A K–8 private school charging $50,000 a year has arrived in Park City, promising to compress a full day of academics into two morning hours using adaptive software.
Alpha Park City, part of the Austin, Texas-based Alpha School network, currently serves 30 students and has capacity for 46, according to TownLift's Oct. 23 report. The school plans to open its campus at 3770 UT-224 in January 2027.
The school is already serving students while preparing to occupy the new location. Annual tuition is $50,000, and the Park City program currently offers no scholarships, according to Chelsea Winters, an associate dean of parents on Alpha's expansion team.
The school's model, called "2 Hour Learning," puts students on adaptive academic software for approximately two hours each morning. Students work in shorter blocks with movement breaks between subjects.
Human staffers Alpha calls "guides" stay in the room to monitor progress, coach students and provide support rather than deliver conventional whole-class instruction.
Afternoons are devoted to hands-on workshops, including activities involving practical skills, public speaking, entrepreneurship and physical activity.
Alpha says its approach allows students to progress through academic material at their own pace, freeing more of the school day for other learning experiences.
Academic claims face scrutiny
Alpha has reported exceptionally high scores on NWEA MAP assessments, including results near the 99th national achievement percentile during the 2025–26 school year.
In a February analysis published on its website, the network presented its assessment results alongside comparisons generated using artificial intelligence tools.
The figures are Alpha's own reporting, not an independently verified assessment of whether its teaching model produces better outcomes than conventional instruction.
NWEA spokesperson Simona Beattie told the Evanston RoundTable that the testing organization does not independently validate schools' reported data.
Questions also remain about whether high achievement reflects the instructional model or differences in student populations, including family income and academic preparation.
Educators have additionally debated how much of Alpha's adaptive software represents artificial intelligence rather than more established personalized-learning technology.
Alpha says its students use several proprietary applications, including a platform called TimeBack.
A rapidly expanding network
The school network was co-founded in 2014 by MacKenzie Price and Brian Holtz. Technology entrepreneur Joe Liemandt later became its principal leader.
Alpha has expanded to roughly 50 locations nationwide, according to The 74's reporting on the network.
The company's efforts to establish publicly funded charter schools have faced resistance in several states. Arizona is the only state where its charter proposals have won approval, The 74 reported in September.
Alpha Park City is a private tuition-based campus, not a public charter school.
Park City's changing school enrollment
Alpha's arrival comes as the Park City School District experiences declining enrollment.
The public district reported 4,177 students for the 2026–27 school year, down 87 from the previous year, as TownLift reported in August.
The district has continued open enrollment for students from outside its boundaries, according to the Park Record.
Those enrollment figures do not establish that Alpha's arrival caused any decline in the public school population. No public response from district officials specifically addressing Alpha's Park City program was identified.
Alpha Park City's website lists the 2026–27 school year as accepting waitlist applications. Families can find admissions information and future campus updates through the school's official website.
