AI is running the classroom at this Texas school, and students say 'it's awesome'

Yahoo

02-05-2025

At a time when many American students are struggling to keep up, a private school in Texas is doing more with less, much less.At Alpha School, students spend just two hours a day in class, guided by an Artificial Intelligence (AI) tutor. But results are impressive: students are testing in the top 1 to 2% nationally."We use an AI tutor and adaptive apps to provide a completely personalized learning experience," said Alpha co-founder MacKenzie Price during an interview on Fox & Friends."Our students are learning faster. They're learning way better. In fact, our classes are in the top 2% in the country."
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After the short morning academic block, the rest of the school day is spent building real-world skills like public speaking, teamwork and financial literacy.Price, a Stanford-educated psychologist, said she launched Alpha after her daughters came home from school bored and unchallenged. The first Alpha campus opened in Austin in 2016 after two years of development.The idea was simple and bold: compress core academics into two hours per day using technology, and free up the rest of the day for students to grow in other ways.That model appears to be working. Elle Kristine, a junior who's been at Alpha since second grade, shared her experience on Fox & Friends."I have a lot of friends at traditional school," Kristine said. "They're spending all this time on schoolwork, they're so stressed out, and they're just miserable."
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"We get all of our academics done in just three hours a day, and then the rest of the day we get to spend doing what we love and working on passion projects," she said."For me, I'm creating a safe AI dating coach for teenagers. It was recently featured in The Wall Street Journal. What 16-year-old has time for that? It's awesome."Alpha currently operates campuses in Austin, Brownsville, and Miami, serving students from Pre-K through high school.The Austin location includes both a K–8 academy and a dedicated high school campus downtown. Alpha's Brownsville school is the fastest growing, and the Miami campus now serves students through 10th grade.Enrollment is intentionally small, around 150 students at the original Austin site, allowing for a highly personalized experience. Instead of traditional teachers, Alpha employs guides who focus on coaching and emotional support, while AI handles the academic instruction."Our teachers spend all of their time working with our students," Price said. "That human connection can never be replaced by AI. But the AI makes it possible to personalize learning for everyone."With results and parent demand growing, Alpha is now taking its education model nationwide. The school has announced plans to open seven new campuses by Fall 2025.Upcoming locations include:Texas: Houston and Fort Worth (K–8)Florida: Orlando, Tampa, and Palm Beach (K–8)Arizona: Phoenix (K–8)California: Santa Barbara (K–12)New York: New York City (K–8)Applications are already open for many of these sites. Tuition varies by location, averaging around $40,000 to $50,000 annually, though the Brownsville campus is subsidized to make it more accessible."This is infinitely scalable and accessible," Price said. "It's going to help students who are struggling, and also those who are just bored in traditional classrooms."
The Alpha School did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
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