Atlas Academy

Atlas Academy is the 2nd most prestigious Academy and after Beacon Fell, is the most prestigious one there is. It is often said that Atlas is one of the few Academies not tied to the government but it's actually the other way around. The Academy *Is* the government. It is one of the few voices of dissent against the SDC in the Atlas Government and doesn't do what Jacque wants just because he wants it.
In this Academy you are taught to be a Soldier as well as a Hunter, with the Specialist Programme being so prevalent, most Hunters end up contracted to the Military and if not the military then the SDC or some other Atlassian organization. Despite the Kingdom being one of the most prejudiced in the world, Atlas Academy as an Insitution is quite different, even more so after Ironwood removes all human Supremacists from the staff after 79 AGW and brought the Academy under full Military jurisdiction after 80 AGW.

Alsius was a simple combat School in the Empire of Mantle that eventually developed into a City and then the Kingdom of Atlas. It was also a Research facility and after the war reopened as Atlas Academy, still proceeding with its Wartime activities in peacetime. While Mantle quaked and fell under the Shadow of Atlas, The Academy thrived and resecured territory after Territory with its fighters eventually becoming the Capital of the Kingdom.
The Floating City became the nexus of the Kingdom with the Academy at its heart. They also developed the First CCT Tower spreading Technology and knowledge to the rest of the world, providing them with technology. While this all happened the Academy became the most well-funded Academy and caught up with Vale for decades in terms of the quality of Fighters. The Academy was so influential that Whiteclife opened a Sister Academy named Snowfall which also developed into an elite Hunter Academy.
Atlas Academy by Volume 1 overshadowed Beacon completely, becoming the leading influence in the school system thanks to its monopoly on tech and information. Atlas is often criticised for the Military's role in it which only Grew after Volume 3 but the voices complaining about this became increasingly Corporate and Human Purist rather than concerned citizens.

How the School Works

Atlas is a large Academy that houses thousands of students. Its Professors were all highly trained and qualified professionals in their respective fields. Rather than having 1 or two professors on a topic, Atlas maintains 12 so it can hold multiple classes at once with groups of students operating on separate schedules from each other based on their needs. Terms run along the same timeline as Beacon.

Uniforms

Atlas prides itself in discipline, Under Ironwood he's steadily transitioned Atlas from a Strict Authoritarian Space into a School that promotes creativity and Friendship. This is because the Academy functions as an Officer School for the Military. Meaning that Rigid following Orders are discouraged because that makes for poor troop management and leadership skills. While Students were allowed to finally embrace their own style and skills. The Uniform became highly militarized, Women were allowed to not wear skirts and were allowed to use Dress pants, slick black boots became common and every student has a Grey and White Scheme with Blue Armbands and optional Berets normally reserved for Ceremonies.

Classes

Atlas separates classes the same way as Beacon mostly because the structure of the lessons works best and ensures that Students do not have a lopsided education and ensure that Students develop usable skills outside of simply just Combat. Field trips are common as are lectures, rather than eccentric like you find at Beacon, the Cirrculeam is very Uniform ensuring each class is learning the same level of knowledge as the last.
There are also Hobby Classes which take place during Holidays / Spares and weekend Periods. They are entirely optional and exist purely as skill-building classes and a vent for spare funding. Sometimes during Holiday Periods, Students from other academies come over to enjoy the extra classes.
Cores:
Language
History
Mathematics
Science (All fields)
Social Studies
Geography

Hobby:
Art
Media
Cooking
Sports (Many Sports games like Football, BasketBall, VolleyBall, Golf and VR Sports)
Manual Arts (Full Lessons)
Extra Combat Training

Huntsmen Courses
Dustology
Auraology
Semblance Class
Grimmology
Survival Manual Arts (Basic) (Optional) Smithing (Optional)
Combat Simulations
Field Training
Sparring Class
Combat Study

Class Schedules are extremely dynamic, with batches of students active at different times of the day, most Students are asleep by 10 PM and awake by 6-7 AM with classes resuming by 8 PM. Unlike in Beacon, there is hand-holding for the first 2 years. This is to ensure that lower-skilled applicants develop faster and more successfully so that way by year 3 all students roughly match each other with some obliviously excelling ahead of others.

