By admin 
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – An AI-assisted charter school has received approval to operate online in Arizona, drawing the state into a national debate over the role of artificial intelligence in education.
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Unbound Academy is an in-person charter school based in Texas that now operates online in Arizona.
The school structures its day around AI-powered academics and life skills electives, with human teachers also leading activities.
How the school day works
A typical school day begins at 8 a.m., when a human teacher leads icebreakers and announces social events happening later on.
Students then complete about two hours of AI-powered coursework. After an hour-long, off-screen lunch break, they spend two hours on life skills electives.
The school day ends at 2 pm.
A Tucson student’s experience
Dominique Batt used to go to BASIS Tucson North but said the traditional school environment became difficult by sixth grade.
“It was like, hard to communicate what I needed,” Dominique said.
Dominique now completes most of her coursework through an AI model at Unbound Academy.
“For me, it was easier to communicate online to other people and communicate my needs to teachers,” she said.
Her parents, Laura and Guillermo Batt, said they were hesitant at first but grew more comfortable after researching the school’s model.
“It is AI, but it’s also people. Like she actually has facilitators, teachers,” Laura Batt said. “You get to do business, team building, networking with other students, and it appealed to us because it was something other than just school,” added Guillermo Batt.
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Other states rejected proposal
At least four other states declined Unbound Academy’s application. Those states asked the school to better define the role of teachers and cited concerns that the AI model has not yet been proven effective.
Michael Goto, Head of School at Unbound Academy, said the school’s approach is worth attempting.
“Why not, right? Why not try it? It’s not going to hurt students. It’s just a new idea that hasn’t been put out there before — why not try it,” Goto said.
Goto said students are learning at twice the national rate and completing work faster than in traditional settings.
“The whole point of the academic system is we’re creating a more condensed and more efficient school day, so we can focus on things that matter,” Goto said.
Isabela Lisco is aReport for America corpsmember covering education solutions for 13 News. Her position is made possible through funding from Report for America and theArizona Local News Foundation’s Arizona Community Collaborative Fund.
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