Did you know that the United States Military Academy at West Point is the oldest of the United States service academies, having been established in 1802? Want to know more facts about military schools? Read the rest of this article.
More Military School Facts
• Military schools may also be called military prep schools, military academies, or military boarding schools.
• Although it was once true that all K–12 military schools were private military boarding schools, today there are public military schools, all of which are co-educational.
• Military schools are usually college prep schools, offering college preparatory curriculum to students in grades 6–12 or 7–12. There are, however, some elementary military schools.
• A military school is not the place for a troubled or defiant child. Military schools are generally designed for the solidly-grounded, well-rounded, academically-gifted student with leadership potential and respect for authority. Many military schools explicitly say that they are not equipped to handle troubled or academically challenged students, such as those with learning disabilities.
• There are co-educational military schools and all-boys military schools, but no all-girls military schools. This comes from the history of the US military, which began as a male-only institution.
• The oldest military boarding school in the US is Carson Long Military Institute in New Bloomfield, PA, founded in 1842.
• The state with the most military boarding schools is Virginia.
A number of military schools have a Christian affiliation:
Baptist
Fork Union Military Academy (Virginia)
Hargrave Military Academy (Virginia)
Catholic
St. Catherine’s Military Academy (California)
Episcopal
The Howe School and Summer Camp (Indiana)
St. John’s Military School (Kansas)
St. Johns Northwestern Military Academy (Wisconsin)
TMI–The Episcopal School of Texas
Non-denominational Christian
Massanutten Military Academy (Virginia)
Missouri Military Academy (Missouri)
Oak Ridge Military Academy (North Carolina)
Valley Forge Military Academy (Pennsylvania)
United Methodist
Randolph-Macon Academy (Virginia)
• Some military schools offer a post-graduate year.
• Admiral Farragut Academy, a military boarding school in St. Petersburg, Florida, is recognized as an Honor Naval Academy by the U.S. Congress, and is one of the few military schools to offer support for students with learning differences (LD) and ADD/ADHD.
• Most military schools have a JROTC program. Participation may be mandatory.
• Most military school graduates go on to enroll in a college or university, or enlist in the military.
Many famous people, and not just those who distinguished themselves in the military, attended a K–12 military school:
- Astronaut Alan Shephard graduated from Admiral Farragut Academy. So did musician Stephen Stills.
- George Steinbrenner, New York Yankees owner and film critic Gene Siskel graduated from Culver Academies.
- Plaxico Burress, New York Giants wide receiver, graduated from Fork Union Military Academy.
- Donald Trump, President and CEO of Trump International, graduated from New York Military Academy.
- Dale Earnhardt, Jr., NACAR driver, graduated from Oak Ridge Military Academy.
- Actor Spencer Tracy graduated from Saint John’s Northwestern Military Academy.
- General Douglas MacArthur graduated from TMI–Episcopal School of Texas.
- General H. Norman Schwarzkopf and author J.D. Salinger graduated from Valley Forge Military Academy.
