Forty-eight children admitted for the 2024-2025 school year.
Elon Musk is not only trying to increase the population of the U.S. by impregnating female employees of his companies, but he is also building schools for children. Musk’s private school located in Texas began accepting applications on Wednesday, according to a tweet from the Ad Astra School. Beginning in the fall, applications for admission are open to all boys and girls between the ages of 3 and 9, the school’s website states.
Ad Astra was founded in Los Angeles in 2014 for the education of Musk’s own children and those of a handful of his employees from companies of his such as SpaceX. The school supposedly closed in 2020 during the Covid pandemic, but reopens in Bastrop, Texas, for the 2024-2025 school year.
Musk’s tunneling company, The Boring Company, is headquartered in Bastrop, Tesla’s headquarters is near Austin, and SpaceX will soon officially move to Starbase, Texas, about five hours to the south.
Musk’s characteristics and idology for learning at his school.
Musk’s perspective on learning has been unconventional, to say the least. Shortly after the school’s opening the billionaire told an interviewer that he doesn’t believe in that separating kids by grade.
“I have all the kids go to the same grade at the same time, like on an assembly line,” is the quote from what Musk said in 2015. “It makes more sense to offer them education that has to do with their aptitudes and abilities.”
The school’s website indicates that 18 children between the ages of 3 and 6 (what they call the primary level) and 30 kids between the ages of 6 and 9 (the so-called lower elementary level) will enter for the upcoming school year. And while it’s not entirely clear why 3-year-olds and 9-year-olds would be taught the same thing at the same time, or if that’s still the plan, we’re sure Musk will have his reasons.
“Ad Astra’s mission is to promote curiosity, creativity and critical thinking in the next generation of problem solvers and builders” states the school on its website. “The perspective of education at Ad Astra focuses on first-hand, project-based learning where kids are encouraged to explore, experiment and discover solutions to real-world problems. Ad Astra offers a progressive learning environment that emphasizes the integration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) into its curriculum.”
Education steeped in political leanings.
It’s unclear how Musk’s personal politics might impact the school as the tech mogul has really leaned lately to the far-right’s version of the world. From promoting extreme racist conspiracy theories to anti-trans prudishness, Musk is probably not the type of person any average American would want as a teacher for their children. But of course, Musk won’t be the teacher but just the guy who will forever be linked to the school.
For its part, the Ad Astra school presents a number of disclaimers about nondiscrimination based on “race, color, ethnicity, or national origin.” Discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity does not appear to be mentioned.
As Forbes notes, Musk has been buying land in Bastrop since at least 2021, which has caused some unrest among locals about his presence in the community, including the environmental impact of SpaceX launches and how the company manages wastewater.
Ad Astra School did not immediately respond to emailed questions Thursday morning. Gizmodo will update this post if we receive any response.