The Academy of Technology and Innovation is a public, regional college partnership lab school serving high school students. ATI-UMW opened for the 2024-2025 school year with approximately 80 freshmen from five participating local school divisions. Presently, we have a student population of 170 freshmen and sophomores, and will continue to grow until we have freshmen through senior grade levels, with approximately 360-400 total students.
Focused on the increasingly integrated relationship between computer and data science as applied across content areas, students attending ATI-UMW learn the technology skills and innovative thinking approaches to help them succeed in careers that matter to them. This approach blends traditional STEM exploration with the critical thinking of the liberal arts and sciences. All students take some degree of coursework and independent study in computer and/or data science, but they also focus on their personal preferred academic areas in which they can apply their technical expertise.
Each year, students in participating localities (Caroline, Fredericksburg, King George, Orange, and Stafford) can apply to attend ATI-UMW through our lottery platform. This year’s 9th grade and transfer (10th/11th grade) applications will open on December 2, 2025 and run through February 9, 2026.
Caroline County, Fredericksburg City, King George County, Orange County, and Stafford County are all currently partnering districts. If your school district is not on this list, you can always reach out to your school division leadership, school board representatives, and other local government officials to highlight your interest in participation.
Students zoned to non-participating school districts can apply through the at-large lottery. If selected, students would need to enroll through Fredericksburg City Schools. Fredericksburg City will charge an out-of-district operations fee. For the 2026-2027 school year, this cost will be $9,500.
The program is connected to UMW’s three main colleges. It partners with the College of Education through a School University Partnership and the creation of a teaching hospital for future educators. Through all three colleges, ATI and UMW are working to create unique opportunities for students that span the K-12/Higher Education continuum. Specifically, the partnership allows students from the College of Education to work closely with teachers at the Academy, for UMW professors to partner with K-12 teachers in the design of curriculum and instruction, and the development of regional professional development to serve educational endeavors across the region.
Students need to be pursuing a standard or advanced diploma, and in good standing, but otherwise there are no pre-requisites for participation. ATI-UMW has a rigorous course sequence, so students should be prepared to work hard towards skill development, industry certifications, and college level classes.
Students can apply to transfer to ATI-UMW for their 10th grade or 11th grade years. Seats may or may not be available depending on existing cohort numbers and district enrollment, but if no seat is currently available, students will be added to a waitlist. *Please note, that depending on a student’s completed coursework, program sequences may have to be adjusted or students may be found ineligible. We want to make sure any student that transfers will be able to successfully complete the program.
ATI-UMW is hosted at the South Building of UMW’s Stafford Campus. This space provides an opportunity for students to experience a small, college-based learning environment. The building’s open layout and classrooms provide a wonderful space, supportive of the hands-on, project-based, collaborative learning in which students will participate.
Each school division coordinates transportation options for their students who are enrolled in the Academy. Some school divisions may decide to use a hub system, others may choose to bus students to their assigned high school and then bus them to ATI-UMW, while others may choose to handle transportation of students for this and other specialty programs through alternate transportation modes. Reach out to the school division for the locality in which you reside with specific transportation questions.
Since students in participating divisions are concurrently enrolled in their home-zoned school and ATI-UMW, students will have the opportunity to participate in Virginia High School League (VHSL) sponsored activities through their zoned high school in their home school division. For example, a student who is zoned to attend King George High School, but attending ATI-UMW, would be able to participate in baseball through King George High School. VHSL activities include high school sports, many theatre programs, and marching band, to name a few.
ATI-UMW offers a limited selection of co-curricular and extracurricular clubs and activities on-site, guided by student interests. Some of these clubs and activities include:
- Broadcast Journalism
- Crafts
- Digital Comic Creations
- Drama
- Dungeons & Dragons
- Nature Exploration and Gardening
- Photojournalism
- Robotics
- Sports
- Trading Cards
- Vocal Ensemble
- And more!
Between their zoned high school and ATI-UMW, students can participate in a wide range of opportunities.
ATI-UMW students enjoy an energetic high school experience. Students can participate in Student Council Association, spirit weeks, and recognition days, as well as ATI Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) social events such as the End of Year Formal Dance, game nights, etc.
ATI-UMW welcomes family involvement in their child’s education through continual communication. Parents can volunteer, join the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), and engage with students through the Career Speaker Series, as well as through the student’s clubs and activities.
The schedule for ATI-UMW provides opportunities for personalized learning pathways, collaborative learning, and flexibility for travel to and from the school. Students begin everyday with their homeroom, and then work through an X/Y alternating block schedule. Two afternoons a week, students participate in clubs or enrichment opportunities of their choosing.
ATI-UMW focuses on robust instructional delivery and hands-on learning. Students and families can expect that instruction at ATI-UMW will include the following:
- Interdisciplinary instruction
- Personalized learning
- Small-group instruction
- Project-based learning
Each student develops a personalized pathway of learning, merging key interests and career aims with key computer and data science skills they will need to be successful in their future endeavors, whether they plan to go directly into the workforce, enlist in the military, or enroll in higher education. As a result of the higher education partnership, students also receive unique opportunities to tap into the resources of the University of Mary Washington.
