Alpha School runs more than 15 campuses as researchers question AI claims

The for-profit Alpha School has expanded from one campus in Austin, Texas, to more than 15 locations across the United States over the past decade, joining a growing cohort of private K-12 schools that replace traditional classroom teaching with artificial intelligence tutoring.

Parents can choose from AI-centric schools including Alpha School, Unbound Academy and the Khan Lab School, paying annual tuition ranging from $40,000 to $75,000 in some cases, according to a commentary published by United Press International. Some advocates of AI-driven education use slogans such as “School is broken, and we’re here to fix it,” the commentary reported.

Alpha School co-founder MacKenzie Price has described frustration with what she called a “one-size-fits-all” model of schooling in which all students study the same material but often learn at different speeds, according to the commentary. Sal Khan, founder of the online platform Khan Academy, has argued that AI could give every student a responsive individual tutor. Bill Gates has speculated that AI will replace many teachers within the next decade, the commentary said.

Gerald K. LeTendre, a professor of educational administration at Penn State, wrote in the UPI Voices commentary that the argument for personalized education risks creating “a false dichotomy where all AI programs are seen as responsive and motivating, and all classroom teaching is rote lecturing.”

Two hours of AI, supplemented by workshops

Alpha School’s model replaces traditional in-person instruction for K-12 students with personalized AI tutoring during a two-hour daily study block covering reading, math and other subjects. That block is supplemented with in-person workshops led by what the school calls “coaches” or “guides” — who are not necessarily licensed teachers — focusing on nonacademic life skills such as public speaking, entrepreneurship, art and physical education.

LeTendre, who researches AI and teachers, acknowledged that there are benefits to personalized tutoring. A 2020 review published by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that many types of human tutoring produce consistent learning gains across subjects and age ranges. A 2026 study by the Brookings Institution found that generative AI improves computer-assisted tutoring by allowing students to interact in everyday language with the program and by modifying sessions based on student progress and challenges.

“Claims that AI tutoring is superior to classroom instruction are only looking at part of the evidence,” LeTendre wrote.

Evidence on AI versus human tutors

A 2025 study found significant positive effects of AI tutoring on student achievement across subjects and grade levels, according to the commentary. In another widely cited 2025 study, researchers at Harvard compared the effect of active learning in class with a specially designed AI tutor for an introductory physics course. Students who used the AI tutor said they learned the material faster and felt more motivated compared with students who received specialized in-class instruction.

LeTendre noted that the Harvard study’s students were already highly motivated and had good study skills, and the AI tutor was built by the same professors who taught the course.

Extensive analysis of computer-assisted instruction and intelligent tutoring systems, which have been used since the 1970s, found that while these systems increased student achievement when used as a supplement to classroom learning, there was no significant difference in learning between computer tutors and human tutors when compared with classroom instruction or textbook-based study, according to the commentary.

“Instead of trying to replace teachers with AI, I think that a more promising strategy is to support teachers in using AI to become better educators,” LeTendre wrote.

Supporting teachers, not replacing them

One 2024 study showed student improvement in middle schools in low-income areas when human tutors had access to AI tutoring support, according to the commentary. A 2026 study found that when teachers use AI for lesson plans, experienced teachers tend to critically revise content to better link it to the overall curriculum.

Isabelle Hau, executive director of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning, has written that young students need to develop strong social skills — what she called “relational intelligence” — to flourish in social settings, the commentary reported.

“Instead of considering a future where AI tutors replace human teachers, I believe that we need to think about what kind of support and professional development can help teachers make the most of these new and complicated tools,” LeTendre wrote.