DoDEA - Exceptional, Civilian Run Public Schools

The United States Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) administers two exceptional, civilian run public school systems that serve the dependents of US Military personnel in 7 states, the territory of Guam, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and fourteen foreign countries. These two school systems are federally funded institutions adhering to the highest standards demanded of American public schools.

Academic Certification of DoDEA Schools

All DoDEA high schools actively maintain academic certification by recognized American educational certification agencies. The North Central Association (NCA) certifies the academic integrity of DoDEA overseas schools. Specific NCA information on DoDDS schools is available on the NCA web site. In 1998, DoDEA operated 59 accredited high schools. The Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS - overseas) has 51 high schools located in 14 countries. The Defense Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools (DDESS - domestic) has 8 high schools in three states, Puerto Rico and Guam. Addresses for the location of these schools are available on this web site.

High Performance on Standardized Tests

Students in DoDEA schools perform above national academic norms for U.S. public schools. DoDEA performance on standardized tests (CTBS/4, Terra Nova) are usually in the 60th percentile range for all grade levels tested (grades 3 - 11) both in overall battery measures and individual subtests. High school participation on the SAT tests exceeds national averages and performance information by school is available on this web site.

Email Contact with Individual Schools

When necessary, College & University admissions officers may write email to individual schools within the DoDEA system.

DoDEA high school graduates have received millions of dollars in scholarship monies from U.S. Universities and Colleges. A summary of Post-secondary plans for DoDEA high school graduates is available from the DoDEA Research and Evaluation Branch. DoDEA maintains extensive internet based information on school academic performance and demographics. Systemwide information is available for DoDDS and DDESS schools. It is also possible to retrieve information for DoDDS Europe Area, Pacific Area, and Americas Area (Panama & Cuba). Performance and demographic information on individual schools is also available. High school course offerings (individual school master schedules) and enrollment statistics for the current academic year may also be viewed for all DoDDS schools.

Students attending and graduating from DoDEA schools have a broad range of intercultural experiences far beyond that available to most graduates of US public high schools. Daily activities include exposure to rich cultural experiences, opportunities to use foreign language classroom instruction in real life situations, and an interaction with people of very diverse histories and backgrounds.

For references on the establishment of DoDEA schools as U.S. public schools, please reference: 20 USC Chapter 25a; 32CFR 68; 32CFR 71; and DoD Directive 1342.6.