'To The Stars' – Elon Musk's New Progressive $100 Million STEM-Focused School Gets The Green Light In Texas

One of Elon Musk’s projects, Ad Astra, is a STEM-focused school in Bastrop County, Texas, that has officially received its permit to operate and is set to open for the 2024-25 academic year. Musk has invested $100 million through his X Foundation in the school, which is designed for children ages three to nine and aims to offer a cutting-edge, hands-on learning environment emphasizing STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). 

Don't Miss:

• Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — you can become an investor for $0.80 per share today.
• Deloitte's fastest-growing software company partners with Amazon, Walmart & Target – Last Chance to get 4,000 of its pre-IPO shares for just $0.26/share!

A Unique Vision for Learning

Ad Astra – “to the stars” in Latin – embodies Musk’s vision of raising the next generation of problem solvers and innovators. Greg Marick, CEO of Xplor Education, will run the school. This company partners with organizations to provide Montessori-style programs in the U.S. With a curriculum blending STEM subjects with creative activities like coloring and collage-making, Ad Astra aims to encourage curiosity, creativity and critical thinking. The school focuses on solving real-world problems, experimenting and exploring rather than memorizing facts.

Musk’s Educational Journey

Musk founded the original Ad Astra School on the SpaceX campus in California in 2014 after deciding that traditional private schools weren’t a good fit for his children. As Newsweek reports, that school was specifically for Musk’s kids and children of SpaceX employees. It focused on advanced topics like artificial intelligence and robotics, leaving out traditional subjects like music and foreign languages. 

See Also: The global games market is projected to generate $272B by the end of the year — for $0.55/share, this VC-backed startup with a 7M+ userbase gives investors easy access to this asset market.

Following his kids’ graduation, Musk renamed the school Astra Nova, a stand-alone online school for kids ages 10 to 14 with an unconventional curriculum. Despite high tuition fees (up to $33,000 per year), the school reportedly struggled financially, losing nearly $400,000 yearly.

A New Beginning in Texas

The new Ad Astra in Texas marks a fresh start and Musk seems committed to making it accessible to more people. The school will offer subsidized tuition for its first year, covering regular school hours (8 a.m. to 3 p.m.), an afternoon program and enrichment activities. The aim is to ensure that kids have everything they need, from school materials to snacks, without extra fees.

According to the school website, Ad Astra will begin by enrolling children aged three to nine, with plans to expand to a full K-12 program over time. Applications are now being accepted for the 2024–25 academic year and there is no cost to do so. 

Trending: It’s no wonder Jeff Bezos holds over $70 million in art — this alternative asset has outpaced the S&P 500 since 1995, delivering an average annual return of 11.4%. Here’s how everyday investors are getting started.

The Bigger Picture

Once Ad Astra’s success is guaranteed, Musk has alluded to plans for a university in Texas. As he relocates more of his businesses and staff to Texas, he aims to create an integrated ecosystem combining housing, work and education.

Musk wasn’t always seen as a genius. When he was young, he was often misunderstood at school. Teachers thought he wasn’t paying attention and even suggested he might have a learning problem. Musk says that when he zoned out, he thought deeply about things around him. He describes his tendency to zone out as simply deep thinking – his way of engaging deeply with the world around him.

Read Next:

• Inspired by Uber and Airbnb – Deloitte's fastest-growing software company is transforming 7 billion smartphones into income-generating assets – with $1,000 you can invest at just $0.26/share!
• These five entrepreneurs are worth $223 billion – they all believe in one platform that offers a 7-9% target yield with monthly dividends