SchoolAI builds an AI platform that empowers teachers

In 2013, Caleb Hicks, now founder and CEO of SchoolAI, taught nearly 300 students a day. He knew the top and bottom 20 percent well, but the middle 80 percent often slipped by unseen. That blind spot nagged at him. Between growing class sizes and shrinking budgets, teachers like him simply couldn’t keep up with student needs.

With the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, AI began to enter the classroom. While some educators debated banning AI tools altogether due to concerns about cheating and safety, Hicks saw a different path. Drawing on his instructional design background at Apple, Hicks believed that with careful design and oversight, AI could help students learn in a more personalized way and give teachers the tools and insights to help them teach better.

In 2023, he launched SchoolAI. The platform gives teachers real-time signals on student progress and provides students with personalized support.

In just two years, SchoolAI has reached 1 million classrooms across 80+ countries, embedded in over 500 education partnerships. Built on OpenAI models, it translates cutting-edge tech into classroom-ready tools.

“We’ve done a lot of work to make AI not do things for you. If AI just gives the student the answer, we’ve failed—the point of teaching is to coach and to keep them engaged in the work.”

Nate Sanders, Chief Experience Officer, SchoolAI

Results at a glance

• Reached 1 million classrooms across 80+ countries

• Embedded in over 500 education partnerships

• Teachers report saving 10+ hours a week

• Increased student engagement and early intervention

Building trust with teacher-in-the-loop

SchoolAI’s agent architecture resembles a typical classroom: Spaces are interactive learning environments that teachers create through Dot, a conversational assistant.

Students engage with these lessons through Sidekick, an AI tutor built on GPT‑4o and GPT‑4.1. Sidekick adapts to how students learn, offering guidance, pacing, and encouragement based on their responses.