Chicago’s first AI-driven, teacher-free school launched its academic year this week, introducing an unconventional education model that carries a $55,000 price tag.
Alpha Chicago is a new location of a chain of private schools originally founded in 2014 in Austin, Texas, by MacKenzie Price. The Chicago campus marks the first Alpha location in Illinois, while the company operates in at least 15 other states and Puerto Rico.
Located at 350 E. South Water St., Alpha Chicago welcomed students on Tuesday for the start of the 2026-2027 school year.
Rather than receiving a traditional lecture, students at the pre-K through eighth grade school will learn from a personalized, AI-driven software program.
“Looking for a private school your child can’t wait to go to each morning? At Alpha Chicago, our mastery-based, AI driven approach allows students to crush their academics in 2 hours,” the school’s website states. “At Alpha Chicago, kids love school. We’re not just preparing students for tests; we’re preparing them for limitless futures.”
Alpha’s “2 Hour Learning” model does not mean children are dismissed after just a couple of hours. Students attend a full school day similar to that of a traditional school; however, Alpha’s website explains that “core academics are completed in about two hours using personalized, mastery-based learning software.”
Once those two hours are finished, students turn their attention to skills and activities that Alpha says traditional schools “often struggle to fit in” to their curriculum, including leadership workshops, public speaking, entrepreneurship projects, team collaboration, physical activity, creative problem solving, and life skills development.
The administration also depends on what are called “guides” as part of its education model, a role Alpha describes as a redefined and elevated version of the traditional teacher.
“Instead of lecturing the same lesson to 25-30 students at once, our educators, called Guides, focus on what humans do best: mentoring students, supporting emotional development, coaching leadership skills, encouraging curiosity and motivation, helping students set and achieve goals,” the Alpha website states. “Because AI and adaptive software handle routine academic instruction, Guides can spend more time supporting each student individually.”
Efficiency is a major driving factor behind the “2 Hour Learning” model, according to Alpha’s website.
“The goal is not to reduce academic rigor. Instead, the goal is to remove inefficiencies from the traditional classroom model,” the website says. “In traditional schools, much of the day is spent on lectures, waiting for classmates to catch up, or repeating material students already understand.”
Alpha’s model allows students to move at their own pace and spend more time where they need additional support or advance once they have mastered a concept, the company’s website claims.
Alpha did not immediately respond to NBC Chicago’s inquiry.
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