Army and Navy Academy Reviews

During my four years at the Academy, I was part of many different activities. I did three sports a year all four years. I did football in the fall, wrestling in the winter and track and field in the spring. I was also a part of a few different clubs. The Navy-Marine Club, National Honor Society and Key Club made up my volunteer and academic clubs. For all four years, I was a member of the High School Marching band where I was a percussionist. In the JROTC program, I was put in a variety of leadership positions. My senior year I was one of the highest ranking cadets on campus as a Cadet Captain. My position, as the Public Relations officer, required me to work closely with the marketing and development departments as part of my day to day life.

The attention that the teachers would give you if you needed it was phenomenal and very helpful. The average class size is about 15 students per every one teacher. There are a wide variety of classes for students to choose from. Different Advanced Placement and Honors courses are available to students if they are interested in that. The environment is very competitive but friendly at the same time. Other students are always willing to help you if you struggling in a particular class.

The athletic program at the Academy is very strong. Cadets are encouraged to play at least one sport a year. If they are not currently in a sport they have to do Physical Training instead of a sport. As with the teachers, the coaches are there to give individualized attention to cadet-athletes. With this being a small school, any cadet can pick a sport and participate in it without any problems. I picked up wrestling my freshman year and was taught well by my coaches and kept it up for all four years here. The Academy offers many sports. Football, water polo and cross country in the fall. Basketball, wrestling and soccer in the winter. Baseball, golf, tennis, swimming and track and field in spring.

I was only a boarding student during my senior year. I enjoyed it much more than going home on a daily basis. The rooms are set up sort of like a college dorm. A bed with a desk under it with a desk light, closet space for uniforms, and a set of dresser drawers that can be locked. Rooms are assigned, for new students, according to each cadet s interests and preferences. Returners are allowed to pick their roommate as long as the choice is approved by the Commandant and Residential life officer. If there is a problem with a roommate, arrangements can be made for students to transfer rooms.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time at the Academy. It prepared me for the real world.

My son loves this place. As a parent we all look at the good and bad of every school. In life what you put in is what you get out in most cases. What this school does is gives you everything you need to succeed. Great, yes Great teachers and staff. The average day is set up with kids having the time to see teachers outside of class and get help if needed. 12 in a class is amazing! If I had any complaint it would be the food, sorry but less than impressive and that was for a weekend where parents were visiting.... Some of the room are stark and a little in need of TLC, would like to see those items addressed but those are just a couple items. Seriously a fantastic group of teachers and cadets.

Graduated in '82 and if given the oportunity in a next life I would do so again. Great dedicated teachers and staff. ANA will always hold a special place in my memory.

$>everything there. We have awesome people here but in the back, there are no support for them, for us.

I just have a question, is this a good place to go if you are looking to join the marines in the future? I know it says army navy, but the marines is kinda the navy

It sucks and they don't care about you or what you're going through.

My boys went here for summer camp last year. They NEEDED it, I NEEDED it, they didn't want to go! They went. My youngest is a doozie and needed it, but both didn't want to leave, talked about it for months, begged to go back this summer, and my youngest wanted to go year round. I love this place. My youngest injured his hand and they took great care of him. What this camp did for them and what it did for us as a family was a blessing. I especially thank my David Johnson and Master Sergeant Lionel Saulsberry and the Coach. If you're sitting on the fence, don't! Send your kid(s). They will thank you and you parents need 30 days. 10 STARS in our book!

I loved this school, there was so much potential. The campus had everything that I ever wanted. A beach, smack down in the middle of a cool town called Carlsbad.
The problem with this school is the underground. There are a alot of drugs in circulation at the school. Before I came to ANA I had never even been drunk before.By the time I had left I was using nicotine products, marijuana, and lsd.
Other than that I loved the school. Great teachers along with good tacs. The only thing that parents should know is that if your sending your kid here, he will be introduced to drugs.

