Elon Musk plans to operate school for kids as young as 3
Elon Musk is adding education to his business empire with hundreds of millions of dollars set aside for a technology-focused primary and secondary school — with more plans for a university in Texas.
State documents show authorities issued an initial permit last month for the billionaire’s new Montessori school outside Austin, called Ad Astra, that clears the way for the center to operate with up to 21 students. The school's website says it's "open to all children ages 3 to 9," while its X account includes job postings for teachers, reported Bloomberg.
“Ad Astra’s mission is to foster curiosity, creativity and critical thinking in the next generation of problem solvers and builders,” states the school’s website.
The school is located near the bedroom community of Bastrop, near where Musk has based his tunneling venture The Boring Co. and SpaceX produces Starlink satellites. X is building a facility in the area, which is also home to Musk’s Hyperloop Plaza.
“While their parents support the breakthroughs that expand the realm of human possibility, their children will grow into the next generation of innovators in a way that only authentic Montessori can provide," reads a job posting for Ad Astra on the website of the Montessori Institute of North Texas.
Musk poured at least $274 million into political groups in 2024 and actively campaigned for Donald Trump's re-election, and the tech billionaire has taken aim at the Department of Education as he seeks to slash $2 trillion from the federal budget from his perch at the quasi-governmental Department of Government Efficiency and take aim at so-called "woke" education programs demonized by Republicans.
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“Rather than indoctrinating young people with inappropriate racial, sexual, and political material, which is what we’re doing now, our schools must be totally refocused to prepare our children to succeed in the world of work,” Trump wrote in his campaign platform Agenda 47.
The South Africa-born Musk has three children under age 5 with the musician Grimes and three with former Neuralink director Shivon Zilis. A decade ago he operated a private school, also called Ad Astra, for his five older children and those of SpaceX employees in southern California.
“I do think we need significant reform in education,” Musk said at a recent Trump campaign event. “The priority should be to teach kids skills that they will find useful later in life, and to leave any sort of social propaganda out of the classroom.”