User blog comment:Draconic29/Personal Memories/@comment-7387716-20131021114326/@comment-4010415-20131021210103

I think they'll actually get out and around after a little while. I mean, Weiss said that they were there to fight monsters and that it wasn't just some training school. So, likely, the schools before Beacon were just training schools where students first learn how to use their weapons, dust, aura, and such, without actually facing monsters. Signal and the other schools were likely hands-on, but not to the point of putting the students in danger against monsters.