an organization intended to protect and develop an art, science, language, etc., or a school that teaches a particular subject or trains people for a particular job:
a military/police academy
the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
the part of a sports club that trains young players who might one day become part of the first team (= a sports club's best team):
youth academy The youth academy starts training talented young players from the age of eight.
The club's academy offered players from disadvantaged backgrounds discounts on new equipment.
a school in the UK that is not controlled by the local authority and receives its money directly from the central government