The best military schools provide a rigid environment to instill leadership responsibilities, self-confidence, and high values in students. Although there are many institutions associated with the military, the 10 military academies listed here are private schools for high school, college, or college-bound students.
Many of these military schools are male-only institutions, but there are also academies for both men and women. It is here where students learn what is expected from them in military service, while also receiving college preparatory instruction.
Pupils are offered opportunities for service in the various armed forces, and all the schools maintain high academic standards. There are often boarding options so students have the added benefit of close attention by instructors and supervisors.
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There are many military academies in America that offer superior training. Here are the 10 best military academies for students considering a private military school with strong academic qualifications:
1. Culver Academies (Culver, Ind.) — Three boarding schools in one, Culver Academies consists of a military academy, a women’s academy, and a robust summer school and camp program. The academies’ oft-repeated mission is “to provide students with the best whole person education in the country.” Culver’s Black Horse Troop and Equestriennes are considered some of the best equestrian programs in the nation and have participated in presidential inaugural parades 17 times since 1913.
2. Hargrave Military Academy (Chatham, Va.) — The college preparatory school for grades 7-12 prepares male students for civic, leadership, and educational tasks. Located less than 60 miles from Roanoke, the academy has a student population of less than 4,000 with strict application requirements.
3. Admiral Farragut Academy (St Petersburg, Fla.) — This college-preparatory academy instills military values with a naval bent to its male and female students. This academy offers advanced placement courses and allows dual enrollment in local colleges. Its unique programs include aviation, marine science, naval science, and engineering. The academy houses day schools for grades Pre-K though 12, as well as a boarding option for high schoolers.
4. Fork Union Military Academy (Fork Union, Va.) — This male-only college preparatory high school focuses on developing citizenship with leadership, academic principles, and Christian values. It hosts a small student population with rigid admission requirements. The boarding school for grades 7-12 is located in Fork Union, a little more than 50 miles from Richmond.
5. Army and Navy Academy (Carlsbad, Calif.) — The college-preparatory boarding school for boys was founded in 1910, and its curriculum is geared to the way boys learn. It develops character in students in grades 7-12 through motivation and discipline. The young cadets are required to take six classes per semester with the goal ultimately attending the college of their choice.
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6. Camden Military Academy (Camden, S.C.) — This affordable military school is open to boys in grades 7-12 and is on a mission to “is to accept young men of unfulfilled promise and lead them to a future of success.” The cadets receive a personalized approach in small classes for education and military purposes, as well as physical training and drills every morning.
7. Christian Brothers Academy (Albany, N.Y.) — The curriculum here includes courses with a Roman Catholic emphasis and military leadership programs. Students at the school also focus on academic achievements with traditional classes in theology, foreign languages, and fine arts. The academy’s Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps has been recognized as an Honor Unit With Distinction by the U.S. Army.
8. Valley Forge Military Academy & College (Wayne, Pa.) — The facility is an all-male college-preparatory school for grades 7-12 and a college. The academy boasts strong one-on-one interaction among tutors, instructors, and students. Faculty members are involved in classroom and extracurricular activities as well as in students’ lives.
9. Fishburne Military School (Waynesboro, Va.) — Fishburne offers the advantage of a small student-to-teacher ratio of 8 to 1. Young students in grades 7-12 are given individual attention to build confidence and character through classroom and extracurricular activities. The boys school, an institution for more than 135 years, has received high rankings from alumni reviews, according to Boarding School Review.
10. Marine Military Academy (Harlingen, Texas) — This private academy offers boys in grades 8-12 college-preparatory education with a year of post-graduate studies. Although it is not officially associated with the U.S. Marine Corps, students can be affiliated with the Marines by participating in the Junior ROTC program. Seniors receive positions of command.
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