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Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect the most current information for the new Texas Sports Academy campuses.
Austin-based private school Alpha School is expanding with the opening of several new Texas Sports Academy locations across the state.
The sports-centric academies will allow students to receive athletic training while completing their academic coursework through an artificial intelligence platform known as 2 Hour Learning.
The overview
The following Texas Sports Academy campuses recently opened in in Community Impact's coverage area:
Texas Sports Academy - AIE Elite Prep
Texas Sports Academy - The Bennett School
Additionally, the following new academies are slated to open in Community Impact's coverage area over the next year:
Texas Sports Academy Baseball - Pearland
Texas Sports Academy Basketball - Houston
Texas Sports Academy Gymnastics - San Antonio
Texas Sports Academy Cheer
Tuition for Texas Sports Academy campuses is $15,000 per year, according to Alpha School information. Families who are accepted into the state's new education savings account program may receive around $10,300 per student to pay for private school tuition, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
The background
Alpha School co-founder MacKenzie Price started Alpha School in 2014 to provide students with individually tailored, accelerated instruction and opportunities to build life skills beyond the classroom, Price told Community Impact last year. Students complete their academic learning in two hours each day using 2 Hour Learning.
The AI platform allows students to learn at their own pace and advance multiple grade levels in different subjects based on their performance. Price said the Alpha School model enables students to learn twice as fast as they would in a traditional school setting.
After completing their academic coursework, students may participate in workshops focused on developing life skills, such as entrepreneurship, leadership, public speaking and financial literacy. Last school year, Alpha School opened three specialized academies, including a GT School for gifted and talented students in Georgetown, esports school NextGen Academy in Northwest Austin, and the first Texas Sports Academy in the Lake Travis area.
In case you missed it
In September, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon visited Alpha School in Austin alongside Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath. McMahon, who became secretary of education in March, said she was excited to observe Alpha School’s AI model and see how it could change how other schools in the nation operate.
“It's the most exciting thing I've seen in education in a long time,” McMahon said about Alpha School. “I'm incredibly enthusiastic about this.”