vice president of Oakmont Education, said Great Oaks High School in Davenport will likely start its "enrollment push" next spring. Great Oaks in Des Moines – Oakmont's first Iowa charter – almost exclusively serves low-income students, most of whom are "severely" low on credits.
"I'd also say about 15 to 20% are parents or are expecting to become parents," Gulacy-Worrel said.
Since the Davenport school too will serve a more non-traditional student group, she and other Oakmont leaders say a lottery is unlikely.
"These kids are already on the street and not engaged," said Jason Wiggins, director of operations for Oakmont Education. "That's why we see ourselves as a critical element to (communities)."
Staffing, structure and leadership
Iowa charter school teachers must meet the same criteria as public school teachers. Unlike public schools, though, charter schools' governing boards are appointed by the Iowa State Board of Education.
Murphy said HSA's staffing plan and budget accommodate its projected first-year enrollment, pending additional hires for English Learners and special education services. As enrollment and revenue grow, HSA will likely hire more support staff in the future. Murphy said HSA intends to grow into a K-12 school down the road and may also apply to open a Pre-K program in Davenport. "We already have a ton of information from Davenport families (who) want Pre-K programming," he said. "It's just a different application process."
Great Oaks will have a dedicated teacher for each Iowa "core" academic area, a school director and intervention staff for special education and other learning or behavioral needs. Like the Des Moines campus, Great Oaks in Davenport will offer a joint career center in partnership with the Iowa Jobs for American Graduates program, staffed by three personnel. One of these positions will be a "family advocate," helping students navigate community resources and personal barriers like food insecurity and housing. They continue to help students for a year after graduation, Wiggins said. Another one of these roles is a "resiliency coach," helping students build soft skills through one of Great Oaks' micro-credential programs. The final Iowa Jobs for American Graduates staff member will be a "placement coordinator," guiding students through post-secondary planning for 12 months after graduation, like the family advocate.
Davenport Prep will launch its principal search within the next month, Troupis said. Principals in the Opportunity Education network must complete a yearlong residency, shadowing a variety of schools nationwide and engaging in their future school community. "They meet with families and community leaders (to) design the school to fit the (community's) needs," Troupis said. "I think that's a real separator for us." Opportunity Education covers these costs for incoming principals, he added, along with spending extra philanthropy dollars toward fully staffing schools in their first two years of opening.
Legislation opens the door for Iowa charter schools
In 2021, Iowa passed legislation to allow charter schools to operate under an independent founding board rather than local, public school board charter agreements. Stripping this requirement from charter school applications allowed already-established charter management firms to expand in Iowa more easily. "That (law) opened the door for charter schools," Troupis said.
A law signed last year increased funding for charter schools.Heading into future legislative sessions, Huguelet said he'll advocate for minor changes to the charter school application process, such as implementing an appeal procedure.
"The (Iowa) Board of Education is our sole authorizer, there's no appeal process," he said. "They legitimately have all the say on whether or not a new public charter school is approved, and they do all of the (work) in vetting the schools." Setting a standard budget template for charter school applicants is another improvement Huguelet suggested. Last year, applicants submitted their own budget format, many of which looked different from others. "That just isn't super efficient, because then board members are reading through six or eight different formats," Huguelet said. "We're mainly focused on making the application process as clear as possible."
Deciding on Davenport
Davenport's comparable size and demographics to cities like Des Moines made it a "natural choice" for all three incoming charter school leaders.
Murphy said Concept Schools has been engaging with the Quad-Cities community for about two years, including discussions with local church leaders and TMBC at the Lincoln Center. "Even before we started to write the (charter) application, we've been in Davenport (meeting) with people and understanding what the needs might be," he said. "It was just (clear) that families want another choice."
Troupis said he and other Opportunity Education leaders heard similar feedback from Davenport stakeholders, noting enrollment fluctuations across Iowa Quad-Cities school districts. "The data told the story, and then (the community) filled us in with anecdotes," he said.
Wiggins said Great Oaks uses a "sector strategy" approach to its career and technical education pathways, engaging local employers to serve on an advisory committee and help steer work-based learning opportunities. "Then we can create a pipeline for our graduates to work with these (local) companies," he said. "That way, our students know what the expectations are, and there's a familiarity that makes (full-time) employment much easier."
The future of Iowa charter schools
As charter schools open in cities like Davenport, Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, Huguelet expects to see "organic" growth in rural areas, noting factors like rural school consolidations or other needs. Red Barn Schoolhouse, a charter set to open in Crescent, Iowa, next school year, was founded following the closure of Crescent Elementary School – formerly part of the Council Bluffs Community School District – in 2023, for example.
Iowa's Education Savings Account program, which provides state funds to families to use to pay for private schools, does add another layer of competition. Since many private schools charge tuition or are selective in enrollment, however, it's not a notable concern for the incoming Davenport charters. Like public schools, tax dollars fund most Iowa charter schools.
"At the end of the day, we care most about (opening) an excellent school, and we believe families will choose the school that's best for their kid," Troupis said.
Nor do the local charters worry about competition against each other, as most are "intentionally different," Huguelet said. "There's a lot of homework done to figure out (if) the community wants something like," a charter school, he said.
Troupis said many view charter schools as a "monolith" – a misconception he hopes to see dissolve as schools like Davenport Prep lay roots in local communities.
All three incoming Davenport charters said they hope to form positive partnerships with Quad-Cities public schools. "We would love to work with the traditional school systems," Murphy said, adding Concept Schools has partnered with Chicago and Cleveland public schools for extracurricular STEM programs in the past. Since school choice is a reality in Iowa, many charter school leaders look forward to future growth and community partnerships.
"Public schools are wonderful," Wiggins said. "But there's no one answer for every single person, and you have to have (options) – especially when talking about opportunities for youth."
