Homeschool Heartbeat Radio Program

For the past several years, home schoolers have been working to gain easier entrance into the United States military. Mike Farris, President of Home School Legal Defense Association, has helped lead the fight on behalf of home schoolers. Join us today on Home School Heartbeat for the latest on home schoolers and the military.

Until recently, it was extremely difficult—if not impossible—for home school students to enter the military.


The military relegates candidates for entrance into three tiers, Tier 1 being the highest. For years home schoolers have been lumped into Tier 2—the level reserved for high school dropouts. The military usually reserves at least 90% of all their positions for candidates in Tier 1. But the Marines and the Air Force only accept Tier 1 candidates, leaving home schoolers out in the cold.


Home School Legal Defense Association has been working to improve the situation. This last session in Congress, we were able to persuade Senator Paul Coverdell from Georgia to introduce an amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill which ended the military’s discrimination against home schoolers.


The bill, which became effective on October 17, 1998, creates a five year pilot project which automatically places home school recruits into the Tier 1 status. Home school students who meet all of the military’s normal entrance requirements and seek to enlist in any of the four branches of the military can no longer be rejected simply because they don’t have an accredited high school diploma.