History Main / SchoolOfHardKnocks

* The school in ''Manhwa/{{Veritas}}'', is one such example. They even have an area just for fighting and training.

* Eustace's school from ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'' (appears most prominently in ''The Silver Chair''). It's discussed that the school follows a progressive philosophy that lets the students do what they like; unfortunately what a lot of the students like best is bullying the others. After a particularly ludicrous incident in which a few of the bullies swore they had been attacked with swords and that there was also a lion involved, the school was investigated; the principal was fired from her job and several students were expelled.

Compare and contrast BoardingSchoolOfHorrors, MilitarySchool, JuvenileHell and OrphanageOfFear.

Compare and contrast BoardingSchoolOfHorrors.

* Eustace's school from ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'' (appears most prominently in ''The Silver Chair''). After a particularly ludicrous incident in which a few of the bullies swore they had been attacked with swords and that there was also a lion involved, the school was investigated; the principal was fired from her job and several students were expelled.

* ''VideoGame/{{Troublemaker}}'' revolves around protagonist Budi, a delinquent, enrolling into Sekolah Menengah Cipta Wiyata, the strictest institution in Jakarta, only to find out the AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil dominates the institution's authority, eclipsing even the principal, and the ''actively'' encourage large-scale gang fights which the protagonist have to battle his way to the top. It's an [[ForeignRemake Indonesian quasi-remake]] of ''Bully'' by the way.

* ''VideoGame/{{Troublemaker}}'' revolves around the player character, a delinquent, enrolling into Sekolah Menengah Cipta Wiyata, the strictest institution in Jakarta, only to find out the AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil dominates the institution's authority, eclipsing even the principal, and the ''actively'' encourage large-scale gang fights which the protagonist have to battle his way to the top. It's an [[ForeignRemake Indonesian quasi-remake]] of ''Bully'' by the way.

In order to qualify, the entire school needs to be in on and tolerant of the action. An isolated incident or individual does not count.

* ''LightNovel/{{Kanokon}}'', somewhat. Fights between Youkai aren't encouraged, but the teachers don't seem to have a problem with these fights and they do observe/referee the matches. Fights between regular students aren't mentioned.

* Eustace's school from ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'' (appears most prominently in ''The Silver Chair'').

* The ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' school ''The Pokémon Technical Institue'' which appeared in episode 9, ''[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The School of Hard Knocks]]''.

* Played with in and exaggerated in ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse''. When pupils at Hexside start exchanging punches, the teachers not only let them, they gather around and ''encourage them''. Apparently "Kid Fights" are a regular source of entertainment.

* ''VideoGame/{{Bully}}.'' Set in the prestigious baording school Bullworth Academy, a modern-day BoardingSchoolOfHorrors, the kids are encouraged to abuse the hell out of eachother as a symbol of "school spirit". Most of the students are also separated into cliques which have divided the school amongst themselves: The Nerds, the Preps, the Greasers and the Jocks, with the Jocks being the toughest and most popular group. There's also a fifth, more unofficial group, the Bullies, which include the thugs who dont fit into any of the other ones.

** Then there's the methods used to teach apprentices how to cast a quick and effective shield spell. Harry teaches his apprentice by pelting her with snowballs. When said apprentice's mother asks if he was taught that way, he states that his teacher used baseballs instead. Donald Morgan claims that his teacher (who, at this point is a recurring and seemingly kind and reasonable woman) used ''rocks''.

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* ''{{Videogame/Bully}}.'' Set in the prestigious baording school Bullworth Academy, a modern-day BoardingSchoolOfHorrors, the kids are encouraged to abuse the hell out of eachother as a symbol of "school spirit". Most of the students are also separated into cliques which have divided the school amongst themselves: The Nerds, the Preps, the Greasers and the Jocks, with the Jocks being the toughest and most popular group. There's also a fifth, more unofficial group, the Bullies, which include the thugs who dont fit into any of the other ones.

* ''VisualNovel/MajiDeWatashiNiKoiShinasai'' is largely set in Kawakami High School, where official duels are sanctioned and all manners of replica weaponry are kept in every classroom for such occasions. Duels scale from simple betting to the Kawakami War, which involves the school with some extra hired troops, divided into two armies.

