PARK RAPIDS, MINN. – One of two new public charter schools opening across the state in 2024 is located in northern Minnesota, where staff will welcome students for the first time Sept. 3.

Heartland Lakes Community School, located in Park Rapids at Riverside United Methodist Church, will officially be in session after Park Rapids City Council members unanimously approved a conditional use permit this week. Plans for the K-8 school are also approved by the Minnesota Department of Education.

MDE says first-year enrollment projections are around 85 students. The estimated class sizes will be 20 students each in kindergarten and first grade, 10 students each in second through fifth grades and five students in sixth.

Heartland board chair Joanna Wallenberg said that the school has six licensed teachers, two paraprofessionals and a three-person administrative team.

The school hopes to grow to 145 students and 20 staffers after three years of operation, according to plans presented to the City Council.

Riverside United Methodist will be used in its current layout without modifications. The school will partner with the Park Rapids School District to bus students.

MDE lists Heartland and another charter school on St. Paul's East Side as those opening this fall. Another five charter schools plan to open in 2025 in the Twin Cities metro area.