Alpha Schools expands AI-only instruction to Chicago and other cities
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An unconventional private school model that replaces traditional classroom lessons with artificial intelligence is preparing for a major expansion nationwide this fall, even as critics and powerful teachers unions raise alarm.
Alpha Schools, which one says its students learn twice as fast as those at “standard” schools, and it plans to open new campuses in Chicago, Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh and many other California centers, including Santa Monica, Palo Alto and the East Bay. The school currently operates in Austin, New York and Miami.
The Alpha model is built on the “two-hour core” subject requirement. Students spend their mornings mastering academics such as maths and English using adaptive AI software, before moving on to “life skills” workshops and project-based learning in the afternoon.
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A school that teaches through artificial intelligence is expanding across the country, coming to major cities like Chicago and Oakland this fall. (Getty Images)
According to the school, the results are quite significant:
- Fast Learning: Alpha claims that its students learn 2x faster than their traditional peers.
- Elite Scores: The school reports an average SAT score of 1530 for the graduating class and 1410 for the freshman class.
- Price Tag: In Chicago, the school reportedly charges $55,000 in annual tuition.
Despite the high-end branding, the school faces the skeptical wall of the educational establishment. Researchers warn that the long-term effects of removing human teachers from the primary teaching role are unknown.
“Research and research on personalized learning [AI learning] It’s mixed at best,” says Charles Logan, an education researcher at Northwestern’s Center for Responsible Technology, Policy, and Public Engagement. he told Block Club Chicago. “I think Alpha Schools’ adaptive tutoring approach is like an open experiment [and] It is not supported by critical research.”
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The Alpha Schools website states that they plan to open campuses in Chicago, Illinois, the East Bay, Santa Monica and Palo Alto, California, Atlanta, Georgia, and Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina.
The school has already faced regulatory hurdles. Efforts to secure charter school status that would allow it to receive public funding have been rejected in many states. Pennsylvania officials rejected the school’s application, stating that the model “failed to demonstrate how the tools would ensure compliance with Pennsylvania academic standards.”
The school’s arrival in Chicago drew harsh condemnations from labor leaders who saw the model as a threat to traditional public education.
Illinois Federation of Teachers Secretary and Treasurer Pankaj Sharma criticized the school in a statement to Fox News Digital, attributing the model to the “voucher lobby.”
“Exorbitant tuition for a school that has no teachers, no state accreditation, but an AI platform that monitors kids and has a track record of harmful consequences? No, thank you,” said Sharma, the founder of MAGA. “Melania can keep her robots and public dollars should stay in public schools.”
Ebony DeBerry, an elected member of the Chicago Board of Education, expressed similar concerns, telling Block Club Chicago that human teachers are vital for “emotional support” and “problem-solving skills” that technology cannot replicate.
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Chicago Public Schools allows the use of AI in the classroom, but not as a primary method of education. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Alpha founder Mackenzie Price challenges what she calls the school’s “mainstream media” narrative. One 2024-2025 year-end reflectionThe school addressed the “robot” stigma.
“They essentially paint a picture of robot terminator AI trainers without human guidance,” the document said. “But the truth about Alpha is just the opposite. Adult people (we call them teachers, guides and coaches) are the most important part of our schools.”
The school argues that its “guides” provide the motivational and emotional support students need, while artificial intelligence does the data-driven heavy lifting of personalized instruction.
While the Chicago Teachers Union has remained mum on the expansion, districts in other expansion areas, such as Conroe Independent School District in Texas, have stated that they are following the model but currently have “limited data” on the success of AI-powered campuses.
The Chicago Teachers Union did not respond to a request for comment.
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