Five groups got state approval to open eight charter schools in Iowa. What you need know:

Des Moines Register

Iowans could see as many as eight new charter schools open over the next two years following approval from the state board Thursday.

The eight applications from five groups are the most the Iowa Board of Education has received since House File 813 — which expanded who can open a charter school — went into effect in 2021. The law was part of Gov. Kim Reynolds' sweeping 2021 education agenda.

The Iowa Board of Education will vote on the schools' final contracts at its February meeting.

Seven of the eight applications were submitted by out-of-state groups.

How many charter schools does Iowa have?

Currently, Iowa has charter schools in Storm Lake, Maynard, Hamburg and Des Moines. Additionally, there is an online charter school.

What is a charter school?

Charter schools are free public schools that operate outside the traditional school model. The charters are held to many of the same accountability standards as other public schools but have their own board of directors and can request some state requirements be waived if officials feel it can improve student learning.

Here is what we know about the eight charter school which were approved:

CIVICA Network schools: Approved

Nonprofit CIVICA Network officials were approved to open CIVICA Cedar Rapids Elementary Charter School and CIVICA Elementary Des Moines Charter School in the fall of 2025. The organization works with for-profit Academica, which manages the business side of the schools including human resources, facility search and office support.

The proposed Des Moines and Cedar Rapids schools will focus on science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics or STEAM, and hands-on learning.

CIVICA — based in Hialeah, Florida, — operates seven schools in Colorado and Nevada.

The schools are slated to open in fall 2025 because officials want to spend the next year learning how to best serve students and the community, officials said during the meeting. Officials did not ask for any state waivers.

Application submitted by: Carlos Alvarez, CIVICA Network's founder.
Location: Not determined.
Grades: Kindergarten through fifth grade.
Enrollment: Organizers are planning for 75 students per grade the first year.

Empowering Excellence: Approved

Officials at Empowering Youths of Iowa Inc. — a Cedar Rapids nonprofit focused on helping children who are at risk of not finishing school — are planning to open Empowering Excellence Charter School.

The online charter school will be open to teens and young adults ages 16 to 21 years old.

The career-focused school will include volunteer and career exploration opportunities. Teachers and mentors will be available online and in person to work with students.

Officials requested waivers for the state's requirements that students have 1,080 minutes or 180 hours of instructional time and the school's start date.

Application submitted by: Sarah Swayze, Empowering Youths of Iowa founder.
Location: The proposal is for an online school, but the main office will be at 1800 First Ave. NE, unit 201, in Cedar Rapids.
Grades: Initially, the school will be open to students in 10th through 12th grades.
Enrollment: The student body will be capped at 76 for the first year.

Oakmont Education: Approved

The Ohio-based education management company Oakmont Education is slated to open the tentatively named Great Oaks High School and Career Center — a dropout recovery school — in Des Moines ahead of the 2024-25 school year.

Oakmont — a for-profit charter management company — has 18 building locations and provides services to children in child residential centers, officials said in an interview. Sixteen of Oakmont's locations are dropout recovery schools. The schools the organization manages are nonprofit.

The school will focus on helping students complete their high school diploma and find career opportunities.

The group requested two waivers for state requirements including the mandate students must be in class for 1,080 minutes or 180 hours.

Application submitted by: Cris Gulacy-Worrel, vice president.
Location: Officials are considering Park Fair Mall, 100 E. Euclid Ave., in Des Moines as a possible location for the school.
Grades: The school will accept students in ninth through 12th grade.
Enrollment: Officials are planning for 25 students in each grade for the first year, according to the application.

Quest Forward: Approved

The not-for-profit Opportunity Education have been approved to open Quest Forward Charter School Cedar Rapids and Quest Forward Charter School Des Moines. The group also works with Academica.

Ameritrade CEO Joe Ricketts is the founder of Opportunity Education.

The two schools will have a science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics focus.

Opportunity Education operates two private high schools in California and Nebraska, officials said in an interview. The company also creates educational software and materials and provides training for teachers.

Officials did not request any waivers and plan to open in fall 2025.

Application submitted by: Raymond Ravaglia, chief learning officer.
Location: Not determined.
Grades: According to documents, the schools will accept sixth, seventh and ninth grade students during the first year.
Enrollment: During the first year, organizers are planning for 100 students in each grade.

Scholarship Prep-Des Moines elementary and middle: Approved

The California-based Scholarship Prep was approved to open a charter elementary and middle school in Des Moines for the 2025-26 school year.

Scholarship Prep focuses on getting students from underserved communities into college. The schools' targeted students are those who are homeless, housing insecure or in foster care.

The group plans to use the 2024-25 school year for planning purposes, and open in fall 2025 according to its applications.

Officials did not request any waivers.

Application submitted by: Jason Watts, cofounder and executive director.
Location: A location has been identified on the southside of Des Moines, but organizers declined to say the exact location.
Grades: Elementary and middle school.
Enrollment: During the first year, officials are planning for 165 kindergarten through fifth grade students, and 75 sixth through eighth grade students.

Samantha Hernandez covers education for the Register. Reach her at (515) 851-0982 or svhernandez@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @svhernandez or Facebook at facebook.com/svhernandezreporter.