Alpha School’s New York Campus Operates as Homeschooling Centre Amidst Safety and Regulatory Concerns

Alpha School’s Manhattan campus, which charges $65,000 annually, operates as a homeschooling support centre rather than a licensed educational institution. The New York State Education Department (NYSED) rejected the school’s application for independent school incorporation in late summer 2025, citing concerns over its reliance on AI-based instruction with minimal teacher supervision. Internal documents from Trilogy, the software company founded by Alpha principal Joe Liemandt, reveal an expansion strategy that prioritised opening dates over safety and compliance, with a stated doctrine of “Opening date > safety > operability > cost efficiency > permanence.” Reports indicate significant safety deficiencies at other Alpha campuses, including missing emergency protocols in New York and fire safety violations in Miami, where students were temporarily relocated due to unapproved building conditions.

In late summer 2025, the NYSED declined to approve Alpha’s request to incorporate as an independent school, according to a decision obtained by WIRED. The department’s office of counsel stated that the proposed instruction was primarily online, delivered via an AI platform with little to no supervision from competent teachers. Following this rejection, Alpha rebranded the Manhattan location as the “Alpha Anywhere Center,” a product line for homeschooling that typically costs around $10,000 per year. Parents enrolling their children at the Maiden Lane campus were required to file formal documentation as homeschoolers, a fact that some sources claim was not made sufficiently clear during initial information sessions hosted by cofounder MacKenzie Price and Liemandt.

Internal planning documents from Trilogy detail “Fast-Track Procedures & Assumptions” for Alpha’s build-outs, explicitly stating a willingness to trade off financial risk if permits are not obtained. One document notes, “We will commence the buildout at risk,” while another outlines a strategy of subtraction to achieve opening timelines, arguing that standard approvals were “dead weight.” An AI-generated postmortem summary requested by Trilogy COO Andrew Jordan highlighted “Safety & Compliance Gaps,” including buildings occupied without evacuation routes, safe room locations, or shelter-in-place plans. While functional internet and branding were deemed critical, first aid and fire safety were classified as “nice to have” in early planning stages.

Safety concerns have been reported at multiple Alpha campuses beyond New York. In Miami, the building was flagged for violations by the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department, and students were observed in unapproved areas; students were temporarily relocated to a hotel and a Dave & Busters. In Fort Worth, Texas, initial lack of dedicated bathrooms led to concerns about students using gym locker rooms where adults changed. Staff at the Miami campus also raised alarms about sound-dampening privacy pods installed in secluded hallways, which employees referred to as “boom boom rooms” due to the lack of adult supervision. Alpha has stated that these pods are monitored by staff and motion-activated cameras.

To manage the reputational risks associated with its rapid expansion and controversial model, Alpha is hiring a “dean of parents” for the Manhattan campus at $400,000 per year. The role involves managing family perceptions and ensuring they can “defend” their decision to join the school. Internal marketing strategy documents describe tactics to “invert the power dynamic” with parents, using scarcity psychology and polarising social media content to drive enrollment. The documents suggest that families choose alternative education primarily as a statement of identity rather than for academic outcomes, positioning AI as a “revelatory force” that exposes traditional teaching as performative.