The United States Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) came into being with the passage of the National Defense Act of 1916. JROTC was established in the Houston Independent School District in 1926. Once looked upon primarily as a source of enlisted recruits and officer candidates, the JROTC program evolved into it's current form as a citizenship program devoted to the moral, physical and educational uplift of American youth.
Houston Independent School District JROTC Department consists of 18 Army, 4 Navy JROTC, and 1 Air Force JROTC programs with a total JROTC enrollment of 4,400 students for school year 2018-2019. Statistics for students completing four years in the program are as follows: over 85% attend college; 8% enter the workforce; and less than 7% join the military. Last school year, graduating senior cadets earned approximately $6,547,696.00 in scholarships.