* The Swedish novel/movie ''Evil'' (''Ondskan'') has a very serious version of this, as a private boarding school essentially allows students to fight each other to settle disputes.
** This is sadly a real life example. The boarding school, Solbacka, was closed down because of the violence that went on there. The fighting was not actually encouraged in order to solve disputes, but to maintain a hierarchy among the students. It was supposed to 'harden' the boys. [[GoneHorriblyRight It did, after a fashion]]

* Played with in and exaggerated in WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse. When pupils at Hexside start exchanging punches, the teachers not only let them, they gather around and ''encourage them''. Apparently "Kid Fights" are a regular source of entertainment.

** The Assassins' Guild School. It is first referenced in ''Discworld/{{Wyrd Sisters}}'' as a place which less fortunate scholars at the Fools' Guild School next door look at in helpless envy and longing. The Fools are tormented by the happy piping voices of young people at a school they love drifting over the dividing wall. However, as the Assassins value competitive examination, the number of happy piping voices grows considerably ''fewer'' towards the end of each term.
*** The Assassins' School is expanded upon in the opening quarter or so of ''Discworld/{{Pyramids}}''. Terry Pratchett noted that to create the school, all he had to do was to take a typical British boarding (fee-paying) school with a long pedigree, and turn all the knobs up past eleven. ''"Especially the one marked "violence"''.
** By the time of ''Discworld/{{Thud}}'', the Assassins' School has gone co-educational. As the female of the species is, if not more deadly than the male, then at least ''nastier'', the new generation of women teachers, such as Miss Alice Band, are capable of sending students out on potentially kamikaze assignments, such as targeting Commander Sam Vimes. A student called Jocasta Wiggs learns to her cost and the loss of personal dignity that Sam is well-protected.
** In ''Discworld/{{The Truth}}'' we learn of a more conventional boys' school, Hugglestone Academy, a dour grey granite edifice out on the bleak moorlands where boys are sent to be turned into ''men''. This process is accepted to entail a certain degree of ''wastage'', among the fat, lame, lazy and effeminate.
** The Quirm Academy for Young Ladies, which appears in ''Discworld/{{Soul Music}}'', might be its female equivalent. It employs a sports mistress nicknamed Iron Ronnie, who is as tough and uncompromising as any male equivalent in GymClassHell. Sybil Ramkin was a pupil here and ruefully remembers that a closed community of girls can be as unsympathetic and prone to bullying as a male school. Only the weapons used are not physical. Oh no, nothing so trivial. Women are ''nastier''.

* Sadly, all too often [[AdultsAreUseless badly or ineptly led]] schools, especially single gender schools, tend to be this way. Violence is not only tolerated but actually encouraged. Occasionally given some sort of formal sanction in the days when boxing was still considered a suitable Phys. Ed activity [[ScienceMarchesOn and much less was understood about its potential risks]]. Two students with a particularly nasty feud to settle would be provided with gloves and a referee and allowed to settle their differences and work out their aggression in a way that minimised the risk of lasting injury. By some accounts [[TropesAreNotBad it was actually a good way to clear the air.]]

* Harry [[Literature/DresdenFiles Dresden]] sarcastically claims to have been through this ... [[CrossTheLineTwice as he's getting beaten up]].

** The Unseen University, from the various Wizard books, also leans towards the hard knocks style of education, particularly in teaching the difference between Monkeys and Apes.

* The school in ''Blazing Transfer Student'' allowed students to challenge each other to official boxing matches as a means to resolving their arguments.

* ''{{Videogame/Bully}}.'' Set in the prestigious baording school Bullworth Academy, a modern-day BoardingSchoolOfHorrors, the kids are encouraged to abuse the hell out of eachother as a symbol of "school spirit". Msot of the students are also separated into cliques which have divided the school amongst themselves: The Nerds, the Preps, the Greasers and the Jocks, with the Jocks being the toughest and most popular group. There's also a fifth, more unofficial group, the Bullies, which include the thugs who dont fit into any of the other ones.