Elite AI Schools Pitch Excellence as Equity Concerns Mount

Alpha School, founded in Austin in 2014, is among a new group of private schools putting artificial intelligence at the center of instruction. Students spend about two hours each morning on AI-guided math, reading and science, with afternoons devoted to public speaking, financial literacy and projects. Alpha says its students rank in the top 1% on standardized tests, though the model’s long-term academic and social effects remain unproven.

By July 2026, Alpha operated 16 campuses and charged annual tuition ranging from $40,000 in Austin to as much as $75,000 elsewhere. Forge Prep is investing $5 million to redevelop a Livingston, New Jersey, campus and plans to open in fall 2026 with about 34 students, eventually expanding to roughly 400. Such prices are sharpening concern that AI-enhanced schooling could widen educational inequality by concentrating experimental tools and intensive coaching among wealthy families.