A new network of schools is disrupting the status quo with AI-generated lessons, six-figure pay for teachers, and the approval of hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman.
Alpha School is a nationwide private school network that uses AI to customize learning for students from kindergarten through 12th grade. The typical Alpha School day consists of two hours of AI-generated academic learning for core subjects, followed by four hours of hands-on activities. The school claims that students learn twice as much as those following a standard system, per The Wall Street Journal. There is no homework, and parents receive daily data about how well their children are learning in school.
Ackman, who has a net worth of $8.28 billion according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, posted about Alpha School on X last week, promoting the system and calling it a “truly breakthrough innovation.” He mentioned in his post that children in the Alpha school system “love school and have incredible outcomes.”
200 years ago K-12 ed was a teacher and a blackboard in front of 25-30 kids. Today, the only thing that has changed is the blackboard may be a whiteboard. And meanwhile the world is in the midst of an AI revolution.
Check out @AlphaSchoolATX. The first truly breakthrough… https://t.co/0GfAhvtqHo
— Bill Ackman (@BillAckman) August 20, 2025
The schools charge tuition between $40,000 and $75,000, depending on the location.
The school was co-founded by MacKenzie Price, a Stanford graduate who created the two-hour learning model after her daughters told her that school was boring. Her vision was to create a way for students to pursue core academics in just two hours a day, leaving the rest of the time open to experiential learning.
Teachers, who earn a minimum of $100,000, are referred to as “guides” because they “don’t do academic teaching,” Alpha School Principal Joe Liemandt explained on an episode of the “Invest Like the Best with Patrick O’Shaughnessy” podcast released on Tuesday. Instead of teachers outlining concepts on a board, students learn from devices assisted by AI.
For example, a job opening for a high school guide at Alpha School in Austin, Texas, asks for an individual who can teach students “how to grow authentic social media followings” and “connect students with relevant influencers,” instead of someone with a teaching degree.
Liemandt said on the podcast that Alpha School keeps students motivated by leaning into game-like lesson plans created by AI. For example, students can “unlock” afternoon activities, like a five-mile bike ride, by finishing their two hours of classwork.
Students can also earn money by completing their coursework and use it to fund their interests, like investing. It’s unclear how much they can earn.
“Your kid can earn money by doing academics, so they can fund their passion projects,” Liemandt said on the podcast.
Alpha School is up and running in Texas, California, and Florida, with plans to launch schools in New York, Arizona, North Carolina, and Virginia later this year.
A new network of schools is disrupting the status quo with AI-generated lessons, six-figure pay for teachers, and the approval of hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman.
Alpha School is a nationwide private school network that uses AI to customize learning for students from kindergarten through 12th grade. The typical Alpha School day consists of two hours of AI-generated academic learning for core subjects, followed by four hours of hands-on activities. The school claims that students learn twice as much as those following a standard system, per The Wall Street Journal. There is no homework, and parents receive daily data about how well their children are learning in school.
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