What happens if you Die?

Atlas Academy is a bit better at Risk Management then Beacon but does provide Compensation funds and help funds compensation in Haven and Shade to boot. The School reaccesses safety standards and practice, and judges if the Death was ultimately preventable or inevitable given the hazards of the job. If judged is unnecessary then the responsible Professors will be viewed and can be removed regardless of seniority if found inadequate of the protection of their students.
Deaths are even less common in Atlas Academy, boasting a robust Trust and Safety Council included with a Student Council of Welfare. Many Old Guard and Veteran Members who trained at the School view Ironwood's complete overhaul of this system as 'Coddling' Students and making them 'Soft'. Ironwood has publically told them in public many times "It is easy to Die for your country, it is harder to Live for your Country."

Relaxation and Study Time

If not doing Hobby Classes then it is common for Students to use their spare time to study and totally relax. The Academy values rest, because Ironwood is deeply experienced with Battle fatigue and is aware of how performance decreases over a period of non-rest. Students can be stressed but the Academy tries to prevent overworking, seeing it as Toxic to Output and success which is ultimately what the Academy cares about.

Answers vs Results

Like Ozpin, Ironwood values success over filling in the right answer in the Quiz, he wants successful Soldiers and also successful people who'll go on to lead the Atlas Military into excellence. However, if you Perform well with A+ in Academic Fields but do poorly in combat The School will not remove you but instead, put you through vigours combat Training with personalised and likely senior student mentors to catch you up.

Recruitment

In Atlas it is legal to only begin Full Combat Training at the age of 17, First Years are not legally allowed to fight in field Combat outside of Simulations until the age of 18. This means that Atlas doesn't depend on on-field performance to apply. Every Year the military hosts conventions where people can partake in Combat Simulations, those with acceptable performance qualify to try the entrance exam.
The Exam tests your Academic level and it is fine if you fail (Within Reason) as the Exam concludes with a Psych Evaluation and a final Combat Simulation which judges if the Prospecting recruit is fit for the Academy. If you get too old, then you can join the Atlas Military and excel so well that you qualify for the Specialist Program and enter into a special Campus designed to teach Adult Students.
This means that there is no such thing as the Emerald Trials, as in Atlas such things are considered old Relics of a bygone era and needlessly risk young lives.

Wasteland & Outsider Recruitment

If you grew up in Mistral or Vale or simply grew up in an environment outside of a city likely a wasteland then you can actually get into Atlas Academy through the same ways but if you have a pre-existing combat record Atlas can verify then that counts as qualification after Psych Evaluation and Combat Evaluation to verify your combat Record one last time. Atlas isn't shy to mentor foreign students and prospecting Huntsmen and Huntresses.

Day-To-Day Life

Everyday life in the Academy is pretty safe and constructive, the School is much more careful to keep the risks their students take more controlled and prevent unnecessary death. Students spend their days studying., learning and training, building relationships with each other and developing bonds that'll last for the rest of their lives. After Ironwood took over, Atlas is one of the best Academies to learn at.
There were lots of options on Weekends where Students often spent time in Atlas, even if they came from Mantle or Vacuo. They were all paid a student wage and thus were allowed to explore the famous Atlas, to the chagrin of elitists. There are also Pools, gyms and more available at the School with dieticians that helped students build a diet that'd support their work. Performative Body building was discouraged because the Academy valued body builds that can withstand the high strain and sometimes inadequate diets for the sake of survival.
Hell Weeks were reserved for prolonged Combat Missions that were provided for Third years and beyond. Like in Vale, Students can sign up for missions where they perform objectives for contracts. Hell Weeks are basically full Hunter Contracts where students translate they're acquired skills

