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The Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS) are a network of schools, both primary and secondary, that serve the dependents of United States military and civilian United States Department of Defense (DoD) personnel in three areas of the world; Europe, Pacific, and Eastern United States and Caribbean areas. United States Contractor personnel supporting the Department of Defense overseas are eligible to send their dependents for a fee. The schools themselves are operated by the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA). This school system is the tenth-largest American school system.
DoDDS started operating schools October 14, 1946, for the children of military overseas. The intent was to ensure an American educational experience for the American student. Therefore the children, teachers, and educational program were and are American. It then cost $10 to enroll a child ($156 in 2023 dollars). The schools would get operational funds from profits made by Class VI stores (alcohol). It now can cost as much as $20,000 for enrollment for non-Command Sponsored military families, or Command Sponsored Contractors, and increases approximately $800 annually.
In 1946, the Department of Defense Dependent Schools was created for dependents of military members of the armed forces in overseas areas. [1] After World War II, the increased demand for American education overseas was a result of the government's decision to allow soldiers to bring their families when deployed. By 1949, almost 100 schools were being operated separately by the Army, Navy, and Air Force in countries around the world. [2]
In 2011 there were 120 schools. With the closing of Heidelberg High School in 2012, all of the original high schools opened in post World War II Europe are now closed, although many other DoDDS high schools have opened since then. The original six were Berlin, Bremen, Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Munich and Nurnberg. All six American High Schools opened in Germany in September/October 1946. [3] DoDDS also operates Kubasaki High School on Okinawa, Japan, Nile C. Kinnick High School in Yokosuka, Japan (formerly Yokohama High School), and W.T. Sampson High School in Cuba. [4]
Although operating outside the U.S., the DoDDS system is the tenth largest of American school systems.
All schools in the DoDDS system operate outside of the states of the United States and the District of Columbia. There are also some schools that operate on military installations within the United States, but those are grouped in a separate organization within DoDEA, the Department of Defense Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools (DDESS). DoDDS has superintendents for two districts: Europe and Pacific. The DoDDS Pacific schools are, for the most part, in the Far East on installations in South Korea and Japan. Schools on military bases in Guam are under DDESS jurisdiction, but are administered by DoDDS Pacific (presumably for administrative convenience). Turkish DoDDS schools are served by the European branch. Schools on the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba fall under the jurisdiction of DoDDS, but are administered by DDESS. Schools on bases in Puerto Rico are under DDESS.
Although the schools are primarily for dependents of military personnel, U.S. government employees are allowed to enroll their children in the schools on a space-available basis. As all of these schools are situated overseas, a concerted effort is made to immerse the children in the local culture. Language and culture courses are offered as early as elementary school, while advanced language courses and opportunities to intimately view the culture of the student's host nation are offered throughout high school.
DoDDS schools operate with two structures in terms of grade levels:
As a result of IDEA 2004, students with special education disabilities attend schools within DoDDS. These students are in pre-K (preschool or early childhood) through high school. The infants-toddlers special education program exists overseas on U.S. military bases, though not coordinated through DoDDS. School psychologists are directly employed by DoDDS and civilian employed clinical child psychologists are employed by the U.S. military to provide direct and indirect services to students with special needs. Not all levels of special education services are available at all schools and base locations.
DoDDS range from kindergarten to 12th grade, and some universities are accredited by the Department of Defense. [5]
In addition to operating retail facilities on overseas military installations, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service provides four million school lunches each year in overseas Department of Defense schools at a break-even expense to support military families.
While there are typical environmental changes that may affect any child's educational performance such as divorce, and relocation, there are some that are systemic with military children. Relocation is frequent and parents may be deployed from home.
A study was done focusing on parental absences during the time of the military deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan between 2002 and 2005. The study reports the adverse effects of deployment especially with long deployments or deployments that occur during the month of academic testing. Effects can continue and can be detrimental for children's academic achievements. [6]
For the European branch of DoDDS, there are three districts:
The Pacific branch, officially DoDDS-Pacific/DDESS-Guam, has three DoDDS districts and one DDESS district:
The Kaiserslautern District has the most DoDDS schools worldwide, and serves over 5,000 students.
Beginning with the 2007–08 school year, Kaiserslautern High School merged with a neighboring elementary school. Students from Landstuhl Middle School and other students living in select areas were redistricted to Kaiserslautern starting with the 2008–09 school year. Current elementary students will attend Vogelweh Elementary. Therefore, KHS's student population will increase from 650 students to about 900.
For every sports season, the schools compete in the DoDDS Championship, held at various locations.
Hardin County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. Its county seat is Elizabethtown. The county was formed in 1792. Hardin County is part of the Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area, as well as the Louisville/Jefferson County—Elizabethtown-Bardstown, KY-IN Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 110,702.
