At U.S. military academies, Eagle Scouts and former Scouts are everywhere
Scouts who enter our nation’s military academies find themselves with a leg up on their classmates.
Leadership, patriotism and service? Those are characteristics Scouts are known for.
No surprise, then, that student applications from cadets and midshipmen at U.S. military academies reveal an impressive number of Eagle Scouts and former Scouts.
Here’s a look, academy by academy.
U.S. Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
There are 4,200 total cadets in the 2016/2017 class.
That includes:
- 716 Scouts (17.0 percent)
- 425 Eagle Scouts (10.1 percent)
Also worth noting:
- The academy provides camping facilities to Scout groups. Learn more here.
- The academy will send congratulatory letters to new Eagle Scouts. Go here for more.
U.S. Military Academy (West Point, N.Y.)
In April 2017, West Point released a class profile that averages data about cadets since 2012.
The academy admits an average of 1,183 cadets per class.
That includes:
- 239 Eagle Scouts (20.2 percent)
Also worth noting:
- The West Point Camporee, an invitation-only event sponsored by the U.S. Military Academy, is happening at the end of April. Activities include knot tying, a leadership reaction course, RB-15 (Zodiac) paddle, fire building, fitness challenge, Commander’s Challenge, land navigation, wilderness survival, first aid and more. Find more on the West Point Scoutmasters’ Council Facebook page and see this Boys’ Life video from the event.
U.S. Naval Academy (Annapolis, Md.)
The Naval Academy keeps robust statistics on Scouting participation among its midshipmen.
In the Class of 2016, there were 918 male midshipmen.
That includes:
- 186 Scouts (20.3 percent)
- 109 Eagle Scouts (11.9 percent)
Also worth noting:
- I met some of the Naval Academy’s Eagle Scout midshipmen last month and was extremely impressed.
- The Naval Academy hosts a STEM merit badge event that could be one of the hottest tickets in Scouting.
Detailed statistics on male midshipmen:
| Class of… | Class size | Scouts | Scouts % | Eagle Scouts | Eagle % |
| 1988 | 1236 | 355 | 28.7% | 87 | 7.0% |
| 1989 | 1237 | 349 | 28.2% | 97 | 7.8% |
| 1990 | 1227 | 349 | 28.4% | 85 | 6.9% |
| 1991 | 1199 | 308 | 25.7% | 104 | 8.7% |
| 1992 | 1204 | 244 | 20.3% | 84 | 7.0% |
| 1993 | 1264 | 356 | 28.2% | 119 | 9.4% |
| 1994 | 1092 | 221 | 20.2% | 83 | 7.6% |
| 1995 | 990 | 279 | 28.2% | 84 | 8.5% |
| 1996 | 1069 | 314 | 29.4% | 106 | 9.9% |
| 1997 | 1015 | 276 | 27.2% | 101 | 10.0% |
| 1998 | 1018 | 250 | 24.6% | 98 | 9.6% |
| 1999 | 962 | 292 | 30.4% | 138 | 14.3% |
| 2000 | 1011 | 268 | 26.5% | 114 | 11.3% |
| 2001 | 961 | 252 | 26.2% | 129 | 13.4% |
| 2002 | 1036 | 228 | 22.0% | 95 | 9.2% |
| 2003 | 1029 | 278 | 27.0% | 114 | 11.1% |
| 2004 | 1021 | 257 | 25.2% | 126 | 12.3% |
| 2005 | 1040 | 267 | 25.7% | 130 | 12.5% |
| 2006 | 1025 | 264 | 25.8% | 128 | 12.5% |
| 2007 | 1019 | 248 | 24.3% | 139 | 13.6% |
| 2008 | 988 | 238 | 24.1% | 140 | 14.2% |
| 2009 | 990 | 230 | 23.2% | 147 | 14.8% |
| 2010 | 960 | 246 | 25.6% | 129 | 13.4% |
| 2011 | 948 | 239 | 25.2% | 131 | 13.8% |
| 2012 | 1005 | 232 | 23.1% | 125 | 12.4% |
| 2013 | 995 | 243 | 24.4% | 133 | 13.4% |
| 2014 | 988 | 208 | 21.1% | 110 | 11.1% |
| 2015 | 989 | 193 | 19.5% | 95 | 9.6% |
| 2016 | 918 | 186 | 20.3% | 109 | 11.9% |
| 2017 | 931 | 182 | 19.5% | 100 | 10.7% |
| 2018 | 896 | 184 | 20.5% | 116 | 12.9% |
| 2019 | 866 | 173 | 20.0% | 118 | 13.6% |
| 2020 | 852 | 147 | 17.3% | 104 | 12.2% |
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point, N.Y.)
We have reached out to the Merchant Marine Academy and will update this post once we hear back.
In the meantime, here are the stats from the Class of 2014: 225 graduates, of whom 25 are Eagle Scouts. That’s 11.1 percent.
Worth noting:
- The Merchant Marine Academy hosts the Kings Point Camporee this month, where some 300 Boy Scouts will participate in tours, hands-on demonstrations and simulations.
U.S. Coast Guard Academy (New London, Conn.)
The U.S. Coast Guard Academy does not ask about Scouting participation on its applications.
Worth noting:
- Earlier this year, the Coast Guard Academy hosted more than 120 Scouts for a STEM merit badge day.
Hat tip: Thanks to the BSA’s Scott Olson for the data.
At U.S. military academies, Eagle Scouts and former Scouts are everywhere