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Alpha School Earns Cognia Accreditation: Creativity Meets Excellence

KellyDAccess on May 13, 2025

At Alpha, school looks different. Students master core academics in just two focused hours a day, then spend the rest of their time building life skills and confidence. Now, that bold model has been recognized on a global stage: Alpha School is officially accredited by Cognia.

We didn’t have to change who we are to earn this. Instead, we demonstrated how Alpha aligns with Cognia’s 30 standards for learning, leadership, and continuous improvement. The result? A respected accreditation that affirms what our families already know — Alpha works.

Every Alpha Campus, Accredited

Every Alpha location — K–12 in Austin, K–8 in Brownsville, and K–8 (expanding to K–10) in Miami — is now Cognia accredited. And launching soon: Alpha Anywhere, our virtual program, will offer the same high-quality, accredited education to families everywhere. And as we expand in Fall 2025, new Alpha campuses in Phoenix, New York City, Santa Barbara, Tampa, and Houston will also be accredited by Cognia.

This recognition means a lot to families who’ve seen the impact firsthand — students who are growing, gaining confidence, and loving school.

Why Cognia Matters

Cognia is the gold standard in school accreditation, with over 130+ years of experience and a network of 36,000+ schools across 90 countries. They assess schools across three core areas: Leadership, Learning, and Resources.

What stood out? Alpha didn’t have to adapt its model. Cognia recognized that our blend of academic efficiency, self-direction, and real-world skill-building is both innovative and effective.

What This Means for Families

  • Global Recognition: Students graduate with a transcript that’s trusted by colleges and universities worldwide.
  • Validated Innovation: Alpha’s model is now globally accredited — proof that different can also mean excellent.
  • Commitment to Excellence: Accreditation confirms that our systems and outcomes meet world-class standards, without compromising what makes Alpha unique.

As one parent put it:

“We chose Alpha because our daughter was thriving in a space that felt designed for her. Now that it’s accredited too? It’s the best of both worlds — innovation and credibility.”

 

More Than 2 Hours: A Whole-Person Approach

Yes, students finish core academics in just two hours — but the model goes beyond academics. Life skills workshops, personalized coaching, and goal-driven challenges helped our Cognia application stand out. Alpha students aren’t just learning — they’re growing into capable, confident individuals.

A Win for Creative Education

For years, families have asked: Can a school be different and still be excellent? The answer is yes — and now, it’s official.

Alpha proves that creativity, self-direction, and high standards don’t just coexist — they thrive together.

Learn How Alpha Can Work for Your Family

Whether you’re discovering Alpha for the first time or have been with us from the beginning, this milestone is worth celebrating.

Explore what’s possible when school is built for the real world — and recognized by the world.

 
 
Kelly Davis
Kelly Davis is an education strategist with 16 years of teaching experience and a passion for reimagining how students learn. With extensive background in alternative education models, she now leads strategy in education marketing globally—connecting innovative AI learning solutions with the families and students who need them most.
 

Alpha School Earns Cognia Accreditation: Creativity Meets Excellence

At Alpha, school looks different. Students master core academics in just two focused hours a day, then spend the rest of their time building life skills and confidence. Now, that bold model has been recognized on a global stage: Alpha School is officially accredited by Cognia.

We didn’t have to change who we are to earn this. Instead, we demonstrated how Alpha aligns with Cognia’s 30 standards for learning, leadership, and continuous improvement. The result? A respected accreditation that affirms what our families already know — Alpha works.

Every Alpha Campus, Accredited

Every Alpha location — K–12 in Austin, K–8 in Brownsville, and K–8 (expanding to K–10) in Miami — is now Cognia accredited. And launching soon: Alpha Anywhere, our virtual program, will offer the same high-quality, accredited education to families everywhere. And as we expand in Fall 2025, new Alpha campuses in Phoenix, New York City, Santa Barbara, Tampa, and Houston will also be accredited by Cognia.

This recognition means a lot to families who’ve seen the impact firsthand — students who are growing, gaining confidence, and loving school.

Why Cognia Matters

Cognia is the gold standard in school accreditation, with over 130+ years of experience and a network of 36,000+ schools across 90 countries. They assess schools across three core areas: Leadership, Learning, and Resources.

