Downtown Oklahoma City families will be able to enter a lottery for downtown's first public high school since 1981 starting Nov. 11.

John Rex Polytechnic High School plans to open in fall 2027 at 615 N. Hudson Ave., inside a 30,000-square-foot office building called The Athenian. The new public charter school will enroll ninth graders its first year and add a grade each year after, according to KGOU.

The site sits near the Oklahoma City National Memorial.

John Rex Charter Schools, which is sponsored by Oklahoma City Public Schools, announced the high school on Thursday, Oct. 1. The charter network already operates an elementary, intermediate and middle school serving pre-K through eighth grade. It opened in August 2014.

Founding principal Rhonda Hart told KFOR that seventh and eighth graders from John Rex will also move to the new campus in fall 2027.

"We're giving students the possibility to learn those practical skills while doing something that relates to the real world," Hart said.

Students will choose from six career-focused concentrations: engineering, biomedical sciences, cybersecurity and computer science, entrepreneurship, advanced academics and interdisciplinary studies. The school's website describes the engineering track as covering design, systems and prototyping with connections to aerospace and energy. The biomedical sciences track focuses on human health, biotechnology and medical research.

Downtown has not had a neighborhood public high school since Oklahoma City Public Schools sold Central High School in 1981. Mayor David Holt noted the gap in an Oct. 1 post on X, writing that downtown needed "a neighborhood school again" to regain "all the foundational elements of a community."

Funding for the conversion of The Athenian is coming from donations, state funds and a capital campaign, according to KFOR. The nonprofit Inasmuch Foundation is also providing financial support, KGOU reported.

John Rex Charter Schools' leadership said in 2025 that enrollment across the network is expected to reach 1,700 students by the 2032-33 school year, The Oklahoman reported.

KGOU reported that an OKCPS spokesperson said the district could not prepare a statement before the publication deadline.

Families can visit johnrexschool.org for lottery details and updates on admissions and upcoming family events.