Learn more
Austin’s Innovative Alpha School: A model for the Future of K-12 Education
SPONSORED BY ALPHA SCHOOL
The standard school system is broken. Parents know it. Educators know it. And kids know it. If you think about it, education really hasn’t changed much in 100 years. Yet, the world we live in would be unrecognizable to those living a century ago. The Alpha School in Austin has re-imagined education, preparing kids for the future while focusing on a pursuit of life skills and passions. Their students consistently score in the top 2% nationally on standardized tests. But it’s what happens outside of core curriculum that sets this school apart most. Gone are the lecture-based classrooms; they do project-based workshops to learn things like teamwork, financial literacy, public speaking, grit, and entrepreneurship. Students can create 3-D virtual art galleries, code self-driving cars, and do Harvard-based business challenges where they slip into the role of CEO to measure their success running a sneaker company.
Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident
Unlike traditional school, where class moves at the pace of the middle of the pack - leaving struggling students behind and others unchallenged - Alpha’s unique system lets students move at their own pace. The results are better comprehension, faster learning, and far less frustration. Students love it because the payoff is so rewarding. Academics become a small part of what kids do in school every day. They avoid lecture-based classes and spend the bulk of their time doing hands-on learning, project-based workshops and creative endeavors. Plus, they pursue their individual passions. Many schools force students to spend the majority of their time studying concepts they struggle with and don’t enjoy, rather than carving out extra time for doing what they love. It’s the opposite at Alpha.
It’s why Alpha students overwhelmingly say they love school. Alpha does anonymous polling twice a year to learn what systems can be improved and to design programs around experiences and outcomes. They ask students if they ‘love school.’ In the last poll, 96% of the lower school responded yes - pretty high marks when you consider it. Research shows a student’s happiest day falls in kindergarten and then happiness declines every year in school until the 11th grade when students begin to see a way out. Alpha creates an environment where students want to keep working on school projects, even after the bell rings. It’s not unusual to see high school students lingering on campus until dinnertime, working on their masterpiece projects.
Alpha School is K-12 with campuses in Austin and Brownsville, a high school in downtown Austin in a former Google office space, and more schools opening in 2024-25. They’re reimagining education, replacing the broken, outmoded model of standard schools and replacing it with a model for the future.
“At Alpha, we believe more than anyone else we know, that kids are limitless. Our students prove to us what can happen when placed in an environment where anything’s possible. I’m completely in awe of the things they do every day,” says educator MacKenzie Price, who co-founded the school in 2015 and enrolled her own two daughters. “It’s our job as educators to build a limitless environment that unlocks student potential.”
Price outlines an entirely different system for kids to learn. Alpha promises three things: your kids will love school, they’ll learn twice as much as they would at a standard school, and they’ll gain tangible skills that will help them excel in life. It’s not hyperbole; Alpha School is revolutionizing education.
The Alpha Difference
Personalized learning is at the center of success for Alpha students. To understand more about how it works, one only needs to compare the outcomes in standard school with Alpha’s superlative results to understand that in education, quantity does not equal quality. Consider Chris, a Level 3 student at Alpha (equivalent to eighth grade) who uses Alpha’s personalized tools to pinpoint what he already knows and isolate the material he needs to focus on; saving time and boosting his comprehension of a subject. Consider Amanda, who’s a seventh-grade equivalent but reads at a 10th-grade level. Instead of suffering through cookie-cutter curricula, Alpha’s individualized learning plans allow her to read and test at a level suited to her ability. Amanda receives immediate responses from her assessments that show her what she got right and what she got wrong, so she doesn’t make the same mistake twice. She doesn’t have to wait for her corrected test to be returned at a later date to figure out what she needs to review. These examples show how Alpha’s model empowers students to master concepts at their own pace, ensuring a personalized educational journey that produces superior outcomes compared to traditional schools.
What is Alpha?
Alpha School blends advanced technology with a personalized touch, ensuring every child unlocks their full potential.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. do consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. do consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in
Learn more
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in
Learn more
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in
Learn more
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in
Learn more
A glimpse inside Alpha School is like peering into a portal of the future of education. You’ll meet students like Ivy, focused on creating special effects makeup she’ll apply to an upcoming performance art project. Classmates nearby wearing goggles and lab coats, carefully combine butane and cornstarch to experiment with 'dragon-fire’ - sending a swirling burst of intense flames across a science lab table to monitor the results. Students are guided through these unusual electives to set clear goals and meet specific criteria as they receive feedback on their projects.
