Defense Department May Adopt Pro-America Test For K-12 Schools, Military Academies
Future military officers and the children of U.S. service members may soon be able to satisfy government testing mandates with a new test that prioritizes traditional math and the Great Books. Because tests strongly influence what teachers teach, this would encourage more traditional, less politicized instruction for the 70,000 or so children attending Department of Defense, or DODEA, K-12 schools.
The current Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) moving through Congress would require DODEA schools to offer 11th-grade students the college admissions test of their parents’ choice. This would allow students to take the Classic Learning Test, a Great Books competitor to the SAT and ACT college entrance exams. NDAA is a must-pass annual military spending bill. Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., successfully added that amendment during markup in July.
We’re going to make this happen James. The CLT is the gold standard, and our academies need to attract the very best. https://t.co/JoAzp1zW3a
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) May 3, 2025
“Accepting the CLT alongside the SAT and ACT opens the door for talented students from every educational background. It’s about making sure our military academies attract the best and brightest,” Banks said in a statement to The Federalist. “Many homeschool students take the CLT, which focuses on reading, logic, and classic texts in a way other tests don’t. These are good skills to take to the academies and putting this into law would ensure future administrations can’t unilaterally undo what Secretary Hegseth is trying to achieve.”
The NDAA amendment occurred after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth tweeted his support for accepting CLT at military academies in May. Hegseth is the coauthor, with David Goodwin, of a 2022 New York Times bestselling book about classical education, Battle for the American Mind. The book follows up on a documentary Hegseth hosted for Fox News.
Four Republican senators voted against another amendment from Banks to require U.S. military academies such as West Point to accept the CLT as applicants’ college entrance exam. Those are Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska, Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, and Sen. Tim Sheehy of Montana. If these four had voted for this amendment, it also would be in the NDAA this year. (Read more from “Defense Department May Adopt Pro-America Test For K-12 Schools, Military Academies” HERE)