What stood out? Alpha didn’t have to adapt its model. Cognia recognized that our blend of academic efficiency, self-direction, and real-world skill-building is both innovative and effective.

What This Means for Families

  • Global Recognition: Students graduate with a transcript that’s trusted by colleges and universities worldwide.
  • Validated Innovation: Alpha’s model is now globally accredited — proof that different can also mean excellent.
  • Commitment to Excellence: Accreditation confirms that our systems and outcomes meet world-class standards, without compromising what makes Alpha unique.

As one parent put it:

“We chose Alpha because our daughter was thriving in a space that felt designed for her. Now that it’s accredited too? It’s the best of both worlds — innovation and credibility.”

 

More Than 2 Hours: A Whole-Person Approach

Yes, students finish core academics in just two hours — but the model goes beyond academics. Life skills workshops, personalized coaching, and goal-driven challenges helped our Cognia application stand out. Alpha students aren’t just learning — they’re growing into capable, confident individuals.

A Win for Creative Education

For years, families have asked: Can a school be different and still be excellent? The answer is yes — and now, it’s official.

Alpha proves that creativity, self-direction, and high standards don’t just coexist — they thrive together.

Learn How Alpha Can Work for Your Family

Whether you’re discovering Alpha for the first time or have been with us from the beginning, this milestone is worth celebrating.

Explore what’s possible when school is built for the real world — and recognized by the world.

Learn how Alpha High School can be the education solution you are seeking.


A Day in the Life of an Alpha High Student: Balancing Academics and Passion

Kelly Fraser on May 5, 2025

Alpha High’s guiding question, “How high is high?” reflects the school’s mission of helping students discover and reach their full potential.

This commitment to excellence is evident in our students’ academic achievements such as consistently earning the highest SAT scores in Texas (the average score is an impressive 1470+ across all four grades). Additionally, over 90% of our students achieve scores of 4s and 5s on Advanced Placement® exams. Plus, they’re accepted at elite universities such as Stanford, Northeastern, Howard, Vanderbilt, University College London (in England), and many more.

Our commitment also shines through in students’ non-academic accomplishments: inventing new products, creating musicals, and even building a $3 million business — all before high school graduation.

Students’ achievements are powered by the following practices:

  • Using AI tutors and adaptive learning apps to deliver personalized learning paths.
  • Honing students’ job and life skills by letting them work on what they love.
  • Setting super high standards
  • Give students the support they need

Here’s how we make it happen.

An Innovation in Secondary Education

Rather than subjecting students to six or more hours of passive lectures and one-size-fits-all instruction, Alpha High concentrates academic learning in a daily three-hour learning block. AI tutors and adaptive learning apps create personalized learning pathways that give students real-time feedback on how they’re doing and what they need to do next.

This personalized learning approach allows many students to learn up to five times faster than their peers in traditional classrooms. Many of our students complete full grade levels in as little as 80 days.

Instead of delivering lectures or grading assignments, teachers at Alpha High serve as  “guides” who motivate and coach each student, finding what unlocks a particular student’s drive and full potential.

Since academics are completed in the morning, students have the afternoon for hands-on, real-world learning.

Tracks to Full Potential

Alpha High offers two tracks:

  • Alpha High Honors for students aiming to be admitted into an Ivy League institution, and
  • Alpha High for students who want academic excellence but also the time and freedom to pursue their own paths to success.

In the Alpha High track, students spend their afternoons on real-world skills development and personal growth. These students participate in internships, athletics, creative pursuits, philanthropic projects, or starting businesses.

They also take part in school workshops that teach a variety of skills. For example, we offer a goal-setting workshop in which students learn to bypass easy goals in favor of ones that stretch their abilities and then develop a plan for reaching those goals.

Additionally, students complete an AlphaX (short for Alpha Expertise) long-term project that helps them find the intersection of their talents and passion. For example, one of our students is a content creator with over 1.6 million subscribers on YouTube. Other students embark on four-year internships that allow them to delve into a certain industry every single afternoon.

