Marine Military Academy

My son attended the Marine Military Academy and I must say that it was a very positive influence for him. He just earned his Doctorate in Education and is a Superintendent of Schools at a large school district in Texas. Thank you MMA for what you did for him.
--Submitted by a parent

No school is perfect, but MMA has many positive aspects. Our son recently graduated after four years. We are constantly complimented on his maturity and confidence. He now has great self esteem that he earned at MMA -- everything is earned -- nothing is just given. The military structure provided him with a ladder and he climbed it. The Air Wing was challenging and he earned his Private Pilot -- those aren't given away either. The academics were adequate for our needs but there could be some improvements. Some of the teachers were wonderful and some were killing time. God and Country are very evident at MMA. They have a great Chaplain/Athletic Director and duty and service are encouraged. The Star Spangled Banner is played every morning. None of "if it feels good, do it" mentality. Our son came to appreciate the school for all it has given him. Parental involvement is hard due to distance but they have an active organization. We were very happy with the military staff that had day to day influence on our son. Some people may not appreciate the vigorous, testosterone driven environment, but it worked well for our son.
--Submitted by a parent

I really cannot believe what some people say about the MMA ,Its the most wonderful school enviorment ever,Our young men become well rounded and strong in all aspects of there world around them. My Hats off to the MMA.
--Submitted by a parent

My son attended the summer camp program and he had an excellent experience. He worked hard, made good friends, had a lot of fun, got to feel an enormous sense of accomplishment running the obstacle courses and he even learned to make his bed and sweep the floor (lol). He was also in the aerospace elective so he now has knowledge and some experience flying small planes which is SUPER COOL! I am very satisfied with my decision to send him for a month this summer. It was an experience of a lifetime for him and he will take the memories and many of the lessons he learned with him.
--Submitted by a parent

My son is thriving in this environment. The classes are challenging and the work load appropriate. This fall he will be enrolled in 2 AP classes and one honors class. He scored quite high on his previous AP test so the quality of instruction is way more than just satisfactory. Previous posters questioned the quality of the teachers, yet my son had two teachers last year who held doctorate degrees in their topic of instruction. As for the environment being a little "rough", it may well be. Unfortunately the language and sense of humor among teen boys does not vary that much from my son attending a military school to the son that I have currently enrolled in a well respected prep day school. They are maturing and with that comes some rough patches. We are quite pleased with our families decision to entrust our son to MMA and are excited for him to begin his third year in Harlingen this month. With MMA's help he has been given the opportunity to build an amazing resume and he will be an asset to whichever college he chooses to attend..
--Submitted by a parent

We made a terrible mistake placing our son in mma's care. We pulled him out of mma after almost 3 years and wish that we could go back and never place him there. If we could just turn back the clock....
--Submitted by a parent

Horrible! Too many details to post here. But a few points to consider based on what one of my sons was exposed to for a few years: 1) filth- the crude things that my son was exposed to were awful. 2) teaching staff - questionable. I wonder where most were recruited from. 3) curriculum - beware, if you decide to pull your boy out before he graduates, you may likely find he is lacking in what the public school system requires. 4) administration - very political, some of the so-called major sergent lieutenant general whatevers, are a joke and live in their own world. 5) exposure - we could not believe what our boy had been exposed to and the habits he picked up. In summary, it took us some time to undo what our son picked up his few years there. I will never recommend mma to anyone and will encourage any one considering it to look elsewhere.
--Submitted by a parent

Our son was failing almost every subject in public school, had no ambition and his character was being molded by negative peer influence. We registered him his 2nd semester as a Junior. In 25 days after the initial Plebe training we returned to see him officially become a cadet. We were astonished, stunned and so proud of the young man we now observed. Our son was disciplined, stood proudly, exhibited good character, making passing grades and had GOALS for not Junior College but to attend a major university. The Ex-Marines are dedicated to helping the kids achieve and it is more than a job to them. The Faculty is phenomenal too. My son is in the best shape I have ever seen him in and has made the boxing team. I am very impressed with the Marine Military Academy and it has been worth every precious cent.
--Submitted by a parent

I attended MMA ( and three other military schools) and I can tell you that it affords you the opportunity to improve yourself and to get a solid education. The staff and instructors there will meet a student more than half way and do their level best to ensure success. If your son wants to be successful, send him to MMA and he will thrive. If your son needs positive peer pressure and the opportunity for one-on-one tutoring, give MMA a try. If you have broken your son by always making excuses for him by blaming teachers, schools, or the tooth fairy, don't expect any school to be able to undo the damage you have done. MMA taught me that life wasn't fair but by hard work and applying yourself you can overcome a 'stacked deck'. It is not for the weak-minded.
--Submitted by a student

Our son requested to attend M.M.A. after attending M.M.A.'s summer camp so that, 'He could be in an environment to help him develop a academic focus and discipline, develop his physical strength and be in a place removed of the many distractions in public school' (his words). His grades improved from a 1.5 to a 3.3 grade level. He received 4 Cadet rank promotions graduating on Company staff. He participated in rock climbing, soccer and wished he had participated in marine science. He had a good positive experience and we felt like the military, academic and administrative staff were extremely focused on student success in every aspect. We strongly recommend M.M.A. as a very unique place to develop a young man's success. It's a great successful program; not your mothers nursery school but developing boys to men for life success. It's worth a look.
--Submitted by Don Bertalot, a parent