Diary of an Alpha Mom

Week 1 / Jan 5 - 9 2026

Alpha School has been on our family’s radar since 2021, when we joined the Acton Academy community. For those unfamiliar, Acton is a learner-led school model founded in Austin, Texas.

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.