Texas rejects Alpha School charter but funds its private campuses through voucher program

The Texas State Board of Education rejected Alpha School’s proposal to open a charter school, citing doubts about its AI-led two-hour learning model and lack of proven outcomes. Despite that setback, the company secured placement in Texas’s newly created voucher program, which distributes state funds to private schools that satisfy minimal legal requirements. Alpha, co-founded by MacKenzie and Andy Price, has expanded to more than 30 campuses in Texas and operates in 17 states and Puerto Rico, making it a major participant in the voucher system.

Education officials and experts argue that the voucher approval ignored the board’s earlier concerns about curriculum alignment, teacher responsibilities, and the model’s experimental nature. The Prices have donated over $2 million to Texas legislators and political action committees that championed the voucher legislation. This episode highlights gaps in oversight of rapidly growing private-school voucher programs and raises questions about public money flowing to untested educational models.