"Look Towards the Stars"

Type

Educational, School/Academy

Alternative Names

Alsius Academy | Cloud School | Bastion of Technology

Formation Type

Atlas Military

Training Level

Professional

Veterancy Level

Experienced

Demonym

Atlassian

Leader

General James Ironwood

Ruling Organization

The Kingdom of Atlas

Leader Title

Headmaster / Mistress

Parent Organization

The Kingdom of Atlas

Location

Atlas City

Related Species

• Faunus
• Humans

Related Historical Events

• 13 AGW
  Atlas and Vale begin CCTS Tower
• 6 AGW
  Atlas Seizes Control of Mantle

An Example of a Girl wearing a more Masculine uniform, Ironwood decided that he wasn't comfortable with the old uniform as the skirts were thigh length and the clothes were too thin, opting for a thicker, warmer and more professional look for both Men and Women. Back in the day it was heralded as groundbreaking and amazing but now it is just expected of Atlas Students to look professional and for some girls to be wearing dress pants.

An example of how Professional and Diverse Looks are embraced by the Academy, both Neon and Flynt are Mantle students and are a part of what moves the school away from the direction of the wider Kingdom. 

The Happy Huntresses were Graduates of Atlas Academy, though none of them ended up being Specialists or Members of the Military. Ironwood still hasn't revoked their access to those services or intel. The Academy doesn't wish to excise people simply because they chose to defend a place that's seen as less valuable by the city. Robyn Hill as a result has a slightly less negative view of the Academy than she does of the City and its government.

Ciel Soleil graduated in 80 AGW, since then she's become an Academy Teacher. Her role is a Field Mission Mentor, she observes students in their missions on Mantle and outside the city Atlas. She's known for keeping an uptight schedule but allowing a little space for fun after getting to know Penny Polendina and being affected by her brief time with her.

One of Atlas' key advancements is the Augmented Simulation Training Room, it's a room that crafts environments together using Hard Light Dust and bending light in order to create images of things. This allows Hunters to not only use VR systems but train authentically in real space. This is a highly power-hungry system and thus why it is only used in two Academies, both on Solitas.

When Ruby arrives, they were arriving at the beginning of the School Semester, it was to be the last Semester of team FNKI and various recognisable Atlassian Students. The New Grade team RWBY interacts with is the Academy's most diverse yet since Ironwood wiped out the previous Weak but prevalent Human Purist Administration and took over the school completely. Throughout Volume 7, the first few months of the School were considered the most effective yet.
However, Ironwood worried that his previous decisions to promote Agency may lead to insubordination with some more drastic measures he may be forced to commit. 

The Ace Ops are members of the Specialist Programme and were subject to Experimentation willingly to craft their Semblances to complement each other better. Ace Ops are a legacy team from where Atlas taught its students to be colder towards their team members. As such Ace Ops demonstrates a more professional attitude with each other much like Winter then is really helpful in a battlefield setting.

Team RWBY, RNJR and all other affiliated teams were registered as Students of Atlas. They received a lot of training during Volume 7 from more than just the Ace Ops but also various Professors during the Academy's first Term. With their Licences reinstated by Atlas, all of them were legally Atlas Huntsmen and Huntresses which gave them access to all the resources and benefits available to those Hunters.

Thanks to having access to the Solitas Historical Society, Atlas Library is one of the most in-depth Libraries in the Academy System, students who visit the Library often say that Vale's Library is amazing but Atlas has a Jaw-dropping level of depth in their coverage of topics. On top of having the best CCT speeds, the sheer depth of Knowledge is enough to turn a novice into a well informed enthusiast within weeks.

The Winter Vault doesn't obey the design of the other Vaults, the Winter Vault has an automated defence system complete with a legion of Combat bots, Turrets, Drones and traps designed to give Intruders the maximum amount of difficulty in breaching it. The Elevator designed to go down into it requires Level A Restriction on your Hunter Licence just to go down it in the first place.