Alpha School is going to open a new campus in the United States around November. It will be an AI-powered school—though not in the way many might expect. This school will not focus on teaching Artificial Intelligence as a separate subject. Instead, AI will serve as a central tool to teach core academic subjects to students, while adults will be present in the classroom to guide students.
This campus of Alpha School will open in the old building of GEMS Academy located in the Lakeshore East area of Chicago. According to the school, its AI model will teach students core academic subjects for about two hours every day. The remaining time will be spent on workshops, special projects and learning a variety of life skills. The school also plans to use software-based learning tools instead of relying on traditional books.
Initially, the school will educate approximately 100 students from kindergarten to eighth grade, and there are plans to expand in the future. The annual tuition fee has been fixed at $55,000 (approximately ₹5,173,000). Alpha School currently has more than 20 centers operating in the United States; However, its high school program is currently limited to its Austin, Texas center.
In this new campus, students will pursue their studies on computers using the school’s own unique AI platform. The curriculum includes software developed by the school itself as well as licensed third-party educational apps such as Khan Academy, Membean, Mentava and MobyMax.
How will this learning model work?
The school will follow a schedule with two halves each day. The morning session will focus on academics, in which students will study through AI-based software. After lunch, students will put aside their laptops and participate in practical workshops focusing on life skills, teamwork and project-based learning. The school’s co-founder Mackenzie Price cited a survey conducted among 1,000 K–12 students from 13 schools in the United States. According to the survey, 94 percent of students said they “really like going to school,” while 60 percent of students said they would rather go to school than go on vacation. The school’s model has captured national attention, and has also come under intense scrutiny, as questions remain about the effectiveness of AI-based learning. While the use of AI in education has become commonplace—and both teachers and students are using AI tools—a curriculum taught entirely through AI is still a new and novel idea.
Meanwhile, Alpha School’s Cameron Sorsby recently announced a new program at This program is designed for students who want to become entrepreneurs. Sorsby wrote, “Our Promise: Earn $1 million (about ₹9.25 crore) by the time you graduate, or get your full tuition back.”