Chicago and west suburbs · Maywood, IL
AI Classes for High School Students in Chicago
Digital Alchemy offers AI classes for high school students in Chicago and the west suburbs during the school year, not just in summer. Students learn AI literacy and build real digital products, in school through a school pilot or after school through a program cohort, and finish with portfolio work they can show colleges and employers.
Taught by Desi Baker (Desmond Baker Jr), a Google Gemini Certified Educator who has taught AI through the Chicago Housing Authority and spoken at AI Tinkerers.
Book a free planning callWho this is for
- Parents and students looking for a local, school-year AI option
- Schools that want a partner program without sending students across the city
- Counselors building college and career readiness options
What students walk away with
- A portfolio product with the student's name on it
- AI literacy and responsible use habits that transfer to every subject
- Presentation experience in front of a real audience
- A completion record for applications and resumes
How this differs from the summer programs
Chicago's best-known student AI options are university summer programs. Roundups list prices from $3,000 per student for a one-week institute to over $9,000 for longer sessions, and they run when school is out. Digital Alchemy classes run during the school year, through your school or local program, priced per cohort for the school or sponsor, not per family.
Two ways to join
- Through your school: ask your school to book a pilot, or tell us your school on the planning call and we will reach out with a one-page outline
- Through a program: after-school and community cohorts run in Maywood and the west suburbs when a sponsor hosts them
Price
Prices as of November 2026.
From $7,500
Schools and sponsors book cohorts from $7,500 for up to 30 students. Families never pay a per-student fee for a school pilot.
Founding pricing: the first 3 pilots booked for the 2026-27 school year are $5,000 flat. When those three are booked, founding pricing closes.
Every quote is given in writing after a free planning call. No quote is final until scope is final.
Book a free planning callQuestions schools ask
Can a student sign up on their own?
Not directly for a school pilot. Seats belong to the school's cohort. Watch the Academy community for open community cohorts during the year.
Where do classes meet?
At the host school or program site in Chicago or the west suburbs. Some planning and showcase prep can run online.
Does this help with college applications?
Students finish with a real product, a presentation, and a completion record. That is concrete material for applications and interviews, and we teach students how to describe the work honestly, including where AI helped.
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