Current and political affairs magazine The Atlantic will unlock its website for students, teachers and administrator of all public high schools in the United States, making its journalism and 168-year archive available to eligible students and staff members for free, the publication announced on Wednesday.
The program allows schools and districts to register for unlimited access to TheAtlantic.com at no cost. Coverage includes all articles, full magazine issues, podcasts, audio versions of stories, Atlantic Games and the complete archive. Access is authenticated by IP address, which means students and faculty can use it through browsers connected to a school’s Wi-Fi network without setting up individual accounts.
Eligibility for the program includes all public high schools, whether comprehensive, magnet, charter or specialized. Registration requests must be submitted by a school administrator, librarian or IT professional through The Atlantic’s dedicated access page.
The Atlantic said its journalism is already widely used as a classroom resource, and the new program removes financial and technical barriers for public schools. Since introducing an academic group subscription in July 2023, more than 200 colleges, universities and high schools have enrolled, extending access to over 1.2 million readers.
“It’s critical for as many students and educators as possible to have access to informed, independent, fact-based journalism,” said Megha Garibaldi, the magazine’s Chief Growth Officer. “An informed citizenry is essential to our democracy. As we continue to grow The Atlantic, and the resource-intensive reporting and writing we publish, we want to ensure it’s available to new generations of readers.”
The launch comes as The Atlantic continues to expand its newsroom and coverage areas. This year, the publication added nearly 50 journalists, broadened reporting on defense, national security, technology, health and science, and increased its print magazine output from 10 to 12 issues annually. The company also introduced games to attract digital readers.
The Atlantic says it has more than 1.3 million subscribers, the highest in its history, after years of sustained subscription growth. The move to extend free access to public schools builds on that momentum by familiarizing younger audiences with the brand.
