Competitor #2: Educational Models That Customize Education and Redefine “School”

Alpha School leverages AI in its educational model and claims they are “...a school where kids crush academics in 2 hours, build life skills through workshops, and thrive beyond the classroom.”

Families enrolled in Alpha School might argue that this approach is more effective because it redefines both how children learn and how parents measure a school’s return on investment. Rather than viewing ROI through the narrow lens of college placement lists, they see value in a model that prioritizes mastery, efficiency, and real-world readiness. At Alpha, students “crush their academics in two hours,” freeing the rest of the day for leadership development, creative exploration, and the cultivation of life skills—elements millennial parents increasingly see as essential to long-term success. For a generation shaped by rising tuition costs and shifting career landscapes, this mindset is understandable: 51% of millennials say their own education wasn’t worth the cost (source: Pew Research Center, 2023). In that context, schools like Alpha appeal to families who want a better return on their educational investment—one measured not by where students go to college, but by who they become along the way.

Whether or not the Alpha model is viable is certainly open to debate, so I’ll leave that conversation to the pedagogical thought leaders. What is equally important and most relevant here is how Alpha families perceive the ROI for their investment as they describe their experience. If families enrolled in traditional private schools talked like this, it would be a clear sign that we’re doing a much better job of articulating our value proposition.