Some wealthy U.S. families are paying private-school prices to put their children in classrooms built around AI tutors, even though the companies selling the model have not publicly shown that it improves learning.
The Verge reported that Forge Prep and Alpha School are among the companies charging families tens of thousands of dollars for programs that use AI tutoring alongside “interactive project-based workshops.” The model replaces at least part of the conventional teacher-led school day with software-mediated instruction, turning children into early users of systems still trying to prove they belong anywhere near a classroom.
The clearest public example is not a bargain-bin experiment. The Wall Street Journal reported that Shaun Johnson, a San Francisco-based venture capitalist, plans to enroll his son in Alpha Kindergarten, which costs $75,000 a year. Johnson told the Journal he believes the current education system is broken and that entrepreneurs will try to repair it. He said he wants his child prepared to think quickly and handle the world, rather than focus on memorizing facts within one subject area.
That argument is familiar in Silicon Valley: assume an institution is broken, replace the humans with software, charge a premium, and call the results innovation. The unresolved part is whether the software works. According to The Verge, companies such as Forge do not share performance metrics, leaving no public evidence that AI-guided private schools are producing better educational outcomes than existing options.
What the schools are actually changing
The mechanism matters. An AI tutor can generate explanations, quiz a student, adapt prompts, and give feedback at machine speed. That can sound useful, especially to parents frustrated with crowded classrooms or standardized instruction. It also means the system’s errors, assumptions, and incentives move closer to the center of a child’s school day.
The Verge pointed to a broader trust problem around AI, citing polling from Pew and Gallup showing that many Americans do not trust the technology. The publication also noted past AI failures, including bogus food-safety advice in Google’s AI search results, and concerns that chatbots can become overly agreeable rather than challenging users. In a classroom, agreeableness is not the same thing as teaching.
Alpha School also raises curriculum questions. The Wall Street Journal reported that Alpha School cofounder MacKenzie Price has said she plans to keep “hot-button social issues” out of the classroom. The Verge argued that, given current U.S. politics, that phrase could sweep in subjects such as women’s rights, slavery in American history, and immigration. The stakes are larger than early childhood instruction because Alpha School operates through high school in some locations.
For now, the confirmed picture is narrower than the sales pitch: affluent families are paying steep tuition for AI-heavy schooling; at least one Silicon Valley venture capitalist is buying in; and public evidence of better outcomes has not been provided by companies such as Forge. The rest remains marketing copy with children attached.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.
