The United States has a rich history of military education and training. Several notable institutions have been around since near the inception of this country, and they have played critical roles in developing military officers. (See how much members of the U.S. military are paid at every pay grade.)
West Point, located in upstate New York, is renowned for its rigorous academic and physical training programs, preparing cadets for leadership roles in the military. It is one of the oldest military academies in the nation with its roots dating back to George Washington, though it was President Thomas Jefferson who signed legislation to establish the academy. West Point has produced many distinguished graduates, including two U.S. presidents, several members of Congress, and numerous military leaders.
Other than West Point, there are numerous military schools nationwide. To determine the 35 oldest U.S. military academies, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed an online directory of military academies produced by Military School USA. Military academies are ranked according to their founding date, starting before the year of 1930. Supplemental data on the school’s location, type, student population, and whether or not it is coed also came from Military School USA.
Another prestigious military academy is the United States Naval Academy, located in Annapolis, Maryland. Founded in 1845, it has been training naval officers for over 175 years. The mission at the Naval Academy is focused on developing cadets “with the highest ideals of duty, honor and loyalty in order to graduate leaders who are dedicated to a career of naval service and have potential for future development in mind and character to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government.”
Apart from these major academies, there are also several other military colleges and universities throughout the U.S. that predate the Civil War. These include The Citadel in South Carolina, founded in 1842, and Virginia Military Institute, founded in 1839. (Today, these are the highest paying college majors.)
The oldest military academies in the United States are mostly on the East Coast, where the country was founded. In fact, only one of the 10 oldest academies is located outside of the East Coast.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly referred to La Salle Institute as a boys only school. La Salle went coeducational in 2021.
Here’s a look at the 35 oldest U.S. military academies:
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
35. Valley Forge Military Academy and College
> Founding date: 1928
> Population: 280
> Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
> Coed: Boys
> Type: College preparatory
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34. Leonard Hall Junior Naval Academy
> Founding date: 1909
> Population: 50
> Location: Leonardtown, Maryland
> Coed: Coed
> Type: College preparatory
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
33. Hargrave Military Academy
> Founding date: 1909
> Population: 230
> Location: Chatham, Virginia
> Coed: Boys
> Type: College preparatory
Source: Courtesy of Riverside Preparatory Academy via Facebook
32. Riverside Preparatory Academy
> Founding date: 1907
> Population: 530
> Location: Gainesville, Georgia
> Coed: Boys
> Type: College preparatory
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Source: Courtesy of San Marcos Academy via Facebook
31. San Marcos Academy
> Founding date: 1907
> Population: 300
> Location: San Marcos, Texas
> Coed: Boys
> Type: College preparatory
Source: armyrotc / Flickr
30. Benedictine Military School
> Founding date: 1902
> Population: 400
> Location: Savannah, Georgia
> Coed: Boys
> Type: College preparatory
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Source: armyrotc / Flickr
29. Georgia Military College
> Founding date: 1900
> Population: 8,000
> Location: Milledgeville, Georgia
> Coed: Coed
> Type: Junior College
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
28. Massanutten Military Academy
> Founding date: 1899
> Population: 120
> Location: Woodstock, Virginia
> Coed: Coed
> Type: College preparatory
Source: Courtesy of The Southern Prep Academy via Facebook
27. Southern Prep Academy
> Founding date: 1898
> Population: 115
> Location: Camp Hill, Alabama
> Coed: Boys
> Type: College preparatory
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26. Fork Union Military Academy
> Founding date: 1898
> Population: 500
> Location: Fork Union, Virginia
> Coed: Boys
> Type: College preparatory
25. Culver Military Academy
> Founding date: 1894
> Population: 850
> Location: Culver, Indiana
> Coed: Coed
> Type: College preparatory
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Source: Courtesy of TMI Episcopal via Facebook
24. Texas Military Institute
> Founding date: 1893
> Population: 450
