Atlas High School

Community Powered Learning

The proposed fees-free secondary charter school in the Whakatipu

Welcome to Atlas

Atlas is a proposed community-owned, not for profit high-school in the Whakatipu Basin. Our objective is to provide another excellent option for secondary education in our district.

Daniel Cooper

Proposed Head of School

Daniel is a Kiwi educator who has spent 15 years teaching and leading around the world in some of the most celebrated secondary schools, including 6 years at the United Nations International School of Hanoi. Originally from Christchurch, Daniel has returned to New Zealand with the ambitious goal of developing an educational model that puts Aotearoa back on the world’s stage as a champion of progressive education.

Daniel and his family have called Queenstown home since 2022.

Kia ora koutou,

I'm excited to share the vision behind Atlas High School. As the proposed Head of School for Atlas, I, along with a dedicated foundational team, have poured our passion and experience into designing an educational approach we believe is truly fit for the future - a future unfolding rapidly right here in Queenstown and across the globe.

We live in a time of unprecedented change and complexity. We see young people questioning the relevance of traditional schooling, seeking learning that connects to real purpose and prepares them not just for exams, but for life. Simultaneously, Queenstown is evolving, and evolving fast.

Atlas High School is a direct educational response to these realities, driven to create a space where students do great things.

We believe learning must connect to purpose and prepare students for life, not just exams. That's why we've built our approach on MAPS principles – ensuring learning is always Meaningful, Authentic, Personalised, and Student-directed. We have drawn inspiration from the Liger Learning Model, along with my own experience with the International Baccalaureate (IB) to, we believe, unleash the New Zealand Curriculum and NCEA. We aim to move students beyond passive learning towards becoming curious, engaged, and adaptable Explorers.

At Atlas, this means intentionally balancing rigorous foundational learning (Essentials) with authentic, real-world application through opportunity-based projects (Explorations) which are deeply connected to our community. We are committed to fostering not only academic achievement but also crucial future-ready skills (our Explorer Profile), core values, and holistic wellbeing.

We believe this approach provides the environment, tools, and support for Queenstown's young people to truly thrive and shape their futures. We're excited for the journey ahead.

Ngā mihi nui,

Daniel Cooper

Our Learning Compass

In the face of a world that is changing so rapidly and is so complex, we seek to create a space where students can do great things.

At Atlas High School, our approach to learning is integrated and purposeful, guided by the elements shown on our Learning Compass:

  • Core Values: Stewardship, Integrity, Ingenuity, Optimism, Determination, Appreciation

  • MAPS (Inner Ring): All learning is designed to be Meaningful, Authentic, Personalised, and Student-directed. This philosophy ensures students are engaged, empowered, and see the relevance in their education.

  • The Learning Programmes (Outer Ring):

    • Essentials: Building rigorous foundational knowledge and skills aligned with the NZ Curriculum and preparing students for NCEA.  

    • Explorations: Applying knowledge through authentic, project-based learning that tackles real-world issues and develops key competencies.  

    • Expertise: Connecting students with community experts and partners, bringing real-world perspectives into learning (Community Powered Learning).  

    • Extensions: Providing opportunities beyond the core timetable for students to explore diverse interests and talents.  

  • Our Vision for Graduates (Outer Border): Our approach aims to cultivate graduates who are Future Focused, Academically Rigorous, Inspired by community heroes, equipped to be Forces for Change, and act as responsible Good Citizens.  

This compass guides our commitment to providing an education that is not only challenging and prepares students for qualifications but is also deeply engaging, relevant to their lives, and empowers them for the future.

Essentials at Atlas

Year 9-11: Literacy + Numeracy + Science

Year 12/13: Options expand to all NCEA standards

Essentials occupy roughly 50% of learning time at Atlas.

  • Essentials at Atlas are delivered through the lens of Global Challenge and Solution Domains.

    In 2026, these are:

    Challenge Domains - Biodiversity, Social Cohesion, and Environmental Adaptability

    Solution Domains - Types of Communication, Space, AI & Robotics, and Biotech.

