Council Bluffs Community School District is planning to build a state-of-the-art charter school on the Riverfront.
Last week, the Iowa State Board of Education approved the district’s plans to build a district-run charter high school with a focus on a STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics – curriculum. The district is approved to start the inaugural freshmen class during the 2027-2028 school year.
While there will be a STEM focus with emphasized project-based learning, students will still earn a traditional high school diploma. Specific areas of concentration will include robotics, engineering, aeronautics, artificial intelligence and medical technology, among others.
Tuition will be free for students living in the district, but plans call for about 30 seats to be filled by students from Nebraska. The home districts of Nebraska students would pay students’ tuition.
The district is moving forward with plans to secure land from the City of Council Bluffs inside the River’s Edge District. That’s the mixed-use development on the east side of the Bob Kerrey Missouri River pedestrian bridge. While the final location has not been officially identified, early renderings on the district’s website indicate the property would be the vacant greenfield west of the parking garage and south of an existing, 4-story office building.
The district is currently working on an option-to-purchase agreement to provide flexibility if plans for the charter school hit road bumps. Due to the potential location of the school so close to the Missouri River, the U.S. Corps of Engineers must provide approval of the site. The district anticipates receiving approvals by April.
The total project cost is $35 million, of which the district has raised $24 million. The plan is to complete fundraising by the end of May.
