An unconventional private school model that replaces traditional classroom lectures with artificial intelligence is gearing up for a massive nationwide expansion this fall, even as critics and powerful teachers unions sound the alarm.
Alpha Schools, which says its students learn twice as fast as those in “standard” schools, is planning to open new campuses in Chicago, Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh, and several California hubs, including Santa Monica, Palo Alto and the East Bay. The school already operates in Austin, New York and Miami.
The Alpha model is built on a “two-hour core” subject requirement. Students spend their mornings using adaptive AI software to master academics like math and English before transitioning to an afternoon of “life skills” workshops and project-based learning.
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According to the school, the results are significant:
Despite the high-end branding, the school is facing a wall of skepticism from the education establishment. Researchers warn that the long-term effects of removing human teachers from the primary instructional role are unknown.
“The research on personalized learning and [AI learning] is mixed at best,” Charles Logan, an education researcher at Northwestern’s Center for Responsible Technology, Policy and Public Dialogue, told Block Club Chicago. “I think the Alpha Schools’ approach to adaptive tutoring is like an open experiment [and] is not supported by critical research.”
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The school has already hit regulatory roadblocks. Efforts to secure charter school status—which would allow it to receive public funding—have been rejected in several states. Pennsylvania officials denied the school’s application, stating the model “fails to demonstrate how the tools… would ensure alignment to Pennsylvania academic standards.”
The school’s arrival in Chicago has drawn sharp condemnation from labor leaders who view the model as a threat to traditional public education.
Pankaj Sharma, secretary-treasurer of the Illinois Federation of Teachers, slammed the school in a statement to Fox News Digital, linking the model to “the voucher lobby.”
“Exorbitant tuition for a school with a MAGA founder, no teachers, no state accreditation, but an AI platform that surveils children and has a track record of harmful outcomes? No thank you,” Sharma said. “Melania can keep her robots and public dollars should stay in public schools.”
Ebony DeBerry, an elected member of the Chicago Board of Education, expressed similar concerns, telling Block Club Chicago that human teachers are vital for “emotional support” and “problem-solving skills” that technology cannot replicate.
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Alpha founder Mackenzie Price is pushing back against what the school calls a “mainstream media” narrative. In a 2024-2025 year-end reflection, the school addressed the “robot” stigma.
“They paint a picture of robot terminator AI tutors, without substantive human guidance,” the document stated. “But the truth about Alpha is the opposite. Adult humans—we call them teachers, guides and coaches—are the most important part of our schools.”
The school maintains that its “guides” provide the motivational and emotional support students need, while the AI simply handles the data-driven heavy lifting of personalized instruction.
While the Chicago Teachers Union remained silent on the expansion, districts in other expansion zones, such as Conroe Independent School District in Texas, say they are monitoring the model but noted there is currently “limited data” on the success of AI-driven campuses.
The Chicago Teachers Union did not respond to a request for comment.
