Army and Navy Academy is an elite private

college-preparatory A college-preparatory school (usually shortened to preparatory school or prep school) is a type of secondary school. The term refers to state school, public, Independent school, private independent or parochial school, parochial schools primaril ...

military

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

for boys in

Carlsbad, California Carlsbad is a coastal city in the North County region of San Diego County, California, United States. The city is south of downtown Los Angeles and north of downtown San Diego. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 114,746. ...

. Founded in 1910, the academy admits boys in grades 7 through 12.

History

The academy was founded by

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Thomas A. Davis Colonel Thomas Alderson Davis (June 29, 1873 – February 12, 1964) was the founder of two military schools in the United States. Early life and education Davis was born in Virginia and graduated from the University of Tennessee. Shortly aft ...

as the Davis Military Academy on November 23, 1910. It was originally located in the Pacific Beach neighborhood of

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

. In 1936, the academy moved to Carlsbad, California, and was renamed the San Diego Army and Navy Academy. In 1944, "San Diego" was dropped from the name. Army and Navy Academy was notably led by William Currier Atkinson, who served as the academy's president for fifty years.

Organization

Army and Navy Academy's president is Major General Peggy Combs, who previously served as the Commanding General for Army Cadet Command. The academy is governed by a board of trustees composed of philanthropists, alumni, and current and past parents. The school's academic program is managed by the dean of academics and its

Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC -- commonly pronounced "JAY-rotsee") is a federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools across the United States and at US military ...

(JROTC) program is administered by the Senior Army Instructor. Academically, the school is organized into a middle school (grades 7 & 8) and a high school (grades 9–12). Its high school academic program conforms to a college preparatory curriculum that follows the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, ...

A-G requirements for graduation. The academy's instructional philosophy is built around a single-gender educational model targeted toward the educational needs of boys. Outside of classes, cadets report to TAC (trainer, advisor, coach) officers. TACs are responsible for mentoring and educating cadets in the afternoons and evenings, and serve as residential life officers in the academy's seven residential halls. Each TAC oversees a

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...

in the school's Army-style battalion. Cadets are assigned to roommates based on shared interests. Most rooms on campus are occupied by two cadets, but some larger dormitories feature three-occupant rooms. The academy participates in

California Interscholastic Federation The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) is the governing body for high school sports in the U.S. state of California. CIF membership includes both public and private high schools. Unlike most other state organizations, it does not have a s ...

sports and has competitive teams that include surf, wrestling, golf, football, lacrosse, swim, track and field, basketball, and baseball.

Notable programs

All cadets participate in JROTC leadership courses in addition to their normal academic class schedule. The JROTC program consists of four levels of Leadership Education Training (LET) instruction. Cadets earn rank based on their academic and disciplinary performance, as well as regular assessments through the JROTC program. Top cadet leadership positions are determined through the Leadership Candidate Course (LCC), an overnight excursion involving a variety of physical and mental challenges for prospective leaders. After LCC has ended, a selection committee meets to decide who best fits each position. Committee members include the academy president, senior army instructor, commandant of cadets, JROTC instructors, faculty leaders, and academic counselors. New students enter as "plebes" and have no rank. Plebes are expected to undergo basic training on Academy history and professional knowledge, and must additionally complete their first parade and military review, before becoming a full member of the Corps of Cadets. Army and Navy Academy's drill team is nationally recognized as one of the best high school drill teams in the nation.

Accreditations and affiliations

Army and Navy Academy is accredited by th
Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)
and th
California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS)
It is also a member of the Western Boarding Schools Association
The Association of Boarding Schools
the

Association of Military Colleges and Schools of the United States The Association of Military Colleges and Schools of the United States (AMCSUS) is a nonprofit service organization of schools with military programs approved by the Department of Defense and which maintain good standing in their regional accrediti ...

, and th
National Association of Independent Schools

Notable alumni

* Lauren Bousfield, Composer and musician. * William W. Crouch, general, U.S. Army. *

William C. Kuebler William "Bill" C. Kuebler (d. ) was an American lawyer and a Commander (United States), Commander in the United States Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy, Judge Advocate General's Corps, assigned to the U.S. Navy Office of the Judge Adv ...

, civil liberties and human rights lawyer *

Marc McClure Marc McClure (born March 31, 1957) is an American actor known for playing Jimmy Olsen in the ''Superman'' series of feature films released between 1978 and 1987 and Dave McFly in the ''Back to the Future'' films. Career McClure appeared in the 19 ...

, actor *

Victor Villaseñor Victor Villaseñor is an American writer, best known for the national bestselling book ''Rain of Gold''. Villaseñor's works are often taught in American schools. He went on to write ''Thirteen Senses: A Memoir'' (2001 in literature, 2001), a co ...

, American writer

References

External links

Army and Navy Academy website
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1910 Military high schools in the United States High schools in San Diego County, California Private middle schools in California Private high schools in California Carlsbad, California 1910 establishments in California Boarding schools in California