Alpha School — AI-driven K-12 network (2 Hour Learning)

Alpha School is a private K-12 network founded in Austin, Texas in 2014 by MacKenzie Price (public face) and Joe Liemandt (principal, financier, and architect). Its core proposition is the "2 Hour Learning" model: students spend roughly two morning hours on academics (math, reading, science, language usage) working through adaptive AI tutoring software at their own pace, then spend the remaining school day on "life skills," project-based learning, and passion pursuits. Traditional classroom teachers are replaced with adults titled "guides" who motivate, supervise, and unblock — they don't instruct.