Private school using AI instead of teachers enrolling in Chicago for fall

Alpha Schools, a private school that teaches students entirely using artificial intelligence programs, is now enrolling for classes in Chicago this fall. (WBBM via CNN Newsource)

CHICAGO (WBBM) -- Would you send your child to a private school with no teachers and learning driven by AI? And would you pay to do so?

Alpha Schools, a private school that teaches students entirely using artificial intelligence programs, is now enrolling for classes in Chicago this fall.

The schools will teach from kindergarten through eighth grade at the Lakeshore East building, the former Gems World Academy.

An AI school sounds like students are learning from robots, there are no teachers, and kids stare at computers all day. That’s not exactly how it works.

The curriculum is unique. Each child is assigned a “guide” instead of a teacher. The kids learn from AI for one to two hours a day on a computer, learning core subjects like science, math, and reading. When screen time is over, the guides lead the children in workshops from public speaking to coding to outdoor education.

“We are using the same curriculum that students in the classroom are learning from. This is not ChatGPT coming up with made-up questions,” said founder Mackenzie Price.

Price said their AI system can precisely assess what a student knows and doesn’t know. She said that’s good for basic learning, their guides teach students the rest, and they are paid well with six-figure salaries.

“Teachers are not going to be replaced. They are the most important part of making a model work, and they are the reason that our model is so successful,” Price said.

“It’s really not that new, to be honest, it’s personalized learning,” said Liz Gerber with the Center for Human-Computer Interaction and design at Northwestern University.

Gerber said the Alpha School is self-directed learning with Montessori principles.

She hesitates to call this an AI school. However, it is US$55,000 per child to attend, and that only attracts a wealthy clientele.

“What’s concerning to me is it’s not going to be available to everybody, it’s just not scalable. I mean, the cost is just prohibitive,” Gerber said.

Why is it so expensive?

“It’s our afternoons and the activities we do during those life skills workshops that is where a lot of this is going,” Price said.

Price says kids are able to move at the pace and level right for them.

According to Alpha Schools, their classes rank in the top 1% pon national standardized tests, and their students grow, on average, 2.6 times faster than peers on nationally informed MAP tests.

Currently, they have 35 students interested and two enrolled for the next school year. Their goal is to have 50 students enrolled by the fall of 2026, and they are currently taking applications.

There are 22 Alpha Schools currently across the country. Their website mentions that the tuition includes a slew of activities, like a trip to Formula 1, Poland, and even a summer program in the Hamptons.

By Sara Tenenbaum, Marissa Sulek, WBBM