Alpha School’s AI Tuition Fails Most Students’ Traditional Learning Goals But What About Non Traditional Skills

Alpha School’s $75,000 annual tuition fails to deliver promised learning gains for most students.

Alpha School, a private AI-driven institution, claims students learn twice as fast in math and reading, yet only 42% meet this benchmark. This shortfall raises critical questions about the efficacy of AI in education and its scalability, especially as Alpha expands into public schools.

Internal data reviewed by _The New York Times_ reveal about half of K-8 students miss math targets, while one in five fall short in reading. Students starting behind perform worse, with many working late into the night, causing stress and anxiety. Former employees report faulty AI-generated lesson plans and unauthorized scraping of online content. Despite these issues, over 2,600 public school students in Texas and South Carolina use Alpha’s platform, where pilots show increased app time cutting into other activities. Alpha’s model replaces traditional teachers with “guides” who do not plan lessons or grade homework, challenging conventional education structures.

Alpha continues piloting its software in Texas and South Carolina public schools, including Houston Independent School District’s two campuses.

Montana educators and policymakers might watch Alpha’s experience cautiously, as the state’s rural and resource-constrained schools could face amplified challenges integrating AI platforms that demand more student screen time and lack conventional teacher support. The pressure and uneven results seen elsewhere may temper enthusiasm for costly AI-driven models without demonstrated, consistent improvements.

Wealthy parents pay $75,000 for Alpha’s two-hour AI school day. Half of its K-8 students missed the math target
By Muskaan Arshad, Fortune

This school will use artificial intelligence to teach students in 2-hour models