DES MOINES, Iowa — Des Moines's newest charter school, located on the second floor of the old Franklin Junior High building, is finishing up its first year as a STEM-focused school.
Since opening in 2023, Horizon Science Academy has offered a tuition-free public school option for its 73 students between kindergarten and third grade. And this fall, the school will add preschool and fourth grade levels.
Horizon Science Academy said it can offer tuition-free education because it receives state tax dollars and charter school grants to operate.
The school works to strengthen students' tech skills, offering a hands-on curriculum parents say they appreciate.
"He loves coding," parent Jess Cain said. "[My son] was also able to be a part of a coding club after school."
Parent Ross Peterson added: "To be in second grade and have science be your favorite subject is fascinating. When I was in second grade, it was gym and recess and those things. For my daughter in second grade to be in love with science is really cool."
Peterson said they choose the charter school because they were looking for something more "STEM-focused". With Horizon Science Academy offering a public school experience, he said the choice was a "no-brainer" when the academy popped up on their radar.
Aside from shining a spotlight on STEM education, the school has historically served communities that had been underserved.
"You know, give education opportunities to students and families who may traditionally hadn't felt like they had that opportunity," is what school administrators, like Emily Reiman advocate for.
Horizon Science Academy's now offering education to families in the greater Des Moines metro, as long as that student has a mode of transportation each day, Reiman told Local 5.