In the Alpha High Honors track, students emulate the achievements of the cohort of people nationwide who are accepted into Ivy League institutions at a 75% rate:

  • SAT scores of 1550+
  • Perfect “5” scores on three difficult AP exams
  • Olympic athlete status

We address that third element by having each of these students develop a Masterpiece, an AlphaXproject that’s so ambitious that it is the equivalent of being an Olympic athlete.

Some kids already know their passion when they enter the Alpha High Honors track. For those who don’t, we offer an Explorer program. Through workshops and projects (business, sports, philanthropy, internships in certain fields), students investigate their interests to figure out what they genuinely love and want to excel at.

Next, students participate in the Be an Expert program, where they use AI to become experts and leaders in their chosen field. In short, they don’t just research a topic, they look for gaps in existing research that represents an opportunity to contribute new knowledge to that topic.

Finally, students execute their AlphaX Masterpiece project. They spend an average of 1600+ hours building their projects (just as Olympic athletes spend thousands of hours preparing to compete).

Examples of AlphaX Masterpieces

Below are two Masterpiece projects completed by past Alpha High graduates:

Grace Price researched the link between cancer, food, and lifestyle. She turned her findings into a documentary that’s been viewed 4 million times and led to her testifying in front of the U.S. Congress.

Rhett Jones raised $3 million to buy land that he developed into the biggest mountain bike park in Texas. After raising another $300,000 for construction, Rhett (a high school senior) managed a crew of $10-15 full-time employees. The park is now fully operational and is the $3 million business referenced in this post’s introduction.

Current Alpha High Honors enrollees also know their way around an innovation or two. (Surnames are withheld to protect students’ privacy.)

  • At age 16, Maddie created the first Broadway musical entirely written and performed by teens. Titled “355,” the musical garnered 30 million views on TikTok and debuted at the Tony Award-winning venue, 54 Below, on March 30, 2025 to a sold-out audience.
  • Alex  is creating an AI-powered plushie line for teen mental health.
  • Sloane is launching an incubator that turns teen influencers into business owners.
  • Jackson is creating an AI-powered solution to revolutionize the PC repair industry.
  • Ella is changing how teens view wellness via her non-toxic skin care products.
  • Reuben is combating the male loneliness epidemic by building an app that helps men connect with each other.
  • Clara is creating a Gen AI tutor that combines what Gen Z finds fun with educational content.
  • Elle is developing a safe dating coach app for teens, which was downloaded 20,000 times in the first two weeks of launching.

Unlocking the Future

Alpha High is not just a different kind of school. It’s a school that prepares students for a different kind of future.

A future in which resilience, flexibility, leadership, creative thinking, and motivation are among the top skills that workers will need to thrive in the job market.

A future in which individuals will need to be self-driven learners to keep pace with rapid change.

A future in which age and grade level have no bearing on one’s full potential.

So, “How High is High” at Alpha High? The answer is there’s no limit. Find out more about Alpha High School.

Unlocking Full Potential: The Alpha High Approach to Learning

Kelly Fraser on May 5, 2025

Alpha High’s guiding question, “How high is high?” reflects the school’s mission of helping students discover and reach their full potential.

This commitment to excellence is evident in our students’ academic achievements such as consistently earning the highest SAT scores in Texas (the average score is an impressive 1470+ across all four grades). Additionally, over 90% of our students achieve scores of 4s and 5s on Advanced Placement® exams. Plus, they’re accepted at elite universities such as Stanford, Northeastern, Howard, Vanderbilt, University College London (in England), and many more.

Our commitment also shines through in students’ non-academic accomplishments: inventing new products, creating musicals, and even building a $3 million business — all before high school graduation.

Students’ achievements are powered by the following practices:

  • Using AI tutors and adaptive learning apps to deliver personalized learning paths.
  • Honing students’ job and life skills by letting them work on what they love.
  • Setting super high standards
  • Give students the support they need

Here’s how we make it happen.

An Innovation in Secondary Education

Rather than subjecting students to six or more hours of passive lectures and one-size-fits-all instruction, Alpha High concentrates academic learning in a daily three-hour learning block. AI tutors and adaptive learning apps create personalized learning pathways that give students real-time feedback on how they’re doing and what they need to do next.

