Citizenship is a contact sport. At City View Community High School, we embrace John Dewey’s idea that “education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” Our approach combines project-based learning, immersive internships, and college-level courses through our Kirkwood partnership to create an education that’s both rigorous and deeply connected to the local community. Students tackle real-world challenges while building deep local connections and developing the skills needed to thrive as engaged citizens.
The Cedar Rapids Community School District (CRCSD) is anchored in the vision that every student is thriving academically and prepared to graduate future-ready. Our Cedar Rapids workforce leaders share that commitment, as they look to hire graduates who are ready to contribute to a dynamic local job market. This vision is achievable through specialized, choice-based magnet schools that both address learning gaps and reduce racial and economic disparities. CRCSD believes that by creating and supporting innovative educational experiences—ones that foster creativity, promote personalized learning, and connect students to their future world—both students and the city will thrive.
City View Community High School embodies this approach as a project-based, internship-driven, community-embedded magnet program where students learn by doing. Here, we emphasize a smaller learning community to ensure each student is known, supported, and challenged. Students of all backgrounds—whether they already have a passion or are still exploring—benefit from an experiential, real-world model that connects them to local businesses and mentors. By focusing on competency-based education, meaningful internships, and collaborative projects, City View nurtures curiosity, initiative, and resilience. Through this powerful combination of district vision and community partnership, our graduates develop the habits of mind and practical skills needed to succeed in college, careers, and beyond—strengthening both themselves and Cedar Rapids as a whole.