I graduated from this school after 2 and a half years here. My experience here has been great, lots of ups and downs. I would say that academic wise, the school makes it easier for us to pass our classes but if you really wanted to do well in a class, you had to work for it. Most of the teachers there are hardworking and are always there to help, especially in the science department. Campus life didn't start too well for me. I wasn't used to being in another country with foreign room mates, so I was really quiet and wasn't really talking to people there. I got used to it the next semester, as new kids came in and I became the more experienced one in this school. I quickly made new friends, started getting motivated to get a good leadership position and actually became a Company Commander for Alpha Co. (we won company of the year, 2014) The people who take care of you after school are really great people. They are always there to listen to you if you have any problems, ready to help in any way and constantly keeping an eye on you for our safety. The school does have their downs too. Especially the food, everyone complains about the mess hall food. I don't really complain but it would be nice if they served us better food there. Some kids there also get away with alot of things, especially if their parents are funding the school in anyway other than for the child's tuition. If I could go back and re-do all I went through in Army Navy, I would accept in a heart beat. I already miss this place.

Best school. 10/10. There are some bad reviews so interesting that case people can begin to differ but if you actually put effort into your classes and discipline you end up in a good position. I dare say if you can afford to send your sonew here, there is a high chance of success in your son's future. My uncle went in 1971 and graduated from there. I don't understand these negative reviews when the school is the best in San Diego.

I'm a student at the academy of 4 years. I want to talk about my experiences and expose some of the problems I've encountered during my time here.

Firstly, every last bit of a student's day is planned out. Everyday is the same routine. Students have to look at their watches every few hours to prevent them from missing formations, pt, lunch, or tac time. The best words to describe going to ANA would be dull and controlled. I see other reviews here saying "there is so much freedom" and that is simply not true during weekdays. When you enter ANA, every aspect of your life will be controlled by them. Everyday you have to ask yourself: Is my hair too long? Am i wearing all my pins on my uniform? Is my shoes shined? How many inches is in a half step? I never went to prison but if I ever did, I'm sure that ANA would be comparable to prison. The best way to describe this would be whenever I leave the campus, I feel relieved like heavy weights has been taken off my shoulders. I really don't think it shouldn't feel like that whenever you leave a school campus.

During my time here, I've seen many cadet leaders at ANA abuse their powers, either humiliating students by making them walk around the campus chanting "I was wrong" or making students hold a 15 pound rifle above their heads for half an hour.

The mess hall at ANA is... well a mess. There is a food rotation schedule the resets every few weeks and they serve the same exact thing every rotation. The mess hall at ANA is also pretty unsanitary, I have seen cockroaches on the walls and ground in the mess hall and it's pretty unsettling. However, you are allowed to order food here though which is a huge win.

Overall, I think that, personally, going to this school had no positive effect on me or my character whatsoever. Sure I learned how to march in a military style, sure I learned how to perform drill in a military parade, sure I learned the ranks of the army, but there was nothing else I took away from attending this academy aside from the military stuff that I could just look up on the internet. This academy just gave me more stress on top of my homework and AP classes and made me feel like I wasted all of my teenage years confined in a 16 acre cubical campus. When I watch tv shows about high school, it made me really miserable seeing that I could never have the experience of a normal teenager in a normal high school. Everyday in the academy, it's the same pattern. Wake up, look forward to the day ending, and going to sleep, on a repeat, until the weekends when I get to go home.

This school claims that it's a college preparatory school but how is it a college prep school when they use study halls to babysit students to do their homework instead of teaching them time management and make a restrictive schedule controlling every aspect of a student's time.

Aside from the Cadet Life, classes at ANA is pretty good. The teachers and counselors are all very experienced and fun. I feel like they are what makes the school bearable for me specifically.

This is just an inside scoop of what the academy is really like from my experiences.

