Alpha doesn’t grade students. Instead, kids have a daily goal of earning 120 XP (experience points) to be considered on track. Once the AI tutor—TimeBack—assesses each child and places them at the appropriate working level for every subject, the expectation becomes refreshingly simple: show up, focus, and put in the effort to move yourself forward. TimeBack doesn’t just place a child at a grade level and move on. When a gap in knowledge is detected—something foundational that hasn’t fully landed—the system backfills that missing information before allowing the child to progress. In other words, learning isn’t built on top of shaky ground, and that just makes sense. A student can be working in 3rd grade math and 6th grade reading at the same time.

Having grown up in a traditional school system, this approach feels like a huge relief. It also reminds me of two things I personally love: my Tonal and Atomic Habits by James Clear. Tonal removes the mental load of planning a workout—I don’t have to decide how much to lift or what I should be doing. I just show up, and the system meets me where I am. As long as I stay consistent, progress happens. In Atomic Habits, James Clear talks about how small, 1% improvements compound over time. TimeBack feels aligned with that same philosophy.

During the first week, each child was assessed to determine exactly where their knowledge stood. Now, all they need to do is show up in the app and earn their 120 XP to know they’ve done enough for the day—an unexpectedly freeing feeling. My daughter even told me yesterday that she didn’t feel guilty relaxing and having fun after school because she knew her work was done. Imagine feeling guilty relaxing as a ten-year-old. It’s something I still struggle with in my forties and I’m relieved we’re addressing this early 😅. Just last month, she also identified as “not a math person”—and suddenly, that narrative is gone. Pretty cool to watch.

Another big source of motivation for both kids has been the prize emporium—because yes, children love prizes. As XP is earned, it converts into Alpha Bucks that can be spent in a store where real rewards are on display. My daughter had her heart set on a soccer jersey, and after consistently meeting her goals, she was thrilled to earn it. My son was equally motivated and proudly came home with a plushy shark costume.

While I’m reserving judgment on how this model feels long term in the short term, the excitement is real, and it’s clearly working.

And if you’re wondering about intrinsic motivation, there seems to be plenty of that too. Yesterday, Daughter got into the car and told me she chose to skip some of her free time so she could “really lock in and get the work done” because she didn’t want to let her team down during a group challenge. Until now, I’d only seen that level of commitment from her on the baseball field—so watching it transfer into her schoolwork is genuinely exciting.

Guides Not Teachers

The Guides bring a wonderful, optimistic, almost Tony Robbins–style energy, and it’s easy to see how much they care about the work they’re doing. I attended two zoom meetings this week to hear from the Guides on the workshops they have designed for this session and its clear they are paying close attention to what motivates kids and how to make learning feel engaging and alive.

This session, my seven-year-old is participating in the Spelling Superhero Training Academy, where he will learn the 25 most commonly misspelled words using AI-generated songs - sounds fun! The program includes checkpoints to assess understanding and aims for students to master at least 20 words by the end of week five, culminating in a final showcase where they demonstrate their skills in competition against the parents - is it fair to say that I am nervous?!

Son also learned how to identify all 50 U.S. states just eight days into his time at Alpha. Sharing a quick video snippet of him showing off his skills—because not going to lie, I’m very impressed!

For her “learning to learn” snowboarding workshop, my daughter is practicing specific skills in order to qualify for a mountain trip, where she’ll need to demonstrate that she can stop, reset, and complete a course without falling. All trips are included in tuition, but participation isn’t guaranteed—it’s earned. Students must meet expectations across academics, behavior, life skills, and effort. No entitlement vibes here.

After two weeks, what I’m noticing most is how clear the system feels to them. They know exactly what’s expected, what effort looks like, and when they’ve done enough. For now, that clarity seems to be doing a lot of quiet, powerful work—and giving both kids a growing sense of confidence that I haven’t seen in them before.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to drop them below and I’d love to answer them in next week’s update!

Alpha School was founded by Mackenzie Price, who originally launched her school within the Acton framework before later partnering with billionaire software entrepreneur Joe Liemandt to form Alpha. Together, they built Alpha as a technology-enabled school designed to combine learner-driven education with personalized, AI-supported instruction at scale.

In a nutshell, Alpha School is a state of the art version of Acton Academy, run by characters that seem like they are out of X Men. The school makes ambitious promises. Its model centers on several core claims:

• Accelerated academics: Students complete core subjects such as math and reading in approximately two hours per day using AI-powered personalized learning software, with the promise of faster mastery and roughly 2× learning velocity.

• Life skills and passion projects: The remainder of the day is dedicated to workshops and projects—ranging from building and entrepreneurship to etiquette and travel—designed to develop teamwork, public speaking, leadership, and practical independence.

• Joyful and engaging learning: The model aims to make students love school by reducing boredom and frustration through real-time AI adjustments, immediate feedback, and rewards for sustained focus.

