AI-driven Alpha School opens two Boston campuses, charging up to $65,000 a year
Alpha School will open Beacon Hill and Jamaica Plain campuses this fall, using AI software for core academics and “guides” instead of teachers.
Photo by Katerina Holmes on Pexels
Alpha School, a national network of private schools where students complete core academics using AI software rather than through lessons led by licensed teachers, will open two Boston-area campuses this fall, WBUR reported on August 7, 2026. The Jamaica Plain campus, at 3815 Washington St., reuses space from the recently closed Croft School, while the Beacon Hill campus, at 300 Cambridge St., was approved by the Boston School Committee in June. Tuition is $60,000 a year at the Jamaica Plain campus and $65,000 a year at Beacon Hill, according to Alpha spokesperson Anna Davlantes.
How the AI school model works
Alpha School’s model has students complete subjects such as science, math and reading in about two hours a day using AI software, WBUR reported, leaving the rest of the school day for activities the company describes as “real world skills,” including entrepreneurship and public speaking. Rather than licensed teachers delivering lessons, Alpha hires staff called “guides,” whose role is to motivate and coach students; guides are paid at least $100,000 a year, according to Axios, which reported on the company’s national expansion on August 2, 2026. The Beacon Hill campus opens with 25 students this fall and is expected to expand to 50 the following year, Davlantes said. Jamaica Plain’s opening enrollment was not disclosed; Davlantes said both Boston campuses are “nearly at capacity.”
| Campus | Address | Tuition/year | Opening enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jamaica Plain | 3815 Washington St. | $60,000 | Not disclosed; described as near capacity |
| Beacon Hill | 300 Cambridge St. | $65,000 | 25 students, expanding to 50 next year |
National expansion and conflicting scale claims
Alpha School’s growth claims vary by source. Davlantes told WBUR the company has operated 22 schools nationwide as of the past school year. Separately, Axios reported on August 2, 2026, that Alpha co-founder and CEO MacKenzie Price said the network is growing from about a dozen campuses to roughly 50. Both WBUR and Axios reported that Alpha plans to open campuses in 27 new markets this school year, including Boston, Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Nashville and Raleigh. Alpha’s Executive Vice President of Operations, J.C. Fischer, said the company’s founder has committed more than $1 billion to the national venture and that the Beacon Hill campus will operate at a deficit in its first year, according to the school’s application to the Boston School Committee.
Boston School Committee members raised oversight concerns when reviewing Alpha’s application. “We don’t have any oversight of what they do next,” said committee member Franklin Peralta. Fellow committee member Stephen Alkins said, “We want to know that a private school that will be in the district is managed properly.” Those concerns followed the collapse of the Croft School, whose board discovered in March 2026 that its CEO, Scott Given of Oxford Street Education LLC, had hidden more than $12 million in debt and misrepresented the school’s finances before it filed for bankruptcy the week of June 2, 2026. Katharine Robb, a former Croft parent now sending her children elsewhere, said of the incoming AI school: “My main concern with the AI school is for the younger kids, especially when they can’t read yet.” Nicky Bandera, a Jamaica Plain parent enrolling in Alpha, took a different view: “Most kids are being prepared for a world that no longer exists now.”
Scrutiny of the AI tutoring approach
WBUR cited a 404 Media investigation alleging that Alpha’s AI-generated curriculum “can be flawed” and that recordings from monitoring software installed on student computers were not securely stored; Alpha disputed those claims in March 2026. The debate over AI’s classroom role extends beyond Alpha: Penn State education professor Gerald LeTendre told Axios, “Right now we’re conducting a gigantic experiment on the human population, on our children, without any good scientific knowledge,” arguing that effective AI tutoring still requires close contact with a qualified teacher. A Gallup study from May 2026, cited by Axios, found only 18 percent of public K-12 teachers had received formal guidance on AI tool use. That gap echoes findings that most teachers say AI is eroding students’ critical thinking, and contrasts with guidance that AI works best supporting, not replacing, teachers in the classroom.
Background
Alpha School operates a national network of private schools built around AI-driven core-academic instruction and non-teacher “guides,” expanding this school year into 27 new markets including Boston under co-founder and CEO MacKenzie Price. The Boston expansion follows growing district-level activity on AI in schools nationally, including policies such as Orange County’s first AI policy for schools, which set rules for classroom AI use rather than replacing teacher-led instruction outright. Alpha’s model represents a more far-reaching departure, replacing lesson delivery itself with AI software, a distinction that has drawn both parent interest and school-committee scrutiny as the company opens its first Massachusetts campuses this fall.
Featured image: photo by Katerina Holmes on Pexels (free Pexels license).
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I specialize in sustainability education, curriculum co-creation, and early-stage project strategy. At WINSS, I craft articles on sustainability, transformative AI, and related topics. When I’m not writing, you’ll find me chasing the perfect sushi roll, exploring cities around the globe, or unwinding with my dog Puffy — the world’s most loyal sidekick.
