Elon Musk’s Ad Astra School Gets Texas Green Light

Elon Musk’s Ad Astra, a planned preschool in Texas, has officially received its operating permit from the state.

Ad Astra (Latin for “to the stars”) is expected to be a Montessori preschool situated in Bastrop, which has become the headquarters of many of his companies. The campus is expected to enroll up to 16 children aged three to six.

According to Fortune, the curriculum would focus hands-on learning and self-directed exploration, with activities like coloring, map studies, and basic life skills such as conflict resolution and teamwork.

This is the last attempt of the billionaire to create a school. In 2014, he previously funded a different Ad Astra school for his children and employees, however, the school evolved into a remote learning platform, Astra Nova, after Musk’s children graduated. In 2018, a school called “Discovery” started operations on the SpaceX campus. This latter school is operated by Xplor Education, a company that also runs a Montessori school in Hawaii.

This project is expected to be far larger than previous Musk’s attempts to operate a school. The Musk Foundation has set aside nearly $100 million via a non-profit called the X Foundation to build Ad Astra and a primary and secondary school. In addition, he has plans to open a University.

While tuition details for Ad Astra remain undisclosed, the model may mirror Xplor Education’s Montessori school in Hawaii, where monthly fees are under $1,000.