How long-term are you estimating this project would be? Do you have examples of your art posted anywhere?
I've been both a writer and RPer for about 20 years or so, and I've created and played in a number of school settings. I also once worked on an Indie video game about cadets at the Imperial Academy, one of the most prestigious schools in the Holy Krystarian Empire. The story picked up right as they were nearing their Combat Trials, the final step before graduation. The main playable characters were Darbin Crest, son of High Inquisitor Ladarsa Crest; Baun Dayne, a young thief who joins the party; Captain Kurgis, a retired goblin sailor who rejoins the fight in the wake of increased global conflict; and Shuu D'Marcia, an elf sorceress who was among a group of recruiters from the College of Sorcery who observed the Academy's Combat Trials to select candidates for advanced learning.
You see, in this world I had created, the Imperial Academy provided a basic education for aspiring Knights, and then upon graduation, a handful were granted access to the College of Sorcery, where they would learn about alchemy, enchantments, hexes, curses, etc.
In the original story for the game, the cadets entered a pocket dimension called the Pit of Ordeals in teams of three, while Academy faculty, parents, and the College recruiters watched from outside the Pit. During this time, two other cadets -- Rosko and Kaycheraene -- are temporarily playable. Afterwards, there was a massive Graduation Ball, and Darbin shared a few cute moments with Shuu on the dance floor. Then they went for a walk in the Gardens, where she revealed she was intensely worried. Shuu told Darbin that a group of College elites had been given a secret project by the Emperor himself -- to construct a magical weapon of mass destruction, which would likely be used against the Udorrean Alliance and the Hedenmoor Union, the Empire's two biggest adversaries.
At first, Darbin is offended that Shuu would reveal the Emperor's secrets, and then accused her of apostasy after she hints about fleeing (he is very bigoted and brainwashed at first). He turns to go alert the guards, but Shuu panics and casts a hex on him to make him follow her orders. This event is seen by Mhorga, an old goblin woman who is the Academy's groundskeeper, and she is able to draw the guards' attention before Shuu can stop her. Shuu then orders Darbin to defend her and help her escape. Two Academy instructors -- Tamalasha, an elf, and Taurik, a devil, are sent after them.
So, for the first half of the game, Darbin is under Shuu's control, a magical compulsion making him follow her orders. They are eventually joined by Baun and Kurgis on their journey south to Hedenmoor to warn the Union about the secret weapon, and events unfold into a huge global war. At about the half-way point in the game, the party is captured by Imperial forces, and Ladarsa finally reunites with his son. The hex is lifted, Darbin is finally free of Shuu's control, and at first, he is furious. But despite the fact that he was a prisoner in his own mind all that time, he can't help but feel attached to Shuu and the team he had been fighting with. For the first time in his life, he was exposed to how people live outside the Empire, and how evil so many people think they are. This gives him a new perspective and eventually, he willingly helps the party escape and joins the rebellion of his own accord.
I never finished making the game and all my data for it is long gone, but I do have some old videos of me testing out the game in the very early stages. I'll drop links to Play Test 1 and Play Test 4 to highlight the worldbuilding that developed as I worked on the game.
That is just to give you an idea of my approach to worldbuilding, and some aspects of this plot could be applied to the project you are describing. I could create a new school for this story, and the main characters in the comic could be students in the final months leading up to their Combat Trials. Then the story could shift to them attending something similar to the College of Sorcery for the first time and their introduction to higher magical education. There could also be a group of students who created a dangerous secret cult worshiping Lord Nosmerucien, the Infernal Calamity, and the cultmembers could be the major antagonists of the first story arc.
From here the story could develop into a number of branches. Anyway, let me know :D.
