Academy for Technology and the Classics

The Academy for Technology and the Classics is a charter school in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States.Education program and philosophyThe academy was founded in 2000 to provide a classical and technology-based approach to education in a public school setting. ATC was the third charter school established in Santa Fe, and the first in the city to open its doors to both middle and high school students.ATC remains the smallest public high school in Santa Fe.HistoryATC opened its doors to students in January 2001. Its first one and one-half years were in a building leased from and on the campus of the New Mexico National Guard. The school then moved to a portable classroom campus behind the Genoveva Chavez Community Center. The portable classrooms were provided by Santa Fe Public Schools and the other portable buildings (administration and restrooms) were leased by ATC. The land was made available by the city of Santa Fe.In September 2007 the school opened the doors at a new permanent location. The new facility is located in Rancho Viejo near the Institute of American Indian Arts, and was constructed on privately donated land. Only one building with classrooms has been erected, but as the school grows in the coming years, there are plans to build additional science and art classrooms as well as a gymnasium.During the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 school years, ATC adopted a block schedule. However the school reverted to a fixed schedule with six periods per day in the 2012-2013 school year. Committees consisting of students, parents, and faculty members were created to weigh the benefits and detriments of the option, and the final decision was made by principal Susan Lumley.