I see the negative reviews....and understand where they are coming from. Most kids do not appreciate their time at the Academy, I was one of them. At that age, the "slow" ones think it's cool to be a rebel. I hope some day they will mature and agree with me.
As for the parents, don't take their complaints to heart. If you want your kid to grow up, let them learn to how socialize properly. They will learn what is acceptable in the real world. If they plan to make a career in the armed forces, they best get used to the lifestyle. I excelled in basic training because of my experience at the Academy. The Academy is doing the disciplinary actions that you can't bare to do yourselves.
There's drugs everywhere, I say don't worry about your child using drugs.......worry about them making the right choices. I choose not to smoke, drink, or use drugs at a young age, and never allowed peer pressure to run its course.
The Academy will teach your child to stand up at the "right" times.

I went to this school with soo much excitement, finally a school we re I could do good and actually be able to learn some discipline. First day I got there and I said goodbye to my mom, I was a tiny bit nervous but much more excited. But then it was almost right as my mom left that the truth about this school set in. This schools African American leaders and Hispanic are top of the line, they expect respect from you but will also respect you. On the other hand for a great majority of the Caucasian adults there are rude and misunderstanding, and won t listen to a word you say. As for the kids that go there, most are recovering drug addicts, but they just stop for the school year(maybe not even then) just to make it seem like they have quit and moved on. See that s the thing with this school, your learning how to bend the ropes and get away with stuff in a more controlled environment. There s drug tests given but they barely watch you and you could very easily fake the test. For $40,000+ you would expect top of the line dorms, bathrooms, food, but tha is simply what you don t get. The dorms are very disgusting as many cadets would say how the mattresses have had (many things) on them. My first day a spider was crawling on my mattress. The bathrooms are utterly disgusting and I know there s many kids that go there but with corona you can tell this place is barely sanitized. Before going there I believed the food would be top of the line, something I could be happy to look forward to after a long hard day of work. That s not the case in the slightest though, the food is borderline microwave food (Mac and cheese made in the microwave is much better). Not to mention from a short time of being there I found multiple hairs in my drinks and food. All in all I had high hopes for this school and left feeling utterly disappointed and disgusted. But at the same time if you are going to send your kid here, just know that your paying all this money, for something that a rehab center would much better suit. I say that because almost everyone there (cadets) is a drug addict or former. I give it a 2 stars because Justin my acting CO was an amazing person, and most of the kids there are very nice people, just maybe haven't all made good choices.

Thru discipline in daily life we were taught to choose "the harder right, then the easier wrong." The daily formations, inspections, drills, polishing, cleaning and attention to detail in everything helped to turn us into a team . The orders shouted, The time limits and schedules and individual responsabilities were aimed to help shape your character and teach how to cope with a little stress... It was not meant to be pleasant, it was meant to help prepare you for the real world. Currently Im serving in my 20th year in the Tijuana P. D. And I owe the discipline that I learned at Army and Navy Academy, for helping me cope thru many challenges .
"Class of 1986". Rafael Chon

I'm amazed at my son how much he has grown, Adam loves this Academy, Yes, it's hard work but he has taken away so much more thanks to the dedicated teachers and staff supporting the cadets.
Many, many thank yous to all. WE LOVE THIS ACADEMY.

Army and Navy Academy changed my life. I wanted to succeed so badly before I started at ANA, but could not figure out how to do it. ANA gave me both the structure and the freedom necessary to excel academically and with self discipline. I owe my success and happiness today in major part to this school.

As with anything in life, if you think you can succeed or if you think you cannot succeed, you are correct. ANA supplies the tools for success, but it is ultimately up to each cadet to make good choices. There is no such thing as a miracle school, but ANA is as close as it gets.

Class of 2000

am so thrilled my sons have this experience in the formative years of their life and character. It has been no easy task and a collection of miracles and painful sacrifices...
I can honestly say EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE when you
1- make a decision
2- have complete faith about the outcome
3- take selfless and inspired action

The universe will conspire to manifest your selfless desires.

Both of my boys have grown exponentially in all areas... academically, personally, physically, emotionally! The Army and Navy Academy team of folks have done a superb job at answering their call! I could not be happier to endorse them.

