AI-powered private school opening in Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, NC – An artificial intelligence powered private school is coming to Charlotte in the fall. Alpha School is already open in several cities across the country. At Alpha School, teachers use AI to create lesson plans, grade papers and more which founders say frees up time for teachers to pay more attention to students.

“We have technology and we have AI and we have all these advancements, but it doesn’t seem like many people are implementing them,” Heidi Haynes educator and parent said.

Haynes was one of dozens of parents at the Mint Museum Uptown Wednesday night learning more about Alpha School. The model has students focusing on core academics for two hours a day leaving the rest of the day for learning life and tech skills.

“Artificial intelligence gives us the ability to create these personalized learning plans that allow for so much more efficient and effective learning, and it allows our teachers to spend time working with the kids and not having to create lesson plans and grade papers and deliver lectures in a one size fits all classroom,” MacKenzie Price, Alpha School co-founder said.

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction published a guidebook encouraging AI literacy in schools, but districts can make their own policies. Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools is considering implementing certain ‘closed-system’ AI models like Microsoft’s ‘Co-Pilot’ and Google’s ‘Gemini’, but haven’t worked out exactly how they could be used by teachers and students.

“There’s a lot of fear that people have around how artificial intelligence is going to play in education,” Price said. “What we’re seeing is that it results in phenomenal academics and allows us to spend our time working with kids and having that impact that is so critical.”

Price says tuition at the Charlotte location will be 45,000 a year with a 5% sibling discount. She also says teachers will be paid six figure salaries. Price says the demand for this type of education is growing in Charlotte.

“Different children have different strengths,” Heidi Haynes said. “So to have a school that caters to children with different strengths and offers them an alternative to the traditional route is super important.”

Alpha school founders say they will eventually offer scholarships to make the school accessible for more families. The founders plan to start with 25 students in grades kindergarten through third at a facility on Prosperity Church Road and they hope to expand next year.