Elon Musk is deepening his footprint in Texas. Alongside relocating to Austin and transforming SpaceX’s Boca Chica development site into a city, the billionaire has shifted several ventures, including The Boring Company, into Bastrop County, a rural region now home to Musk-linked housing, retail and, most recently, a private school. Ad Astra, Musk’s school named after the Latin phrase meaning “to the stars,” is officially open with a Texas Health and Human Services (HHS) license. It sits on a 40-acre site in Bastrop, roughly 30 miles from Austin and just down the road from “Hyperloop Plaza,” a Musk employee hub featuring a café, bodega and medical center.
For now, Ad Astra school will only accept students ages six to nine and is licensed to accommodate up to 21 students. The school has hired a small teaching staff and plans to expand into higher grade levels, according to Dori Kelley, a manager at the Bastrop Economic Development Corporation. “They would love to go all the way up to high school,” she told Observer.
Any near-term expansion will depend on infrastructure. Ad Astra’s growth is currently constrained by wastewater capacity, though Bastrop is extending a local wastewater line expected to be completed in about eight months.”They have 40 acres, so they would love to accommodate as much as possible,” said Kelly.
Musk originally founded Ad Astra over a decade ago in Los Angeles as an alternative school for his children and those of SpaceX employees. Other schools “weren’t doing the things I thought should be done,” Musk said in 2015. While the school later transitioned online in 2020, the new Bastrop location retains a strong emphasis on STEM education and experiential learning.
The Texas version of Ad Astra will be overseen by Jared Birchall, Musk’s longtime wealth manager, who will serve as CEO, according to documents obtained by the Texas Tribune. The school will also be led by Greg Marick, CEO of Xplor Education, a software provider for childcare centers. Xplor previously helped launch a Montessori school on Lanai, Hawaii, the island mostly owned by Oracle founder Larry Ellison.
Although Ad Astra is not a Montessori school, its website emphasizes the value of Montessori-trained educators and describes a mission to “foster curiosity, creativity and critical thinking in the next generation of problem solvers and builders.” The school incorporates Montessori-aligned methods such as uninterrupted work periods and multi-age classrooms.
Curriculum documents show a focus on experiential learning, math, science and student independence. “It’s a very hands-on learning style with a STEM spin to it,” said Kelley, who added that A.I. and robotics will be central themes.
For now, tuition is subsidized, though future fees will align with local private schools offering extended day programs. Annual tuition at similar schools in the area can reach up to $20,000.
As companies like The Boring Company bring more workers into Bastrop, Ad Astra is positioned to meet rising educational needs. “On some days it’s approximately 2,000 people who come to Hyperloop Plaza, and Ad Astra is receiving some of the needs when it comes to childcare,” said Kelley.
Though still primarily used by families tied to Musk’s ventures, Kelley hopes the school will eventually become a broader community resource. “Bastrop is always looking for new schools, and it can be alternative schools such as a Montessori A.I. and robotics school,” she said. “We embrace any type of education here in the county because we desperately need it.”
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