John Rex Charter Seeks to Expand from Pre‑K–8 to K–12, Board Briefed on Downtown High‑School Plan

Oklahoma City Public Schools on Tuesday heard an informational update on John Rex Charter School’s renewal application, which requests permission to expand the school’s grade bands from pre‑K–8 to a full K–12 program and to add a downtown high school at 615 North Hudson.

The briefing matters because John Rex told the board it expects to grow from about 810 students in pre‑K through eighth grade to roughly 1,700 students within seven to eight years, including a high‑school enrollment target of about 500 students. The district presented schedule and site plans and said the renewal application includes both a retrospective review of performance and a prospective plan for the next term.

In the presentation, district staff said John Rex plans to add students incrementally this year — expanding pre‑K, kindergarten, first, and grades five through eight — increasing enrollment by about 120 students to roughly 920 for the coming year. The school will operate three sites this year: John Rex Elementary, a Macau Pine campus for fifth and sixth grades, and a seventh–eighth grade center at the Carnegie Library. District staff told the board the planned high‑school campus would require lease or renovation work and is not expected to open until the 2028–29 school year.

No vote was taken on the renewal at the meeting. District staff said the item will appear as an action item at the board’s July meeting. Board members asked procedural and timeline questions; one board member noted that state law recently changed and that the board’s role on grade‑band expansion is limited. General counsel confirmed the change in legal authority and that the briefing was shared to keep board members informed.

The presentation and board discussion focused on enrollment projections, planned sites, and timing. District staff said John Rex’s application includes career‑and‑technical tracks at the proposed high school — examples mentioned included cybersecurity, aviation and entrepreneurship — as well as Advanced Placement and concurrent‑enrollment options.

Because this was an informational presentation there was no formal district action taken at the meeting; the board will consider a related vote at its July meeting.

Details to watch: the site at 615 North Hudson downtown, the proposed 2028–29 opening for the high school, and the July action item on the renewal application.