Alpha School, a private institution that utilizes artificial intelligence as its primary educational tool, is expanding its operations with a new campus set to open in Santa Monica, California, next month. The school, which charges $65,000 per year in tuition, asserts that its AI-driven approach can outperform established elite private schools.
"We're outperforming top private schools like Harvard-Westlake," Anna Davalantes, a representative for Alpha School, told the Santa Monica Sun. Davalantes further claimed that Alpha achieves these superior results without selectively admitting only academically gifted students.
The school's model involves students using custom AI technology for academic subjects during a two-hour morning session. Instead of traditional teachers, the school employs "guides" who facilitate learning. Alpha School states that its personalized AI platform generates custom lesson plans and presents unique questions to students, who must answer them correctly before progressing.
Derek Bergmann, one of Alpha's guides, explained that while students learn via a device, the guides help keep them in the "Goldilocks zone' — not too hard, not too easy." Guides at Alpha are not required to have prior teaching experience and often come from backgrounds such as tech founders or sports coaches. They earn an annual salary of approximately $150,000 and spend at least 30 minutes with each student to assist with goal setting, both personal and academic.
After completing academic lessons in the morning, students participate in afternoon hands-on workshops focused on life skills, including financial literacy, teamwork, and public speaking. The Santa Monica campus will initially accommodate a cohort of 30 families.
The school's educational philosophy has garnered attention, including from U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, who visited Alpha School's Austin campus in September. McMahon stated, "harnessing AI thoughtfully will be critical to expanding opportunity and preparing students for tomorrow’s workforce."
Founded by entrepreneur MacKenzie Price and software billionaire Joe Liemandt, Alpha School currently operates three other locations in California—Santa Barbara, San Francisco, and Orange County—in addition to a campus in New York City.