Finding where a student’s passion meets purpose is central to Alpha’s educational philosophy. Whether that’s a creative pursuit or an interest in science, technology, writing or sports, Alpha allows students to spend part of the school day diving into what they love most, then helps them shape their passion into a ‘masterpiece project.’
One student is creating a safe teen dating app, another is researching the intersection of food and disease, a third is building a mountain bike park. They’re pitching venture capital firms to fund some of their ideas, like the group of 7th graders who landed an investment to publish their mental health book for kids. Three high school girls recently flew to Ukraine to deliver educational tools to refugee children, who haven’t been to school since war broke out.
How do Alpha students achieve such high academic outcomes while still having time for these pursuits? Alpha students get individualized learning plans that allow them to master in two hours what would take a full day to learn in traditional school. Only two hours of focused learning and the rest of the school day is freed up to pursue passions and build skills they’ll carry with them for life.
Rerserved for Infographic
Alpha’s Core Values in Action
Alpha School looks as non-traditional as the educational system it has created. The High School campus downtown Austin looks more like a tech startup than a school. They ditched the traditional closed-door, confined classroom setting altogether. Students don’t sit in tight rows of uncomfortable chairs. Instead, they choose to learn in whatever space suits their mood, whether that be a noise-canceling phone booth, a cubby cube or a communal workspace. There are no assigned seats and students are free to move from place to place to adjust to their comfort level as they find the place most conducive to their individual learning style.
There are no traditional grade levels at Alpha; instead, we feature mixed-age classrooms where students are grouped into roughly two-year age bands, called levels, allowing all children to advance at a personalized pace. Levels do not restrict academic progress; they simply help similarly-aged students support each other in their achievement journey. Students typically spend two years in a level. Once a student has met all their requirements, they ‘level up.’ In tune with Alpha’s belief that every child is limitless, a student never ‘levels down.’ They simply stay at the same level until they complete the requirements to advance.
Even the way a typical day unfolds at Alpha School is worlds apart from standard education. Each day starts with what’s known as ‘Limitless Launch,’ a motivational start to the day where students set goals, develop a growth mindset and get empowered to achieve their greatest potential. Think Tony Robbins for kids or a coach’s pre-game pep talk. It’s led by teachers, called ‘guides,’ who help set goals for the day, ignite student enthusiasm and spread positivity. After students return from a day of stimulating projects and hands-on learning, 'Limitless Close’ ends their day by offering them a time for reflection on what they accomplished and an opportunity to recognize other students’ successes.
The Future of Learning Is Here
The future of learning isn’t twenty-five students in a classroom staring glassy-eyed at a chalkboard while listening to long lectures. The future is Alpha’s model: agile, vibrant, and individualized, with hands-on learning and close mentorship supported by the tech tools of the next generation. Alpha’s innovative system is designed to make students love learning while challenging them to aim higher and follow their passions. The whole experience helps students become well-rounded, successful, and compassionate contributors to our changing world. This innovative school prides itself on producing students ready to face the future.
Find out if your child might be a good fit for Alpha School. Learn more at Alpha.School. You can also book a tour or join the waiting list for a location opening near you.
Please revisit on a desktop device!
This experience is not yet optimized for your mobile screen.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. do consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.
The Alpha Difference
Alpha’s Core Values in Action
Alpha School looks as non-traditional as the educational system they’ve created. Alpha’s High School campus downtown Austin looks more like a tech startup than a school. They ditched traditional closed-door, confined classrooms. Instead, students learn in whatever space best serve their needs, whether that be a noise-canceling phone booth, a cubby cube, or in open communal workspaces. They are no assigned seats and students are free to move from place to place to adjust to their needs.
There are no traditional grade levels at Alpha, either. Instead, Alpha features mixed-age classrooms where students are grouped into roughly two-year age bands allowing all children to advance at a personalized pace. Instead of grades, kids are in “levels.” Levels do not restrict academic progress; they simply help similarly-aged students support each other in their achievement journey. Students typically spend two years in a level. Once a student has met all their requirements, they ‘level up.’ In tune with Alpha’s belief that every child is limitless, an student never ‘levels down’ they simply stay at the same level until they complete their requirements.
Even the way a typical day unfolds at Alpha School is worlds apart from standard education. Each day starts with what’s known as ‘Limitless Launch,’ a motivational start to the day where students set daily goals, develop a growth mindset and get empowered to achieve their limitless potential. Think Tony Robbins for kids or a pre-game pep talk. It’s led by teachers, called ‘guides’ who help set goals for the day, igniting students’ enthusiasm and spreading positivity. After students return from a day of stimulating education and hands-on projects, 'Limitless Closing’ offers students a time for reflection and opportunities to recognize their fellow student’s success.
