What is JROTC?
The JROTC (Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps) program offers students in high school a comprehensive education in service and leadership, supported by the Department of Defense (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force). Our dedicated instructor team, comprised of retired military service members, offers students knowledge and skills that extend far beyond the classroom and prepares them for the diverse challenges of life. Through mentoring, extracurricular activities, and a rigorous academic program, the JROTC program instills confidence for young men and women, a sense of belonging and purpose, access to a range of non-classroom activities and leadership skills that help students reach their full potential.
What does it mean for students who participate in JROTC?
As a participant in JROTC, whom we refer to as ‘Cadets’, students wear a uniform that is provided to them one day a week and 5 days a week in Military Academy High Schools. Cadets have one period of classroom instruction, taught by one of the JROTC instructors. In the freshman and sophomore year, participation in JROTC serves to fulfill the Physical Education requirement. The curriculum taught during the Freshmen and Sophomore year covers a range of topics including civics education, financial literacy, communication and conflict resolution skills, leadership skills, service learning projects, and college and career planning. Outside of the classroom, cadets have access to a range of opportunities from orienteering, to drill meets, to sports competitions, debate, robotics, jazz bands – you name it! Parents and guardians support the program by ensuring their students are prepared with the proper uniform on the appropriate day.
Our mission:
To be the national model of Junior ROTC programs by developing responsible cadet-leaders of character through high-quality instruction and enrichment opportunities that enable the development of life skills, aspiration, and expectation to be college and career ready. Every student is accounted for.
History:
The Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps came into being with the passage of the National Defense Act of 1916. The focus of JROTC was on secondary schools and was part of a national commitment by the Department of Defense to give back to the civilian community by supporting public education. Under the provisions of the 1916 act, high schools were authorized the loan of federal military equipment and the assignment of active or retired military personnel as instructors on the condition that they followed a prescribed course of training and maintained a minimum enrollment of 100 students over 14 years of age.