  • Students at Atlas will have individual learning journeys designed which results in NCEA level 2, 3, and University Entrance.

  • Student Directed AI Learning (S.A.I.L) is a programme we are developing to ensure students can learn at their own pace and on their own terms.

    Families with students participating in S.A.I.L must first apply and be accepted, Atlas will constantly monitor students in S.A.I.L.

Explorations at Atlas

Explorations are the heart of our model. Every term, our students identify a need in our community, and challenge themselves to address it.

Upon graduation, Atlas students will each have spent >1500 hours learning through projects that positively impact the community.

  • Explorations are a chance for Atlas students to deeply understand, and then attempt to solve, a community problem. We work collaboratively with community experts and groups during this process.

  • Our staff works exceptionally hard to connect the learnings in Essentials classes, so that the knowledge can be practically applied in Explorations, often in the same day.

  • Explorations are designed as groups of 11, because that is how many students can fit in our vans.

    Towards the end of each Exploration, students may opt to take a project further through the lens of their own passions. For instance, students in an Exploration focused on biodiversity may choose to take the project further with an economics lens, or biology, or videography, or anything in between.

“Community Powered Learning”

The world is becoming increasingly specialised. While our educators are expert facilitators of learning, we recognise that no single teacher can be expected to hold deep, current expertise in every niche field – from data engineering to specific artistic techniques, from cutting-edge science to complex trades.

To provide truly meaningful and relevant learning, Atlas actively partners with experts across the Whakatipu basin and beyond. Our facilitators work with these community practitioners – scientists, artists, entrepreneurs, engineers, cultural leaders, and more – designing experiences that bring real-world context and specialised knowledge directly to our students that are relevant to what they are working on. This approach ensures learning is not just theoretical but grounded in current practice, opening students' eyes to diverse possibilities and preparing them for complex futures in fields they may not even know will exist.

We believe the most powerful learning happens through a reciprocal relationship – a genuine partnership between a school and the community it serves. When local experts generously share their time and knowledge, they provide invaluable learning opportunities for our students.

In return, Atlas students are committed to giving back. Through Explorations, we tackle real community issues, applying our developing skills to create solutions and contribute positively to the community that supports our education. This circular approach doesn't just enrich student learning; it fosters a strong sense of citizenship, interconnectedness, and shared investment in Queenstown's future.

Our commitment is, every year, our students will work with at least 2x experts than the total roll of Atlas.

Experts in the following fields have pledged to work with Atlas Students.

Leadership

Marketing

Economic Strategy

Engineering

Community-Building

Media Studies

Economic Development

Photography

Olympic Gymnastics

Affordable Housing Strategy

Hotel Management

Videography/Filmmaking

Food Rescue

Sewing

Construction

Startup-Acceleration

Leadership Marketing Economic Strategy Engineering Community-Building Media Studies Economic Development Photography Olympic Gymnastics Affordable Housing Strategy Hotel Management Videography/Filmmaking Food Rescue Sewing Construction Startup-Acceleration

Individual Learning Journeys and

Extra-Curriculars/Extensions

Extensions are learning opportunities offered beyond the main school day, designed to help students develop into well-rounded, healthy, and creative citizens.

We believe that every student walks a unique path. Our commitment is to understand each learner individually and help design a learning journey that nurtures their specific talents, interests, and aspirations.

Extensions provide dedicated time and space to dive deeper into existing passions or discover new ones across a wide range of categories: Sport, Arts/Cultural, Academic, and Service.  

  • Perhaps you're a keen athlete looking to join a volleyball or basketball team

  • Maybe you're passionate about coding, or theatre, and would like to join a student-led club

  • Or, if you're certain about a future pathway, like medicine, you might use Extension time for advanced academic pursuits in Science, guided by a facilitator or even a community expert

Students are expected to participate in at least 4 Extensions per year

This is a landing page only, the Atlas website is currently under development. We are excited to build out our site with more information throughout our development process.

Please contact us at team@atlasqt.org.nz if you have any questions in the meantime.