HOUSTON – Alpha School has confirmed plans for a new K-8 campus at the former Goddard School location at 777 W. 23rd St. The school is targeting a 2027-28 opening, although officials said the timeline could move faster if enough families are ready to enroll.
The Greater Heights campus would be Alpha’s second Houston-area location. Its Woodlands campus opened in August.
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The school has attracted attention for an education model that looks considerably different from a traditional classroom.
How does Alpha School work?
Alpha says students complete their core academic work in about two hours each morning using AI-powered learning tools.
The remainder of the school day is focused on what the school calls real-world skills and experiences, including teamwork, leadership, entrepreneurship, public speaking and other workshops.
The approach also takes students outside the classroom.
Students can learn physics through sailing, studying the boat, sails and wind. Other experiences have focused on sustainable agriculture, including visits to wine country where students speak with farmers.
Alpha also offers incredible field trips to destinations like Washington, D.C., Italy and France to name a few.
The school says its tuition includes student activities and trips, meaning families do not pay an additional fee for those experiences.
What does it cost?
Alpha’s current website lists tuition for its Houston Heights K-8 campus at around $50,000 per year. The Woodlands campus is listed at $40,000.
How does a student get accepted?
Alpha says admission is not primarily based on grades or traditional test scores.
The school uses diagnostic testing to determine what concepts a student may need to work on. Officials said the school believes it can teach students the academic material they have not yet mastered.
Instead, the school places significant emphasis on whether a student is a good fit for its model.
Prospective students participate in a shadow day, spending time at the school. Staff look at how students interact with others, how they work as part of a team and whether they appear motivated to participate and grow.
Alpha says it wants students who actually want to attend the school, rather than students whose parents are simply choosing it for them.
Why the Heights?
That’s one of the biggest questions surrounding the new campus.
Alpha says its expansion is driven by demand from local families. Families interested in bringing Alpha to their community can register their interest with the school, which says it tracks demand by city and region.
The school said local families expressed enough interest in Alpha to help drive the decision to establish a Heights campus.
As for how many students the school will have? According to Alpha, new campuses generally begin with about 25 to 30 founding families before growing. That’s where they will start.
What happens next?
Alpha is currently targeting a 2027-28 opening for the Greater Heights campus, though officials said the timeline could move up depending on the level of interest from families.
No renderings for the campus have been released yet.
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