The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is a federal school system headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and managing prekindergarten through 12th grade educational programs on behalf of the United States Department of Defense (DoD). DoDEA is globally positioned, operating 163 accredited schools in 8 districts located in 11 foreign countries, 7 states, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
The Kaiserslautern Military Community (KMC) is an American military community in and around Kaiserslautern, Germany, supporting United States Armed Forces and NATO installations, such as the Ramstein Air Base, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Kapaun Air Station, Vogelweh Housing Area, Pulaski Barracks, Kleber Kaserne, Daenner Kaserne, Sembach Kaserne, Miesau Army Depot, and Rhine Ordnance Barracks. With around 54,000 people, including military service members, Department of Defense civilians and contractors as well as their families, the KMC is the largest U.S. military community outside of the United States.
Aviano Middle/High School is a Department of Defense Education Activity secondary school located on the Italian owned NATO Air Base in Aviano, Italy which hosts the 31st Fighter Wing. The majority of students are dependents of active duty military personnel, DoD employees, contractors and diplomats, although a small percentage are children of other English speaking expatriates or local Italian residents.
London Central Elementary High School (LCEHS), formerly London Central High School, was a United States Department of Defense Dependents School (DoDDS) in the Isles District of DoDDS Europe for pupils in kindergarten through grade 12. It operated from 1952 until 2007, with its first graduating class in 1953.
Bahrain School is a Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) school located in Juffair, Manama, Bahrain.
Alexander M. Patch American High School was an English language high school in Germany, on Patch Barracks southwest of Stuttgart, operated by DODEA. Opened in 1979, its students were largely military dependents whose sponsors were assigned to units of the Stuttgart Military Community, including Patch Barracks, Robinson Barracks, Panzer Kaserne, and Kelley Barracks.
Lejeune High School is a high school located on the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and in Jacksonville, North Carolina. The school is operated by the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of seven in the Camp Lejeune Dependant Schools (CLDS), which include one high school, one middle school, one primary school (PK–2), one intermediate school (3–5), and three elementary schools.
Fort Clayton was a United States Army base in the former Panama Canal Zone, later part of the Republic of Panama.
Kaiserslautern High School (KHS), formerly known as Rhine High School as well as Kaiserslautern American High School, is part of the Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS) system for Military dependents. KHS, along with Ramstein High School, are two DoDDS schools that serves the Kaiserslautern Military Community (KMC) in Kaiserslautern, Germany. The KMC is home to the largest American population overseas. The school, which serves approximately 800 students with 68 full-time educators (11:1), is located on the Vogelweh Military Complex.
Ramstein American High School is a Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS) high school in the Kaiserslautern district, Germany. RHS is a part of the Ramstein Community Schools in the Eastern Europe district that is run by the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA). Their mascot is the Royal, a lion with a crown.
Naples Middle/High School (NMHS), formerly known as Naples American High School, is a high school within the Department of Defense Education Activity system. It is located in Gricignano di Aversa, Campania, Italy.
DODDS European Championships are a series of sports competitions taking place in Europe and are organized by the DODDS system. The term "Europeans" is a nickname that collectively refers to the three seasonal championships that take place every school year. Both DODDS and other international schools around Europe are invited to compete.
The Long County School District is a public school district in Long County, Georgia, United States, based in Ludowici. It serves the communities of Donald and Ludowici.
W.T. Sampson Elementary/High School is a K-12 school in Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. In 2010 the school had 212 students in two campuses that are 2 miles (3.2 km) apart. As of 2021, all students (K-12) are on the newly constructed campus.
Alconbury High School is a public high school located in Alconbury, England, operated by the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA). It is a U.S. publicly funded school, and all schools within DoDEA are fully accredited by U.S. accreditation agencies. It is not funded by the HM Government's Department for Education and is not open to British Citizens and British Nationals. It mainly serves families of USAF personnel based at RAF Alconbury and RAF Molesworth. It is one of three DoDEA school communities that still exist for families stationed in the United Kingdom.
Curundú is a corregimiento within Panama City, in Panamá District, Panamá Province, Panama with a population of 16,361 as of 2010. Its population as of 1990 was 17,933; its population as of 2000 was 19,019.
Stuttgart High School (SHS) is an English-language high school in southwest Germany, in Baden-Württemberg. Southwest of Stuttgart on Panzer Kaserne in Böblingen, it is operated by the United States' DODEA (formerly known as DoDDS).
Fulda American High School (FAHS) was a Department of Defense Dependents School (DoDDS) at Downs Barracks in Fulda, Germany. It provided education for the children of United States military, government and civilian personnel from 1983 until the military installation was closed in 1994.