Education

Military Recruiting Nears Record High for Quality

By Robert C. Johnston — November 30, 1994 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Washington

The number of military recruits who are high school graduates and who score well on aptitude tests has reached a near-record high, Defense Department figures show.

In terms of recruit quality, fiscal 1994, which ended Sept. 30, was the third-best year in military-recruiting history, according to department data. The armed services hit other recruiting highs in fiscal 1991 and 1992, after the war against Iraq in the Persian Gulf. Fiscal 1992 was the military’s top year for recruit quality.

The armed services’ recruitment standards are rising as the military downsizes and becomes more “techno oriented,” said Maj. Tom Schultz, a Defense Department spokesman.

“We have given recruiting special attention during the past year and are pleased with the results--continued high-quality enlistments for our armed forces,” John M. Deutch, the deputy secretary of defense, said in a statement.

Ninety-six percent of the 176,105 new recruits in fiscal 1994 had high school diplomas, compared with 91 percent of new recruits a decade ago. The percentage of “high quality” recruits--those who are high school graduates and scored above average on the Armed Forces Qualification Test--was 68 percent.

Being More Selective

Though slightly more than 7,000 recruits who were not high school graduates joined the military in fiscal 1994, such enlistees are less valued by recruiters because they are less likely than graduates to complete their service, department data show. Traditionally, 80 percent of recruits with diplomas complete their initial three years of service, compared with about 50 percent of recruits who did not graduate from high school.

“When you train a young person for nine months, and they wash out, that’s money down the drain,” said Maj. Schultz. “A high school diploma does more than show academic performance; it shows you can stick it out.”

Major Schultz added that military downsizing means recruiters “can afford to be more selective.”

With the post-Cold War reductions, the number of 19-year-olds, for example, serving in the military dropped from 134,000 in 1989 to 85,000 in 1993.

A version of this article appeared in the November 30, 1994 edition of Education Week as Military Recruiting Nears Record High for Quality

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: February 21, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 7, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 31, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 17, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read