• No traditional teachers or homework: Instead of lecturers, students work with “guides”—often coaches, entrepreneurs, or specialists—who provide emotional support, set high standards, and maintain accountability, while AI handles individualized academic instruction. There is no traditional homework.

• Confidence through mastery: Students progress only after demonstrating mastery (often defined as 90%+ accuracy), with the goal of building genuine competence and confidence rather than surface-level completion.

• Parental partnership: Alpha positions itself as an alternative to traditional schooling that emphasizes transparency, frequent communication, and accountability to parents as active partners.

From 2021–2024, I loved the learner-led Acton model deeply. My children, however, ultimately chose to leave—drawn by the social pull of public school, their Little League friends, and the simple fact that our local elementary school is within walking distance of our home in Austin. As a mom who has consistently encouraged them to take ownership of their educational journey, I felt it was important to honor that choice and allow them to explore something new.

For context, daughter spent three years at Acton before moving to Austin ISD for fourth grade and the first half of fifth grade. Son attended Acton from kindergarten through first grade, then spent the first half of second grade in Austin ISD. Both children attended Montessori-style preschools and were just 2 and 4 years old at the onset of the masked COVID era—during some of their earliest and most formative years. As a new parent navigating that period, I witnessed hybrid learning firsthand in a public school Kindergarten setting, which ultimately reinforced my desire to pursue a more future-oriented, alternative approach to education.

Fast forward to the fall of 2025. As we began searching for a middle school for our oldest, Alpha came back onto our radar.

One afternoon in October, under the growing weight of traditional schoolwork, daughter said something that stopped me in my tracks:
“Mom, I think I took learner-led for granted.”

That comment prompted her Alpha tour (which includes a full student shadow day) Son quickly followed—he wanted to see it too. Around that same time, a close friend sent me a podcast featuring Joe Liemandt discussing the future of education, which further solidified my interest.

Sadly, there was also a lockdown at their public elementary school due to an active shooter in our neighborhood just a few months into the school year. While everyone was physically safe in the end, the emotional impact lingered.

Both children toured Alpha, and due to the school’s rolling admissions process, they were enrolled by January 2026.

Week 1 Observations

• Both my 7- and 10-year-old show a renewed sense of energy after just one week. When I pick them up from school, they are noticeably less drained, and they are not emotionally draining me to the same degree that had previously become quite normal.

• They seem happier, more content, and more confident in themselves.

• They are both highly motivated by Alpha’s internal “bucks” system and have been talking nonstop about the projects they are working on and goals they are setting. It is worth noting that both children previously experienced a similar system at Acton, but it did not motivate them in the same way—particularly daughter.

• They have been far less interested in video games all week. Both Daughter and Son have had permission to play Minecraft and Roblox over the past year (during approved times) at home, which frankly I felt pressured to allow, since both children were simply longing to connect with IRL friends from school using these games. Shortly after joining Alpha, daughter chose to stop playing Roblox completely, and son has not asked to play video games once this week.

• Daughter has also shown a renewed interest in playing the piano before and after school—something she has picked up and set down several times since she was five.

• Excitement from both children feels genuine. Car rides home filled with detailed conversations about their day and the challenges they faced, rather than hot goss (which I admit I miss, just a little).

One standout moment:
My 10-year-old described a 9/11 firefighter stair-climbing challenge, where she was required to climb a set number of stairs within 45 minutes (to mimic the physical demands of a firefighter) to earn a checkmark under “grit” on her life skills checklist. After 45 minutes of effort, she finished six flights short and did not earn the checkmark.

Rather than feeling defeated, she attempted the challenge again the following day. This time, she explained that she planned to change her strategy by taking shorter sips of water during breaks. The level of self-directed motivation was notable—I was impressed, to say the least!

After just one week, both children appear energized by school rather than drained. The closest comparison I can make is the energy they typically have after being at summer camp—lighter, more regulated, and noticeably less reactive.

What stands out so far:
The level of communication and intentionality from staff has been outstanding. We attended a 45-minute parent goal-setting session with the head of school within days of the children starting. The session included thoughtful questions, active listening, and detailed note-taking focused on each child as an individual.

The daily rhythm also stands out. The children work on computers in short 20–25 minute intervals, followed by 20–25 minutes of self-directed play. This cycle repeats until approximately two hours of focused work are completed. After that, they are free to move, build life skills, and explore the remainder of the day.

As someone who deleted Instagram in 2024 after building a business online, I intentionally became less tech-focused in 2025 as a way to clean up my mental input—which is why it may surprise some that I am choosing an AI-driven school. That said, in this first week, the AI-enabled environment appears to be freeing my children more than it is tethering them to technology.

Please feel free to drop any questions below and thank you so much for joining my Diary of an Alpha Mom where I plan to share weekly updates as they unfold. I’m truly glad you’re here as we all navigate what the future will look like for our children in the times of AI.