Elementary school with no teachers set to open in Chicago this year

In Chicago, a Silicon Valley-style school is gaining attention as it expands, attempting to optimize educational models that use artificial intelligence.

What's happening?

Alpha School is already up and running in cities across the country — such as San Francisco, Austin, Miami, Los Angeles, and New York — and will open new locations in Chicago, Palo Alto, and Santa Monica this fall. 

Alpha School claims it can teach complex programs efficiently, boasting rapid learning in just two hours a day through an AI tutor — without teachers. There are adult "guides" at the school for emotional and motivational support, and academic experts available on virtual calls when students are struggling with the curriculum. 

Students then spend the rest of the day in workshops that range from entrepreneurship to public speaking to outdoor education. 

Tuition varies across the country, but in Chicago, parents can expect to shell out $55,000 a year to send their kids to Alpha School. It is not yet clear how all of that tuition money is allocated across school staff and expenses, though according to Book Club Chicago citing the Austin Scholar, "the curriculum combines software developed by the school with licensed third-party educational apps like Khan Academy, Membean, Mentava and MobyMax." 

Why is the use of AI in education controversial?

Using AI in classrooms is nothing new. In a recent poll, 6 in 10 teachers reported using at least one AI tool for some portion of assistance during the 2024-25 school year. Teachers can save a lot of time by using AI tools to cut down on busywork, like creating worksheets, and text-based AI outputs are generally less resource-intensive than simply streaming a non-AI YouTube video for a class. 

However, the AI-focused model has faced scrutiny. Research from Northwestern University indicated that improvements in math were modest when students used Khan Academy. Yet, some studies, such as one by Keeping Pace, show significant progress when facilitator guidance is included — particularly in light of the fact that nearly all AI models still include disclaimers that AI makes mistakes and thus may misinterpret a question or give a wrong answer. 

Despite initial skepticism, Alpha Schools founder Mackenzie Price expressed optimism about AI's potential to transform learning. 

Still, the teacher-less school has received generally negative feedback online, especially its use for replacing teachers altogether, with one X user posting, "It feels like nobody hates teachers more than the United States." 

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