A new charter school opens Monday in Des Moines’ East Village neighborhood. It’s one of the latest additions to Iowa’s growing number of charter schools after a 2021 law opened the way for more independent charter schools to be established. The school, Des Moines Prep, will start with 120 students in 8th and 9th grade.
The school is operated by Opportunity Education, an Omaha-based nonprofit founded by billionaire Joe Ricketts, the founder and former CEO of the brokerage firm Ameritrade. According to the organization’s website, the nonprofit already operates two private schools — Quest Forward High School in Santa Rosa, Calif. and Quest Forward High School in Omaha, Neb.
Des Moines Prep’s opening underscores a more conducive environment in the state for alternative types of schools. Charter school friendly legislation, combined with state incentives and what charter school organizers see as growing demand from families seeking alternative options to their local public schools, has helped attract more of the schools to the state…