Cedar Rapids Gazette
Grace King
May 26, 2025
New charter school Cedar Rapids Prep gears up for first classes
More than 200 middle school students have enrolled
CEDAR RAPIDS — More than 200 middle school students are enrolled in Cedar Rapids Prep, taking a venture on the charter school opening in August.
Carter Oja, 13, plans to attend Cedar Rapids Prep as an eighth-grader this fall. He currently attends Franklin Middle School in Cedar Rapids. “He’s ready for something new,” his mother, Brooke Oja, said.
She is hopeful a smaller, more individualized learning environment promised by Cedar Rapids Prep will give her son the “push” he needs to continue to achieve “good grades” and better manage his time so he’s prompt to arrive for class, she said. Brooke said she likes the principal and school staff at Franklin, but she’s eager to see what Cedar Rapids Prep has to offer, especially when it comes to class sizes.
Abby Turley, dean of operations for Cedar Rapids Prep, said the school is aiming for class sizes no larger than 20 students for every one teacher. Turley is leaving her job at the end of this school year as a teacher at Roosevelt Creative Corridor Business Academy, a middle school in the Cedar Rapids district, for the opportunity to help launch the charter school.
“We’re at a point in public education where a lot of people are trying to figure out what’s going to work,” Turley said. “Most people would agree public education is not perfect, and there’s a lot of room for improvement. Charter schools could offer accessible education in a way public schools can’t or aren’t able to. We’re not a part of this larger district where thousands of people all want a voice. We have the ability for a smaller community that has a voice to impact the decisions made,” Turley said.
Leading the school is principal Justin Blietz, who left his job as principal at Roosevelt last summer to open Cedar Rapids Prep.
Charter schools are tuition-free schools that are publicly funded, but independently run under an approved charter with the state. In Iowa, charter schools receive per-pupil aid from the state, just like public schools. Charter schools are held accountable through a legal agreement called a “charter” with their authorizing agency, which in Iowa is the state’s Board of Education. A charter school must attract students and produce positive results within five years or risk losing its charter, according to the Iowa Department of Education.
“We have five years to prove our work and that what we’re doing is successful. The next five years are really important. We’re looking ahead at a long and intense road. We have a lot to do and to prove,” said Turley, adding that she has “no reservations” about the charter school’s future.
As of May 21, 239 students were enrolled at Cedar Rapids Prep. The majority -- almost 200 students -- were enrolled from the Cedar Rapids Community School District. Other students came from private schools, the Linn-Mar Community School District and College Community School District. Blietz said the goal is for a total enrollment of 270 in the schools first year.
There are seven open charter schools in Iowa, with six more expected to open this fall, including Cedar Rapids Prep. Another four are expected to open fall 2026.
Cedar Rapids Prep, launched by parent company Opportunity Education, previously was referred to as Quest Forward.
The high demand from families led Cedar Rapids Prep leaders to expand the school to eighth-graders after initially planning to accept only sixth and seventh-graders. The school plans to grow by adding one grade each year through 12th grade.
Turley said she gets to help build “from the ground up” a trustworthy team of educators and a great school culture.
School leaders are working with families to assess what their transportation needs will be. Turley said they’re considering several options, including arranging carpools for families, purchasing city bus passes for students and even renting 15-passenger vans driven by herself and Blietz.
“We are committed to making sure kids get to school,” Turley said. Students agree to a code of conduct when they enroll in Cedar Rapids Prep, Turley said. “Middle school students make mistakes and will continue to make mistakes,” Turley said. “We will have a building culture that is fairly restorative and give students a chance to grow.” However, if students’ behavior continually breaks the code of conduct and creates an unsafe environment for their peers or staff, they might not be able to continue at the school, Turley said. “We’re not going to compromise the safety of the whole,” she said.
Vicki Hlubek, dean of academics for Cedar Rapids Prep, also is leaving her traditional public school job. At the charter school, she will be the keeper of the data, ensuring students are being pushed toward “academic excellence,” she said. She also will mentor teachers, helping to implement curriculum and refine instructional practices. “We’re able to offer our staff autonomy and flexibility. We really want our teachers to thrive, so if there’s a way they want to deliver that instruction and that data’s there, we’re going to support that,” she said.
Blietz said 15 “core staff” including teachers for English Language Arts, science, math and social studies have been hired. More specialized staff who teach special education and English Language Learning, for example, will be hired to match the needs of students.
With about three months until students enter Cedar Rapids Prep for the 2025-26 school year, Blietz said it’s the “hope and optimism” he hears from families and students that inspires him as he pushes toward fall. “We want to listen to families and work collaboratively with them to design a school that fits the needs of students really, really well,” he said. As the school grows, Blietz expects strong relationships with community partners and local colleges and universities to provide students opportunities beyond the classroom.
The school is opening in its first year in a temporary space at the former Transamerica site, 4515 North River Blvd. NE. A groundbreaking on a planned 19-acre campus adjacent to the temporary space is expected later this year, launching construction of the school’s permanent facility. Construction will take about 18 months, Blietz said.
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.
