Principal | Cedar Rapids Prep

Principal | CEDAR RAPIDS PREP

 A school built on academic excellence and student joy • Cedar Rapids, IA

ABOUT CEDAR RAPIDS PREP

Cedar Rapids Prep opened its doors in August 2025 to 250 students in grades 6–8 with a focus on what matters most: excellent teachers, consistent high expectations paired with joy, and using data and feedback to guide our work. In 2026–2027, the school adds 9th grade and expands its middle school cohorts, growing toward an eventual enrollment of 1,200+ students across K-12. 

The results speak for themselves:

• 80% of 6th and 7th graders and 68% of 8th graders met their full-year NWEA MAP math growth goal at mid-year
• 72%–80% of students have already met their reading growth goals at mid-year
• Average daily attendance exceeds 94%
• 97% of families report that staff genuinely care about their success and that their child is appropriately challenged academically
• Average score out of 10 on recommending CRP: Staff: 9.65/10 | Students: 8.43/10 | Family NPS: 8.89/10

ABOUT THE ROLE

Due to an unexpected leadership transition, Cedar Rapids Prep is seeking an exceptional Principal to carry forward the unprecedented work already underway. This is a rare opportunity to step into a school with a winning culture, a deeply committed team, and a community that is fully invested in its mission -  and to lead it to even greater heights.

Reporting to the Chief of Schools, James Troupis, the Principal is the instructional, cultural, and operational leader of Cedar Rapids Prep. This leader will sustain and accelerate what has already been built while guiding the school through its next chapter of growth - including the addition of high school grades and a new $30M+ flagship campus in Hiawatha currently under renovation.

This is not a turnaround. This is an acceleration. The right leader walks into a school community that loves what it’s becoming - one with the resources, support, and philanthropic backing to go further than any Iowa K–12 school has gone before.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Team Leadership

• Build, develop, and retain a high-performing team of educators and operations staff, creating a culture that is both deeply positive and relentlessly focused on results
• Own school-wide hiring, onboarding, and performance management, ensuring clear expectations, consistent feedback, and accountability for outcomes
• Foster a staff community grounded in collaboration, continuous improvement, and shared ownership of student success

Instructional Leadership

• Set and uphold a clear vision for excellent instruction rooted in Opportunity Education Network’s approach to active learning and student engagement
• Build and manage the instructional leadership system, including the Dean of Academics and instructional coaches, to ensure consistent, high-quality coaching across classrooms
• Use walkthroughs, student work, and data to monitor instructional quality and drive alignment, consistency, and continuous improvement
• Ensure professional learning is purposeful, data-driven, and directly tied to improving classroom practice and student outcomes
• Hold a high bar for rigor and personalization, ensuring every student is on a pathway that leads to strong academic growth and meaningful postsecondary options

Culture & Community

• Be a constant, visible presence in the school, building real relationships with students and knowing them well
• Protect and strengthen a culture where every student feels they belong and is expected to do hard things
• Set a clear, high bar for behavior, engagement, and academic ownership, and ensure it is consistently upheld across the school
• Actively motivate, celebrate, and push students and staff, creating a culture that is both joyful and ambitious
• Ensure students experience consistency and clarity in expectations across classrooms, transitions, and the full school day

Operational Excellence

• Oversee day-to-day operations for the school or assigned campus, ensuring systems run smoothly, reliably, and without distraction from learning
• Partner closely with the Dean of Operations to deliver strong execution across scheduling, budget, compliance, and facilities
• Create a consistently excellent family and student experience, from first impression to daily interactions, with attention to detail in how the school feels and operates
• Manage resources responsibly, making sound, student-centered decisions that reflect strong budget discipline
• Support the school’s growth and evolution, adapting systems and structures as the campus expands

External Relations

• Ensure the school is fully enrolled through strong recruitment, family experience, and retention
• Build and maintain meaningful relationships with local organizations, employers, and community leaders to expand opportunities for students
• Develop and sustain relationships with civic and political leaders to support the school’s long-term success
• Serve as the public face and steward of the school, representing its mission with clarity and credibility in the community

IDEAL CANDIDATE

Mindsets & Traits

• Deep ownership mindset: fully responsible for the success of the entire school, stepping toward problems early and taking accountability for results rather than attributing them elsewhere
• Strategic, builder-oriented leadership: believes there is a better way to do school, sets a clear vision, and focuses the team on the few priorities that matter most
• Relentless commitment to high standards: operates with urgency, clarity, and a belief that strong outcomes are achievable for every student, holding self and others accountable to that bar
• Disciplined executor: highly reliable, follows through on commitments, and builds systems and routines that create consistency and focus across the school
• Culture-first leader: builds deep trust and relationships with students, staff, and families, creating a community where people feel known, valued, and motivated to do their best work
• Confident humility: leads with conviction in the model while actively seeking feedback, reflecting, and improving; takes responsibility and elevates others

Experience & Qualifications

• Demonstrated results as a school leader, including strong academic outcomes and a culture where students are engaged, known, and doing meaningful work
• Proven ability to lead and develop adults, including experience managing managers and building high-performing teams
• Track record of owning outcomes and delivering results, not just leading initiatives
• Strong instructional leadership, including setting vision, using data to drive decisions, and ensuring high-quality coaching and professional learning systems
• Experience building and sustaining partnerships with community organizations, employers, and postsecondary institutions
• Experience managing school budgets and operations with sound judgment and attention to detail
• At least 10 years of experience in education and a minimum of 5 years managing other adults
• Note: While our strong preference is for an experienced school principal, we are open to exceptional leaders from other fields with a proven track record of building and leading high-performing organizations; in these cases, the role may be structured as an Executive Director in partnership with a strong assistant principal and dean team

Licensure

The Principal must currently hold an Iowa administrator’s license, OR possess a valid out-of-state administrator license with the ability to transfer it to Iowa within one year, OR demonstrate a clear pathway to obtaining Iowa K–12 administrator licensure within one year of hire

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• Starting salary of $160,000+, commensurate with experience; among the most competitive K–12 principal compensation packages in Iowa.
• Full participation in IPERs
• Full benefits package including health, vision, and dental coverage
• Access to/become a part of the Opportunity Education Network and national school leader community and impact
• Supported by significant philanthropic support

LOCATION

Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The Principal must establish residency in or near Cedar Rapids.

LEARN MORE

See Cedar Rapids Prep in action - our students, our culture, and what makes this school unlike anything else in Iowa:

▶  Cedar Rapids Prep —Short Overview

▶  Cedar Rapids Prep —Longer Overview

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. To apply, please apply online. If you have specific questions, please contact James Troupis, Chief of Schools, at jtroupis@opportunityeducation.org. Priority consideration is given to candidates who apply promptly.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Opportunity Education does not discriminate against any employee or applicant based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

ABOUT OPPORTUNITY EDUCATION

Opportunity Education is a charitable foundation with the mission of developing and supporting life-changing learning programs for young adults worldwide. Founded in 2005 by entrepreneur-philanthropist Joe Ricketts, Opportunity Education has supported programs in 12 countries, serving over 1 million students and more than 5,000 teachers across 1,500 schools.

In 2025, Opportunity Education Network (OEN) was formed as a separate non-profit within the Opportunity Education Foundation family. OEN operates four schools including Des Moines Prep, Quest Forward Omaha, Question Forward Santa Rosa, and Cedar Rapids Prep. The schools are one team and family with shared DNA but also their own unique identity as well. Cedar Rapids Prep is one of our flagship schools in a growing national network, and it is already setting the standard.