Rich parents are paying $75,000 for AI school, and ex-staff say kids are 'guinea pigs'

At one private school network, families with substantial means are paying tuition comparable to elite colleges for an artificial-intelligence-centered model that claims students can complete their coursework in only a few hours a day.

However, former staffers and outside critics say the model may be less groundbreaking than it appears — and that students could end up paying the price.

What's happening?

As Futurism noted, citing The Wall Street Journal, Alpha School has been attracting more affluent parents with a program that pairs AI tutors with project-based workshops and costs about $75,000 a year.

Among the people drawn to the idea is billionaire investor Bill Ackman. The network has also reportedly received support from the Trump administration and has been promoted as a school that "rejects DEI" while avoiding "hot-button social issues."

According to Futurism, San Francisco-based venture capitalist Shaun Johnson, who plans to send his son to an Alpha kindergarten, told The Wall Street Journal: "We recognize that education is likely broken the way it is and there's going to be entrepreneurs that try to fix it."

Johnson added, "You want someone to be able to think on their feet and navigate the world, not necessarily a recitation of facts in a particular discipline."

Why does it matter?

The debate comes at a time when schools across the country are already grappling with teacher shortages, funding pressures, and growing uncertainty over how AI should be used in classrooms. Supporters say the technology can personalize lessons, help students move at their own pace, and free up more time for hands-on activities.

Still, Alpha's actual results are difficult to evaluate because, as a private network, it does not have to report performance metrics to the state, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Critics have raised concerns about both quality and safety. Futurism noted that in February, 404 Media reported that internal documents described AI-generated lessons with weak structure and multiple-choice questions that did not make sense. Former workers also said students often spent longer than the school's advertised "two-hour learning" window and sometimes had to fill gaps in their education before moving ahead.

404 reported that large amounts of student data — including videos — were stored in easily accessible Google Drive folders. One former employee told the outlet: "Students are being treated like guinea pigs."

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