A private school that replaces traditional teachers with artificial intelligence wants to open at 92 Hayden Ave. in Lexington for the 2026–2027 school year, charging families $55,000 to $65,000 per year in tuition.
Alpha School, a Texas-based company co-founded by education entrepreneur MacKenzie Price and software billionaire Joe Liemandt, presented its case to the Lexington School Committee on Tuesday, June 16. Under Massachusetts law, private schools need local School Committee approval before they can operate in a municipality.
The hour-plus session drew pointed questions from committee members. Chair Larry Freeman pressed Alpha representatives on how an AI system handles sensitive historical topics. "What do you mean you're going to have kids debate what happened from different perspectives? There is just factually what happened," Freeman said.
Students in kindergarten through high school spend two hours each morning on core academics using AI apps on individual laptops. The software adjusts difficulty based on performance. Afternoons are devoted to what Alpha calls "life skills workshops." For elementary students, those include solving a Rubik's Cube, juggling three objects for 30 seconds, and running half a mile.
Classrooms are staffed by "guides" who earn roughly $150,000 per year but are not required to hold teaching certifications. Tasha Arnold, head of Alpha Schools, told the committee that guides do not teach academic content directly. Instead, students who struggle can book coaching calls with remote academic experts.
Robin Strizhak, president of the Lexington Educators Association, called the guide model "another attack" on the teaching profession.
Arnold said 18 families had already put down deposits as of the June 16 meeting, with projected enrollment of about 20 students in year one, 45 in year two, and 100 in year three. The AI software alone costs about $10,000 per student per year, Arnold said.
The school plans to use the first floor of 92 Hayden Ave., a commercial office building listed for lease on LoopNet. J.C. Fischer, Alpha's executive vice president of operations, said the school will fence in a green area for outdoor play and convert a parking lot into a playground.
Lexington Planning Director Abby McCabe confirmed no Planning Board review is required because no major exterior alterations or building expansion are proposed.
The School Committee tasked Superintendent Julie Hackett with leading a review team to examine Alpha's staffing quality, instructional time, arts access, and student support. Hackett told the Lexington Observer that the committee expects to take up Alpha's application again at its late August 2026 meeting, with her recommendation likely coming a few months after that.
Alpha wants to open for the first day of the 2026–2027 school year, but Hackett said the committee will likely not meet that timeline. Boston Public Schools approved Alpha in its district on Wednesday, June 10, about a week before the Lexington presentation, according to the Lexington Observer. The Boston Business Journal reported on Thursday, July 23, that Alpha is opening three Boston-area campuses this fall.
