Microschools and money: How tech took over education and schools

Elon Musk didn’t just make rockets, electric cars, and weird tweets. He also made, a school, in his own house.

It’s called Ad Astra, and no it’s not a training academy for marvel heroes, it’s a microschool, basically a tiny, elite, Silicon Valley powered classroom where kids learn nuclear chemistry before they even get acne. One student even remembered hacking college-level competitions in 8th grade, while also lying about her age to enter. Honestly, some of us were still struggling with long division at that point in our lives.

Wait, what are microschools?

Microschools are like tiny private schools usually with fewer than 150 students, and often with fewer rules. Forget desks in rows, and teachers scolding you for chewing gum, think more AI tutors, startup founders giving lectures, and a vibe like that of a modern-day Hogwarts.

In fact, by 2024, up to 2.1 million kids in the U.S. were attending microschools. It’s like the tech version of “I don’t like public school so I’m making my own club.”

The Billionaire Babysitters Club

Of course, Musk didn’t keep the idea to himself. He helped fund another school in Texas through a company called Xplor Education, right next to where his rockets take off. Larry Ellison (Oracle co-founder) opened one in Lanai for his own kids too.

Even the usually low-key guys: like Sam Altman (OpenAI), Peter Thiel, and Reed Hastings (Netflix), have all tossed their money into the microschool pot. It’s like Shark Tank, but for schools instead of protein bars and pet gadgets.

The education shift

One big reason, they think the current system is outdated, not flexible enough, or just not engaging enough. During remote learning, many parents got a front-row seat to what school actually looks like, and some weren’t too impressed.

That led to a rise in alternative education startups, popping up faster than you can say change. These new models often use AI tutors and personalized learning plans. Students work at their own pace, while classroom time is spent on collaborative projects, creative problem-solving situations, and who knows, maybe even building a robot that runs on banana peels.

School vouchers = Bitcoin?

Some people say this whole school-choice movement is like the Bitcoin of education, kind of confusing, and mostly helping people who already have money.

Josh Cowen, a professor and education policy expert (and now a congressional candidate), argues that this leaves the rest of society behind. “It works well for some people, but it doesn’t work for most,” he says.

In other words: if you’ve got the money, or the connections you’re good, if not? Good luck.,

Coming to a tech hub near you

Musk’s original Ad Astra project has already turned into a bunch of spinoff companies, like Astra Nova and Synthesis, offering online education options that sound like they were named by a Marvel villain like Doctor Doom.

Meanwhile, microschools like Alpha School (which uses AI tutors) are popping up in cities like: Austin, Miami, and Brownsville, places where tech companies are marking their territory. These schools are training kids to be the next generation of coders, startup founders.

Culture, power, and a little bit of chaos

At the end of the day, this isn’t just about teaching kids math or making them memorize state capitals. This is about culture, power, and who gets to decide what “good education” even means in the future.

One thing’s for sure, when billionaires start building schools, something big is going down. So, next time someone says, “School’s boring,” just remember somewhere out there, a 10-year-old in a microschool is building a nuclear reactor. Probably.