I am proud to have graduated from this school. It was a great learning experience and is where I gained many life long friends. Small classes and good teachers is what I remember. Plus you're right on top of the Pacific Ocean.

Made a self sufficient man out of a directionless boy. Taught me virtue, morals , and integrity.
The friends I made have endured since I graduated in 1970.
All the schooling was more than a three star rating. I m sure I m not the only cadet that loved the school.
Col. Atkinson taught us a lot in chapel; as much as I disliked going I think some of what he preached actually got through my thick skull.
ANA gets a Silver and Golden A .

We attended a football game. Stadium was small but very nice.

An excellent complete school from 7th to 12th grade, education not only focusing on academic knowledge teaching, but also on the leadership and disciplines.

Unsafe. One kid fell during rappelling, was out unconscious, and was taken out on an ambulance to never return, and 2 kids broke their arm from a fall during obstacle course. These are all early teens. Obviously, the staff lacks safety training and young teens shouldn't be on the same training course that adults run through. I had high hopes for this place but it's simply an unsafe environment. It's one thing if a young adult enlists but totally different if you're paying them to teach the kids leadership skills, but instead, you take your kid home with a huge medical bill.

As an alumni (Class of 2004) I can tell you that you get out exactly what you put in (as in all things in life). No one can walk the path for you, an effort still has to be made and determination to make that effort is of utmost importance. There are plenty of cadets who will rebel against authority because its "cool." Honestly, its so easy to be productive here that you actually have to put in more effort to do less work. With such a small student body (320 students total, a graduating class of 44) you form friendships across the world that last a lifetime. I still talk to about 80% of my classmates (from all the cadets I knew during my 5 years there).

I attended this school from 8th to 11th grade. At the time, I was not happy about being there. I fought the system and broke the rules. Now I am 25 and I am a sophomore in community college. I realize now that had I stuck with their program that my life would be completely different. The cadets that graduate from ANA have increased opportunities, and have been instilled with the discipline to take care of business when they begin college. I see comments here talking about inflated grades, I don't believe that, I think the other alumni commenting are just underestimating their own success. The only issue that I would like to raise is the social issue- which ultimately made me leave. It is VERY difficult to go through high school with minimal contact with girls. Yet knowing what I know now, the social element comes naturally later on, and the cadets that leave the school as graduates will have stronger character than most of the men their age. Great school, wish I finished. I will always regret not graduating from this school.

Our grandson would come to visit and tell us all the things that happened on that campus and it scared us. He still has friends there he communicates with and they tell him all the things going on and we are so thankful he isn't there.

It's true, students go on to West Point and other great schools just like they do from the poorest of schools. And some students will do well, but not the majority here.

What they don't tell you is how they raise the grades to give a false sense of what they actually know. It keeps uninvolved parents happy to see their son's doing so well with a GPA of 4.0 when they were barely passing public school. Do you really think these kids can do that much better or are they just being taught basics and allowed multiple attempts to raise their grades. Scores told us the truth after a national exam and he told us the truth about how grades are given there.

The drugs, alcohol and lack of discipline are the main problems besides the poor teachers. Too much free time on their hands with no supervision.

As a parent would you let your 13 year old go to an R movie or roam a foreign cities streets alone? Here they do that. Weekends anything goes to keep the boys happy.

Most boys will love this school since it is so much freedom and the classes are so easy. Just be prepared to support them when they fail out of college.

The leadership will tell you what you want to hear to keep the tuition checks rolling in. Just have a little common sense and listen to former students who have no reason to lie. Let the truth be known.

Returning students are dwindling as the truth gets out about what's going on in Carlsbad. This is like no other military boarding school. And that is not a compliment.

Went here for summer camp (camp challenge) 2 years ago. Great experience! Learned a lot and had quite a lot of good memories there. The experience changed me as a person.

Excellent opportunities for leadership and athletics.