What Is JROTC? The Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard each operate their own versions of the program for high school students. According to a Congressional Research Service report, 552,990 students were active in 3,432 units across the U.S. and Department of Defense schools overseas in fiscal year 2020.

There Is No Military Obligation for JROTC Cadets. Students who participate in JROTC are not required to join the military after high school, and the program is not a military preparation class.

"That is not the mission of JROTC at all; the mission is to prepare children to become better citizens," says retired Maj. Trina Tilque, an Army JROTC instructor at Statesville High School in North Carolina.

But as the Air Force JROTC website notes, the program is regulated by the military and participation may improve rank upon enlisting.

Only about 20% of all JROTC participants go on to join the military, according to Col. Steve M. Smith, director of the U.S. Army JROTC, who adds that JROTC emphasizes "health, physical education, ethics (and) financial responsibility."

JROTC programs are taught by retired service members, who Smith says undergo extensive background checks and classroom management training. And while JROTC instructors are full-time school employees, the military shares costs with the school to help pay the instructors to provide program leadership.

Coursework includes military history and customs – which is typically branch-specific – and students are required to wear a uniform that mirrors what military personnel wear in their respective branches.

"Typically, in most cases, they are going to probably wear (the uniform) once a week for a full day at school and receive a grade for proper wear," Boyer says. Outside of the classroom, he adds, students are expected to wear uniforms to JROTC events.

Students also partake in physical fitness training, drill instruction, academic competitions and other activities.

"Each unit is slightly different, but the physical fitness for us, we're going to go out and do some general exercises and calisthenics," Boyer says. Marching drills are also incorporated, which he says help students understand how to operate as a group.

JROTC Teaches Life Skills and LeadershipIn a JROTC class, students can build skills such as leadership, self-confidence and discipline – qualities that are necessary to thrive in any career. Personal skills are also emphasized: health, nutrition and financial management.