Elon Musk’s Montessori school in Texas has received approval to open.
According to the Texas childcare regulator, the school, which has been in development since last year, was granted its initial permit on Thursday. This milestone allows Elon Musk to begin implementing his ambitious, STEM-focused education initiatives, which may include multiple independent K-12 schools and potentially even a college within the state.
Located in Bastrop county, about 40 minutes from Austin, the Montessori school, known as “Ad Astra” (Latin for “to the stars”), is an embodiment of Musk’s vision for interplanetary travel. The school, funded by Musk, aims to offer a STEM-focused education at the highest level. With a dedicated faculty, it has the capacity to enroll up to 54 students in both upper and lower elementary grades. Fortune reviewed documents from a Musk-funded non-profit that shed light on the school’s mission.
The initial students at Ad Astra in Bastrop will range from three to six years old. They will attend a pre-kindergarten school that emphasizes exploration and engages in activities such as coloring, creating collages, and learning about maps and globes.
After encountering some initial application challenges and inspection delays, the school successfully passed an inspection earlier this month. As a result, Ad Astra obtained its initial state permit on November 14 and is now officially recognized as a licensed childcare program, as confirmed by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. This regulatory agency oversees childcare centers within the state. According to the agency, the Ad Astra preschool has the capacity to enroll nearly two dozen children, although it appears that they are initially expecting 16 children based on the application documents obtained by Fortune through a Freedom of Information Act Request.
Musk has recently launched the Bastrop Ad Astra, marking his second major foray into the field of education. This initiative follows the earlier establishment of an “Ad Astra” school around ten years ago. At that time, Musk approached his son’s fourth-grade teacher with the idea of starting a school for his own children and the children of SpaceX employees. The school was opened in 2014, but after Musk’s children graduated, a spin-off called “Astra Nova” was created in 2020. In an interview conducted in 2021, Musk explained that Ad Astra and its faculty became an independent remote-only school. According to non-profit filings, the non-profit organization that operated Ad Astra sold its mobile home, furniture, workforce, and intellectual property to SpaceX. Additionally, in 2018, a new school called “Discovery” was established on the SpaceX campus. This school is operated by Xplor Education, a company that also manages a Montessori school in Hawaii.
This time, Musk’s school plans appear to be even more ambitious. The X Foundation, a non-profit organization established by the Musk Foundation, has allocated nearly $100 million for the construction of a primary and secondary school. If everything goes according to plan, the foundation also aims to establish a university in the future, as stated in its filings. Ad Astra is just one of many enterprises and endeavors associated with Musk, who currently holds the title of the world’s wealthiest individual. Interestingly, he was also appointed by President-elect Donald Trump to lead a new government efficiency department.
Work and Play
Musk is currently beginning his venture in a modest setting, specifically a white farmhouse with a lengthy porch along a bustling farm-to-market road in Bastrop County, Texas. Interestingly, this location is just one street away from some of Musk’s company facilities and will also serve as the future headquarters of X. It is worth noting that X is the social media platform previously known as Twitter, which Musk acquired for a staggering $44 billion in 2022.
The CEO of Xplor Education, Greg Marick, will oversee the Ad Astra pre-K school, as stated in the preschool’s state application. As of this summer, three other faculty members have already been hired. The school’s approach to learning centers around exploration, with toddlers being taught various skills such as buttoning, coloring and drawing, collage-making, word construction, and studying globes and maps. Outdoor facilities include a basketball court, where toddlers can engage in activities with tricycles and balls, according to the provided documents. The curriculum itself is inspired by the work of psychologists and educators Alfred Adler and Rudolf Dreikurs. It aims to teach young children to become responsible, respectful, and resourceful members of the community. In line with the Montessori philosophy, the school is expected to emphasize self-directed learning, hands-on experiences, and collaborative play. It remains unclear whether any of Elon Musk’s six youngest children, who reportedly reside in a Musk compound in nearby Austin according to the Wall Street Journal, will be attending the school.
Ad Astra may bear a striking resemblance to Hala Kahiki Montessori School of Lāna‘i, a Hawaii school that is also under the management of Xplor Education. Notably, both schools share similar enrollment application questions, and in one instance, Ad Astra’s permit application mistakenly refers to the school as Hala Kahiki. The application states that students will collaborate with local elders and professionals to gain insights into the island community.
The cost of tuition for children attending the Bastrop Ad Astra school remains uncertain. However, the Hala Kahiki Montessori School charges a monthly fee of $968, as stated on their website.
According to the X Foundation documents outlining the Ad Astra school in Bastrop, the school’s expansion plan goes beyond its initial capacity of 54 students. The plan takes into account the needs of the local community and ensures a high-quality education and overall experience. Additionally, the school has the potential to accommodate distance learners. It is worth noting that there was a minor spelling error in the document, referring to Bastrop as “Bastop.”
Though Elon Musk’s name is not directly mentioned in the application materials, his influence can be seen throughout the new school project. The X Foundation, which is supported by the Musk Foundation, owns the property where the school is located and has outlined plans for the project in official documents. Jared Birchall, Musk’s financial advisor and trusted companion, submitted Ad Astra’s initial state application. Additionally, Xplor Education, the organization responsible for the “Discovery Preschool” near SpaceX’s headquarters in Hawthorne, California, has posted job openings for the new Bastrop school and has created a “coming soon” page for Ad Astra on its website.
Musk and Birchall did not provide a response when asked for comment. Marick, when contacted by Fortune, stated that he was not authorized to speak with reporters and declined to comment.
