Inside the $28,000-a-year private school where children of tech workers learn to become the next Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musk

Melia Robinson/Business Insider

Students at BASIS Independent Silicon Valley conduct a science experiment.

In a San Jose, California, school located inside a former IBM office building, students grades five through 12 take on some of the most rigorous classes offered at any American grade school.

Each student at Basis Independent Silicon Valley takes a minimum of seven AP courses and complete their graduation requirements before senior year, when they embark on capstone classes and independent research. Many go onto top colleges like Stanford and Cornell.

In class, kids develop a mastery of all things STEM. And for some students, the school could just be a stepping stone on their way to becoming the next Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg.

Founded in 2014, Basis Independent Silicon Valley (BISV) belongs to a network of private and charter schools with 28 outposts around the world. Basis was built by a pair of economists, Michael and Olga Block, who struggled to find a school that would provide a rigorous education for their daughter. They opened a charter school in Tucson, Arizona, in 1998 with the belief that the goal of a great education should be to provide students with limitless opportunities.

Business Insider spent a day at BISV to see what it's like to attend.