Elon Musk-tied Montessori school could be opening in Bastrop, amid plans for university

Elon Musk appears to be opening an 'Ad Astra' Montessori school in Central Texas, as he considers opening several educational centers in the region.

Musk founded Ad Astra, a self-described "experimental school" in 2014 for the children of SpaceX employees in California. According to its website, the school, which changed its name to Astra Nova and became an online school with global enrollment, is now available to anyone ages 10 to 14. The website says Astra Nova offers class sizes between 6 and 16 students, and serves about 185 students across its programs.

This latest Ad Astra also comes as Musk has been rumored to try to open both a university and elementary and secondary school. It’s not clear if the Montessori is the same as the elementary and secondary school.

While the school has not made a formal announcement yet, an advertisement from Xplor Education, a company focused on making software for childcare operators, mentions Ad Astra is looking to form a new Montessori school in Bastrop. The ad says Xplor and Ad Astra are partnering, and the school will be located on a 40-acre "former horse farm" that is "nestled on the banks of the Colorado River."

Here's what we know − and don't know − about Musk's latest educational venture.

Ad Astra has been making moves to expand to Central Texas

Ad Astra had already appeared to expand to Central Texas in recent years, though like most Musk-tied entities that have moved into the Austin-area, it made no official announcement.

There have been at least two different versions of an Ad Astra organization registered in Texas since July 2021, both tied to Jared Birchall, who leads Musk’s family office. Most recently, Ad Astra LLC was registered in September. There have also been Ad Astra organizations under Birchall’s name registered to a Conroe address of a legal group.

More: Elon Musk's SpaceX, Boring Co. sites reach deal with Bastrop, Corix over wastewater

What grades will the school include?

It is not entirely clear what grades the Montesorri school will include.

The Xplor advertisement says the school would include primary and lower elementary environments, and also is seeking candidates experienced in working with 3–6-year-olds. It also notes the school would open in summer 2024.

It's also unclear who will be able to enroll their children in the school.

Tax filings have shown that a Musk-tied private foundation laid out plans to operate a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math)-focused school with about 50 students and plans to expand over time. The plans are not dissimilar to Ad Astra's mission.

Montessori schools are an education style focusing on individual learning, freedom and natural child development.

The tax filing noted the school aims to “create a university dedicated to education at the highest levels” with curriculum focused on math, science, engineering, physics and hands-on-learning.

More: Elon Musk sues OpenAI and its CEO. Here's why.

Where will the Montessori school be?

The school's address has yet to be revealed. The Xplor advertisement says the school will be located on a 40-acre "horse farm" in Bastrop.

While the ad mentions Bastrop, it’s unclear if this could actually be the same Del Valle “horse ranch” that a Musk-tied entity, Horse Ranch LLC, has been planning to put a warehouse on. That horse ranch is nestled on the Colorado River, not far from Tesla’s massive gigafactory and headquarters.

The Montessori ad also mentions that Bastrop is home to companies including The Boring Company, Neuralink, SpaceX, and Tesla, several of which actually have Del Valle addresses.

Filings have shown that The Boring Company, Musk’s tunneling and transportation company, planned to build a 220,000-square-foot warehouse on the Horse Ranch LLC land. Walter Isaccson’s recent biography on Musk also noted the site Musk considered the land for a glass house, but scratched the plans.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Xplor ad reveals Elon Musk could open Montessori school in Texas