This personalized learning approach allows many students to learn up to five times faster than their peers in traditional classrooms. Many of our students complete full grade levels in as little as 80 days.

Instead of delivering lectures or grading assignments, teachers at Alpha High serve as  “guides” who motivate and coach each student, finding what unlocks a particular student’s drive and full potential.

Since academics are completed in the morning, students have the afternoon for hands-on, real-world learning.

Tracks to Full Potential

Alpha High offers two tracks:

  • Alpha High Honors for students aiming to be admitted into an Ivy League institution, and
  • Alpha High for students who want academic excellence but also the time and freedom to pursue their own paths to success.

In the Alpha High track, students spend their afternoons on real-world skills development and personal growth. These students participate in internships, athletics, creative pursuits, philanthropic projects, or starting businesses.

They also take part in school workshops that teach a variety of skills. For example, we offer a goal-setting workshop in which students learn to bypass easy goals in favor of ones that stretch their abilities and then develop a plan for reaching those goals.

Additionally, students complete an AlphaX (short for Alpha Expertise) long-term project that helps them find the intersection of their talents and passion. For example, one of our students is a content creator with over 1.6 million subscribers on YouTube. Other students embark on four-year internships that allow them to delve into a certain industry every single afternoon.

In the Alpha High Honors track, students emulate the achievements of the cohort of people nationwide who are accepted into Ivy League institutions at a 75% rate:

  • SAT scores of 1550+
  • Perfect “5” scores on three difficult AP exams
  • Olympic athlete status

We address that third element by having each of these students develop a Masterpiece, an AlphaXproject that’s so ambitious that it is the equivalent of being an Olympic athlete.

Some kids already know their passion when they enter the Alpha High Honors track. For those who don’t, we offer an Explorer program. Through workshops and projects (business, sports, philanthropy, internships in certain fields), students investigate their interests to figure out what they genuinely love and want to excel at.

Next, students participate in the Be an Expert program, where they use AI to become experts and leaders in their chosen field. In short, they don’t just research a topic, they look for gaps in existing research that represents an opportunity to contribute new knowledge to that topic.

Finally, students execute their AlphaX Masterpiece project. They spend an average of 1600+ hours building their projects (just as Olympic athletes spend thousands of hours preparing to compete).

Examples of AlphaX Masterpieces

Below are two Masterpiece projects completed by past Alpha High graduates:

Grace Price researched the link between cancer, food, and lifestyle. She turned her findings into a documentary that’s been viewed 4 million times and led to her testifying in front of the U.S. Congress.

Rhett Jones raised $3 million to buy land that he developed into the biggest mountain bike park in Texas. After raising another $300,000 for construction, Rhett (a high school senior) managed a crew of $10-15 full-time employees. The park is now fully operational and is the $3 million business referenced in this post’s introduction.

Current Alpha High Honors enrollees also know their way around an innovation or two. (Surnames are withheld to protect students’ privacy.)

  • At age 16, Maddie created the first Broadway musical entirely written and performed by teens. Titled “355,” the musical garnered 30 million views on TikTok and debuted at the Tony Award-winning venue, 54 Below, on March 30, 2025 to a sold-out audience.
  • Alex  is creating an AI-powered plushie line for teen mental health.
  • Sloane is launching an incubator that turns teen influencers into business owners.
  • Jackson is creating an AI-powered solution to revolutionize the PC repair industry.
  • Ella is changing how teens view wellness via her non-toxic skin care products.
  • Reuben is combating the male loneliness epidemic by building an app that helps men connect with each other.
  • Clara is creating a Gen AI tutor that combines what Gen Z finds fun with educational content.
  • Elle is developing a safe dating coach app for teens, which was downloaded 20,000 times in the first two weeks of launching.

Unlocking the Future

Alpha High is not just a different kind of school. It’s a school that prepares students for a different kind of future.

A future in which resilience, flexibility, leadership, creative thinking, and motivation are among the top skills that workers will need to thrive in the job market.

A future in which individuals will need to be self-driven learners to keep pace with rapid change.

A future in which age and grade level have no bearing on one’s full potential.

So, “How High is High” at Alpha High? The answer is there’s no limit. Find out more about Alpha High School.

Ready to redefine your high school experience?

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