SpaceX CEO Elon Musk plans to launch a STEM-focused primary and secondary school in Texas before debuting a glittering university “dedicated to education at the highest levels,” according to a tax filing.
Musk, who moved from California to the Lone Star State during the pandemic, will build the schools in Austin with a $100 million donation from the billionaire’s charity called The Foundation, according to tax filings first reported by Bloomberg.
The charity’s name appears to be a nod to the science fiction series written by famed author Isaac Asimov that details the collapse of a ruling empire to make way for the birth of an alternate society — fitting considering Musk’s public criticism of the current education system.
Last year, the Tesla and SpaceX boss blamed liberal universities for the fact that he’s estranged from his 19-year-old daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, who recently changed her legal name to avoid being associated with the world’s richest person.
Musk has also said that Asimov’s “Foundation” series influenced his decision to launch SpaceX a decade ago with its stated goal of one day landing on Mars.
The Foundation’s application to open the schools was initially filed in October 2022 and approved in March, according to Bloomberg, though it’s unclear when the K-12 school will break ground.
Representatives for Musk did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
The project will begin with a school catering to kindergarteners through 12th grade with an emphasis on STEM: science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Once that’s up and running, it “intends ultimately to expand its operations to create a university dedicated to education at the highest levels,” according to the filing with the IRS for tax-exempt status.
Musk noted that the university will boast “experienced faculty” and “hands-on learning experience including simulations, case studies, fabrication/design projects and labs” woven into a traditional curriculum.
The Tesla boss must first seek accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, which is responsible for recognizing degree-granting institutions in many southern states.
This is not Musk’s first foray into the world of schooling. In 2014, the father of 10 co-founded an “experimental” private school in SpaceX’s California office for five of his sons and select workers called Ad Astra.
At Ad Astra — Latin for “to the stars” — the curriculum was nothing short of unusual, ditching sports, music and foreign language for a heavy focus on artificial intelligence, coding and applied science.
In 2020, when Musk moved to Texas, the so-called “most exclusive school in the world” followed, and was renamed the Astra Nova School.
Per its website, the school currently has roughly 200 students.
Musk faces stiff competition in the state capital, which serves as the home of the University of Texas’ main campus. The University of Austin also was recently launched as an alternative to the “illiberalism” of traditional US colleges, according to Bloomberg.
The University of Austin is set to host its first class of 100 students next fall.
Musk is making a bigger bet on Central Texas with the opening of Snailbrook, a town east of Austin he’s constructing to house Tesla and SpaceX employees, as well as staffers of his tunnel construction venture, Boring Company.
Floor plans filed in the Bastrop County Commissioners Court in January show the vision of Snailbrook village — a reference to Boring Company’s mascot.
The map shows Snailbrook would have 110 residences on what will be Boring Boulevard, WaterJet Way, Porpoise Place and Cutterhead Crossing.