> Location: San Antonio, Texas
> Coed: Coed
> Type: College preparatory
Source: John M. Chase / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
23. Randolph-Macon Academy
> Founding date: 1892
> Population: 370
> Location: Front Royal, Virginia
> Coed: Coed
> Type: College preparatory
Source: Courtesy of New Mexico Military Institute
22. New Mexico Military Institute
> Founding date: 1891
> Population: 870
> Location: Roswell, New Mexico
> Coed: Coed
> Type: Junior College, College Preparatory
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21. St. Catherine’s Academy
> Founding date: 1889
> Population: 150
> Location: Anaheim, California
> Coed: Boys
> Type: Kindergarten – 8th grade
Source: Courtesy of Missouri Military Academy via Facebook
20. Missouri Military Academy
> Founding date: 1889
> Population: 250
> Location: Mexico, Missouri
> Coed: Boys
> Type: College preparatory
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
19. New York Military Academy
> Founding date: 1889
> Population: 120
> Location: Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York
> Coed: Coed
> Type: College preparatory
Source: Courtesy of Kenosha Military Academy (KMA) Honor Guard via Facebook
18. Kenosha Military Academy
> Founding date: 1889
> Population: 900
> Location: Kenosha, Wisconsin
> Coed: Coed
> Type: College preparatory
Source: Courtesy of St. John's Northwestern Academies via Facebook
17. St. John’s Military School
> Founding date: 1887
> Population: 230
> Location: Salina, Kansas
> Coed: Boys
> Type: College preparatory
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Source: sshepard / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
16. St. Thomas Academy
> Founding date: 1885
> Population: 695
> Location: Mendota Heights, Minnesota
> Coed: Boys
> Type: College preparatory
15. US Naval War College
> Founding date: 1884
> Population: 4,000
> Location: Newport, Rhode Island
> Coed: Coed
> Type: Undergraduate
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Source: armyrotc / Flickr
14. St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy
> Founding date: 1884
> Population: 265
> Location: Delafield, Wisconsin
> Coed: Coed
> Type: College preparatory
Source: 94393826@N02 / Flickr
13. Fishburne Military School
> Founding date: 1879
> Population: 200
> Location: Waynesboro, Virginia
> Coed: Boys
> Type: College preparatory
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
12. US Coast Guard Academy
> Founding date: 1876
> Population: 1,200
> Location: New London, Connecticut
> Coed: Coed
> Type: Undergraduate
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Source: SUNY Maritime College
11. SUNY Maritime College
> Founding date: 1874
> Population: 1,850
> Location: Throggs Neck, New York
> Coed: Coed
> Type: Undergraduate, Postgraduate
Source: Courtesy of Georgia Military College via Facebook
10. The Military College of Georgia
> Founding date: 1873
> Population: 6,500
> Location: Dahlonega, Georgia
> Coed: Coed
> Type: Undergraduate, Postgraduate
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Source: Courtesy of Maur Hill Mount Academy via Facebook
9. Maur Hill Mount Academy
> Founding date: 1863
> Population: 220
> Location: Atchison, Kansas
> Coed: Coed
> Type: College preparatory
Source: Courtesy of Christian Brothers Academy via Facebook
8. Christian Brothers Academy
> Founding date: 1859
> Population: 300
> Location: Albany, New York
> Coed: Boys
> Type: College preparatory
7. Oak Ridge Military Academy
> Founding date: 1852
> Population: 65
> Location: Oak Ridge, North Carolina
> Coed: Coed
> Type: College preparatory
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Source: Courtesy of La Salle Institute via Facebook
6. La Salle Institute
> Founding date: 1850
> Population: 410
> Location: Troy, New York
> Coed: Coed
> Type: College preparatory
Source: usnavy / Flickr
5. United States Naval Academy
> Founding date: 1845
> Population: 4,500
> Location: Annapolis, Maryland
> Coed: Coed
> Type: Undergraduate
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Source: sailaway46 / iStock via Getty Images
4. The Citadel
> Founding date: 1842
> Population: 2,300
> Location: Charleston, South Carolina
> Coed: Boys
> Type: Undergraduate
Source: ablokhin / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
3. Virginia Military Institute
> Founding date: 1839
> Population: 1,600
> Location: Lexington, Virginia
> Coed: Boys
> Type: Undergraduate
Source: ErikaMitchell / iStock via Getty Images
2. Norwich University
> Founding date: 1819
> Population: 3,450
> Location: Northfield, Vermont
> Coed: Boys
> Type: Undergraduate
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1. Military Academy at West Point
> Founding date: 1802
> Population: 4,600
> Location: West Point, New York
> Coed: Coed
> Type: Undergraduate
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