A private school built around artificial intelligence has opened its doors in Kirkland, offering a model that replaces much of the traditional classroom experience with AI-driven instruction.

Alpha School, which recently received approval from the Washington State Board of Education to begin operating, serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade. The school says students can complete core academic lessons in about two hours each day using personalized AI software, leaving the rest of the school day for hands-on projects and life skills development.

The model is drawing attention as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into everyday life, but it is also raising questions about how much technology should be used in the classroom.

At Alpha School, students do not move from class to class in a traditional schedule. Instead, AI-powered learning platforms tailor lessons to each student's skill level and progress.

"Our students are able to learn twice as much in only two hours a day because they're getting a one-to-one mastery-based tutoring experience," said Mackenzie Price, co-founder of Alpha School.

Price said the school's approach is designed to free up time for students to focus on skills that are often difficult to fit into a traditional school day.

"Unfortunately, traditional schools just don't have time to focus on helping kids develop the real-world skills that they're going to need," Price said.

She says students spend the remainder of their day working on areas such as entrepreneurship, public speaking, financial literacy and teamwork.

Caitlin McCabe, whose second grade son is enrolled at Alpha School, said she has seen changes in both his academic performance and confidence.

"What I noticed is his confidence in his own ability to learn, to try new things, really increased," McCabe said.

The Kirkland campus charges about $55,000 per year in tuition and uses a staffing model that Alpha School refers to as "guides" rather than traditional teachers. The school says there is one guide for every five students, with staff focused on mentoring and coaching while technology delivers the academic instruction.

Alpha School cites internal data showing its students score in the 99th percentile nationally on Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) testing and experience academic growth rates 2.6 times higher than their peers.

McCabe said she noticed measurable improvements in her son's academic performance after enrolling him.

"We saw a pretty meaningful increase in his MAP scores and noticed a really significant increase in his reading capability," McCabe said. "He was slightly behind grade level."

Still, critics of AI-based education have raised concerns about increased screen time and whether technology can effectively replace traditional classroom instruction and teacher-student relationships.

Price said Alpha School is not trying to replace educators.

"There will never be a replacement for an incredibly caring adult who works in the classroom," Price said. "What Alpha School is doing is transforming the role of the teacher so that they have more time to connect with students."

McCabe said concerns about technology were among her initial hesitations, but she believes the school's approach has helped her son become more resilient.

"If he's having trouble with something, doing something complicated, he'll say, 'I can't do it yet,'" McCabe said. "'I can do it, but I'm going to show grit and push through.'"

Classes began this week, and the Kirkland campus is continuing to accept applications for new students.