No teachers, just AI: Alpha School is enrolling in Chicago for $55,000 per year

At Alpha Schools, which charge $55,000 in tuition, students learn entirely from artificial intelligence (AI) systems.

A network of private AI-led schools, called Alpha Schools, is now enrolling for classes in Chicago this fall. The school will teach from kindergarten through eighth grade, CBS News reports.

At 22 Alpha Schools across the country, students spend up to two hours a day learning core subjects like science, math, and reading, from AI on a computer.

Then, the assigned human “guide” leads the children in workshops focused on “life skills,” such as public speaking, coding, entrepreneurship, and outdoor education, according to the school’s website.

School founder Mackenzie Price says the school is using the same curriculum that students in the classroom are learning from.

"This is not ChatGPT coming up with made-up questions," founder Price is cited by CBS News.

Price says their AI system can precisely assess what a student knows and doesn’t, making it suitable for basic learning.

The Alpha School’s website states that its students grow 2.6 times faster than peers on nationally normed MAP tests, with top-performing students achieving up to 6.5x growth.

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In addition, “the majority” of students consistently outperform national averages.

In February, 404 Media reported, based on internal school documents it obtained, that its employees believe AI is generating faulty lesson plans and doing “more harm than good” to students.

Alpha School’s materials reportedly confuse students with unclear wording and illogical choices, undermining their trust in the assessment process.

One former employee, as cited by 404 Media, said that students succeeded “despite the AI because of the dedication of human tutors.”

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