Public military schools provide alternative education methods primarily in low-income urban areas. Franklin Military Academy, the first publicly funded middle school in the U.S., opened in Richmond, Virginia, in 1980. Dozens more public military academies have opened across the country since then in an effort to improve student success rates in financially troubled school districts. Unlike private military boarding schools, public academies are not designed to help children with discipline problems. Rather, they prepare students for success in college or direct entry into the military.
The curricula used in public military schools must comply with the governing state's educational standards. Cadets generally take a full schedule of academic courses with special emphasis on mathematics, science, technology and physical fitness. Participation in the Junior ROTC is compulsory for all students and includes daily classes with topics such as character-building, civics, military history and drug prevention. Students at military schools may also participate in extracurricular activities such as athletics, music, art and color guard.
The Chicago metropolitan area boasts the largest concentration of public military high schools in the nation. Chicago school districts opened the six schools -- which represent every branch of the military -- to combat high drop-out rates. More than 10,000 students attend the Chicago academies, where teachers and administrators -- usually retired marines or military officers -- emphasize self-awareness, respect, discipline and ethics. Supporters of the academies say the military-infused education has helped reduce rates of teen violence in the city.
Critics of public military academies say the schools function primarily as military recruitment tools. Indeed, while the U.S. Department of Education reports that three percent of high school graduates nationwide join the military, between five and 10 percent of military academy graduates pursue military service. Skeptics also doubt whether the academies improve students' academic performance. While some schools perform better than surrounding conventional public schools on state standardized tests, others report low scores from the majority of students.