Two new Idaho charter schools have secured federal grants totaling over $1 million to help cover startup costs.

Gem Prep Twin Falls and Tamarack-based Mountain Community Charter School have been awarded $837,500 and $222,396, respectively, through the federal Charter Support program, charter support group Bluum announced Friday.

The federal funds come through Idaho’s Communities of Excellence consortium, which leads Idaho’s charter-expansion efforts and includes Bluum, the State Board of Education, the Idaho Public Charter School Commission and the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation.

Gem Prep Twin Falls is a K-12 college prep school set to open in August 2023, according to its website. The school has seats for 574 students and is part of the statewide Gem Prep charter consortium.

Mountain Community School is a 225-seat project-driven K-8 charter scheduled to open in September, according to its website.

Since 2019, six rounds of grant competitions have brought over $18.6 million to support startup, expansion or replication of 24 public charter schools in communities across Idaho.

Disclosure: Bluum and Idaho Education News are both funded through grants from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation.