JROTC Public School Access

Q: Can my homeschool son or daughter participate in the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) at a public school?

Yes! JROTC is now available to homeschool students in grades 7 through 12.

HEAV began working on homeschool access to JROTC in 2018 and introduced a bill in 2019. In 2020, the federal National Defense Authorization Act modified its language to state that public high schools must include homeschoolers in JROTC:

“Each public secondary educational institution that maintains a unit under this section shall permit membership in the unit to homeschooled students residing in the area served by the institution who are qualified for membership in the unit (but for lack of enrollment in the institution).”

If your student is interested in JROTC, first contact your local high school to see if they offer the program. Not all do. They will then put you in contact with the local JROTC officer who will provide enrollment information. If you have any difficulty or if the school contact is not familiar with the law change, please contact HEAV at 804-278-9200.