Elon Musk is planning a STEM-focused primary and secondary school, which he intends to expand into a university, Bloomberg reported Dec. 13.
The science, technology, engineering and math-focused school will be based in Austin, Texas, according to tax filings for Mr. Musk's charity The Foundation. The SpaceX and Tesla CEO — currently the world's richest person with a net worth of $220.8 billion — has gifted the foundation about $100 million to launch the institution.
Mr. Musk will begin with a primary and secondary school and "intends ultimately to expand its operations to create a university dedicated to education at the highest levels," according to an application he filed with the IRS for tax-exempt status. The university will employ "experienced faculty" and teach a traditional curriculum "alongside hands-on learning experience including simulations, case studies, fabrication/design projects and labs," per the application.
The application was filed in October 2022 and approved by the IRS in March, according to Bloomberg.
This would not be Mr. Musk's first venture into education. He founded Ad Astra, a school for children of SpaceX employees, about a decade ago on the company's California campus. The independent successor to that school, Astra Nova, is "an experimental online middle school for kind, independent, and daring kids from around the world," per its website.
Mr. Musk also has existing roots in Texas, where he moved during the pandemic. He intends to create his own town outside of Austin, with a school, recreational facilities and subsidized housing for employees of his companies. If his municipality is approved, it would span thousands of acres, Bloomberg reports.