Elon Musk is opening a preschool in Texas called Ad Astra, Latin for “to the stars.”
The Montessori school is located outside of Bastrop, Texas, about 30 miles from Austin. Of school website states that it takes a “hands-on, project-based” approach to learning and incorporates science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) into its curriculum.
According to documents filed with Texas state authorities and obtained by Bloomberg on Tuesday, Ad Astra received an initial permit last month to operate with 21 apprentices.
Documents show the school sits on 40 acres of land and is housed inside a remodeled 4,000-square-foot home. Bloomberg visited the site on a weekday morning and saw that the school did not appear to be operational — there was a car in the parking lot and no sign of children on campus.
The school's website states that “Ad Astra will open in the fall” and “we are now accepting applications for the 2024-25 school year.” The school is open to children aged three to nine.
Ad Astra is just one part of Musk's educational ambitions. Last year, Musk gave 100 million dollars as a gift to start a new university in Austin. He also donated 137 million dollars this year to set up a STEM-focused elementary and middle school.
Bloomberg notes that Ad Astra appears to have been created with Musk's children and those of his employees in mind. The school is a five-minute drive from a SpaceX facility. Musk has at least 12 childrensix of whom were born within the last five years.
Ad Astra has two jobsone for a primary teaching assistant (ages three to six) and another for a STEM teaching assistant (ages six to nine).