Everything you need to understand Iowa Sports Prep, Iowa's education system, and how elite athletes develop their talents.
Key information about ISP, enrollment, and how it all works.
Traditional schools measure learning by time in seat: 6 hours a day, 180 days a year, move to the next grade.
Let's address the #1 concern parents have about ISP:
There's no single "best" school for everyone. The right choice depends on your child, your family, and your priorities.
Iowa's Education Savings Account (ESA) gives families money to spend on private education. For 2025-26, that's $7,988 pe...
2. Complete the knowledge journey — watch videos, take quizzes, learn the model
Any Iowa student ages 5-18. We serve grades K-12. You must be an Iowa resident.
Iowa Sports Prep (ISP) is a Cognia-accredited private school designed for student-athletes. This page provides informati...
Your kid sits in a classroom for 6+ hours, then rushes to practice tired. They miss training for assemblies. They do hom...
Under Principal Felix Mshololo (1990-2015), Menzi went from a 25% pass rate to 100%—consistently outperforming wealthy p...
> "If the student hasn't learned, the teacher hasn't taught."
Most schools teach subjects: "Today we're learning about resilience."
Every ISP student is assigned a Student Success Coach (SSC) — a dedicated person who knows your child, tracks their prog...
Too many student-athletes are running on empty: 7 hours of school, 3 hours of practice, homework until midnight, repeat....
> "She used to drag herself to school. Now she's up before her alarm."
MyPath is the app that tracks your student's development — academics, athletics, life skills, all in one place.
> "If my kid is learning at home, do I become the teacher?"
That's 44% of Iowa's 99 counties with no private school option at all — not one.
There's no single person responsible for a student's success.
> "If my kid goes to ISP, can they still play sports?"
Every ISP student receives $100/month in Training Credits — that's $1,000/year to spend on training-related purchases.
The biggest problem with traditional school + sports? Kids train tired.
Under Iowa Code 285, families whose children attend accredited nonpublic schools may be eligible for transportation assi...
Understanding Iowa's education landscape and options.
Before HF 189, private school students faced a dilemma:
Employers locate where they can find skilled workers. When workforce quality declines, businesses:
Iowa now offers more education options than ever before. Families are no longer limited to their assigned public school....
Iowa has traditionally been known for strong education. But rankings have slipped in recent years.
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Rural families voted for ESAs. But until recently, they had nowhere to spend them.
Iowa families have several online education options. Here's how they compare:
These families made a deliberate choice to leave. Why?
High school and youth sports in Iowa.
Iowa is the only state in the nation that plays high school baseball and softball during the summer. This unique calenda...
Iowa basketball has a unique history. The state pioneered girls' athletics decades before Title IX, with a legendary 6-o...
Understanding Iowa's athletic calendar is essential for planning your student's year. This guide covers all four seasons...
Football is the cultural anchor of Iowa's fall season. Friday night lights unite communities from suburban Des Moines to...
The IHSAA (boys) and IGHSAU (girls) updated their policies in August 2022 to allow this. But the rules are strict about ...
Iowa volleyball showcases the state's unique commitment to girls' athletics. With powerhouse programs that draw thousand...
Iowa is synonymous with wrestling. The Dan Gable legacy at the University of Iowa created a culture where wrestling is r...
Iowa's high school sports ecosystem is unlike any other state in America. From separate governing bodies for boys and gi...
Every sport has programs that consistently win — decade after decade. Understanding these dynasties helps families recog...
The landscape of youth club sports in Iowa has evolved into a sophisticated, multi-million-dollar ecosystem. Understandi...
The "pay-to-play" model has transformed youth sports into a significant family expense. This guide provides realistic co...
Training insights from elite athletes who started young.
Aleksandr Karelin is the most dominant wrestler who ever lived. His record: 887 wins, 2 losses. He went undefeated for 1...
Mikhail Baryshnikov is considered the greatest male ballet dancer of the 20th century. His leaps seemed to defy gravity,...
Cael Sanderson is perfection made real. Born in Heber City, Utah, he compiled a 159-0 collegiate record at Iowa State Un...
Cristiano Ronaldo wasn't born with Messi's natural genius. He was born in Madeira, a small Portuguese island, to a famil...
Ichiro Suzuki collected more professional baseball hits than anyone in history—4,367 combined between Japan and MLB. He ...
Kobe Bryant won five NBA championships, was an 18-time All-Star, and is considered one of the greatest players in basket...
Lionel Messi is widely considered the greatest soccer player ever—8 Ballon d'Or awards, a World Cup victory, and records...
Luka Dončić was the EuroLeague MVP at 18—the best player in the second-best league in the world, as a teenager. He won t...
Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympian ever—23 gold medals, 28 total medals. But the kid who would dominate swimm...
Novak Djokovic has won more Grand Slam titles than any men's player in history. His ability to outlast opponents in five...
Peyton Manning is widely considered the greatest "pure quarterback" in NFL history—five MVP awards, two Super Bowl champ...
Ray Lewis is one of the greatest linebackers in NFL history—13 Pro Bowls, 2 Super Bowl championships, and NFL Defensive ...
Roger Federer won 20 Grand Slam titles and is widely considered the most elegant tennis player ever. His movement seemed...
Simone Biles is the greatest gymnast ever—37 World and Olympic medals, skills so difficult they're literally named after...
Stephen Curry revolutionized basketball—the unanimous MVP, four-time champion, and greatest shooter ever. But he entered...
Tiger Woods wasn't merely born with talent—he was engineered. His father Earl, a Green Beret with combat experience in V...
Victor Wembanyama is 7'4" with an 8-foot wingspan—the most extraordinary physical specimen basketball has ever seen. But...
Venus and Serena Williams didn't just win Grand Slams—they transformed tennis. They brought power, athleticism, and ment...
Research-backed approaches to developing exceptional talent.
In 1985, Benjamin Bloom and his team at the University of Chicago published Developing Talent in Young People — a landma...
While the three phases of talent development are universal, the specific content and timing vary significantly across do...
One of Bloom's most counterintuitive findings: "good teaching" is not a static quality. A teacher who is perfect for one...
One of the most striking findings from Benjamin Bloom's study was the remarkable consistency of home environments across...
Across all six fields and all 120 achievers, Benjamin Bloom's study found a universal pattern: talent develops through t...
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