The Missouri Military Academy (MMA) is a private preparatory school founded in Mexico, Missouri, on November 22, 1889. The academy is a boarding school for boys in grades 7 to 12. It has the honor of nominating cadets to the United States Military Academy, Naval Academy, Air Force Academy, and Coast Guard Academy as a U.S. Army Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) Honor Unit With Distinction (as designated by the United States Department of the Army).
The Missouri Military Academy, Mexico, is a preparatory school that provides military training. Its teachings are centered on leadership and excellence. It is well known that students who attend there develop personal motivation, good character, and physical development. It boasts that it can help a student gain admission to a reputable American university later.
Table of Contents
History of The Missouri Academy, Mexico
Missouri Governor Charles Hardin established the Missouri Military Academy in 1889, with the help of “public-spirited citizens of Mexico, Missouri…$16,000 and a beautiful campus of 20 acres (8.1 ha) of land.” Colonel Alexander Fleet, a Confederate veteran who was present at Appomattox Court House when General Lee surrendered to General Grant at the end of the American Civil War, was the academy’s first president. The academy was extremely popular, starting “having representatives from every congressional district and 20 states on its rolls.”
The original academy, located on Mexico’s West Boulevard, was destroyed by fire in 1896. The Businessmen’s Association of Mexico re-established the school on its site on the city’s eastern outskirts in 1900. Colonel Alexander Yancey (1900-1902), Colonel William Fonville (1903-1911), Colonel Walter Kohr (1911-1914), and Colonel Emmette Burton (1914-1933) were the subsequent presidents. Colonel Charles Stribling, Jr. led an organization that took control in 1933. Colonel Stribling had been on the faculty since 1920, serving as a teacher, coach, assistant, and cadet commandant. Colonel Stribling oversaw the academy’s transformation into a nonprofit educational corporation governed by a board of alumni, faculty, and friends trustees in 1948.
The Missouri Military Academy Alumni Association and the Homecoming tradition were revived in 1955 and are now run by the alumni association’s board of directors. Colonel Charles Stribling III, ’44, was elected president in 1968. Colonel Stribling III had been a faculty member for 16 years, serving as a teacher, coach, commandant, executive officer, and director of alumni affairs, development, and public relations. Colonel Stribling, Jr. was appointed chairman of the board of trustees, a position he held until his death at 86, in his 63rd year on the faculty.
School Life in Missouri Academy
Since 1889, thousands of parents worldwide have looked to Missouri Military Academy to provide their sons with the structure, responsibility, and love they need to grow, compete, thrive—and become young men in full command of their lives.
Missouri Military Academy is an all-male, college preparatory military boarding school (middle and high school, as well as post-graduate high school) with a diverse domestic and international student population. Boys learn personal accountability, perseverance, and self-discipline in the Academy’s close-knit environment, which peers, teachers, and mentors support.
The Academy’s rigorous program prepares young men to reach their full potential as future college graduates, citizens of character, and community leaders. Academic excellence, a healthy lifestyle and physical development, leadership and life skills, positive character development, and personal motivation are all promoted by MMA’s 360 Education.
MMA graduates consistently receive 100% college acceptance and an impressive number of scholarships, including admission to the United States service academies. MMA’s 288-acre campus in mid-Missouri, 90 minutes from St. Louis, provides a safe, supportive, and scenic learning environment.
The United States Department of Education designated MMA as an “Exemplary Private School” in 1985. Central Missouri’s College Board test centre is located at the academy. The academic program was expanded to include dual-credit courses in 2003, allowing cadets to earn college credit hours while still meeting high school requirements. The academy’s first National Honor Society chapter was established during the 2007-2008 school year. The number of Advanced Placement courses available increased to nine in 2008.
MMA has 11 varsity sports and consistently wins state military school championships. In addition, all cadets have access to athletic opportunities through the Raider Program, physical education, horseback riding, and intramural sports. The state championship drill team, the Fusileers, the marching band, and the colour guard continue to bring the school recognition.
The units have been chosen to represent Missouri in presidential inaugural parades and at televised college and professional sporting events. The Fusileers also compete in the National High School Drill Team Championships, where they have achieved national recognition.
FAQs About Missouri Military Academy, Mexico
How much does it cost to go to Missouri Military Academy
Tuition at Missouri Military Academy is approximately $38,000 for private students.
What city is Missouri Military Academy
For boys in grades 7-12, MMA offers boarding and day school options and a variety of summer camps. Missouri Military Academy is located in Mexico, Missouri, close to St. Louis and Kansas City.
Missouri Military Academy Rankings
It sits around the 278th position out of almost 500 boarding schools in America, amongst other rankings.
How to apply for admission to Missouri Academy
Every family’s experience is unique. Most families learn about MMA from friends, alumni, current cadets, parents, and families, but others look us up online, on a school website, or elsewhere. Let’s connect by phone early in the process, regardless of how you found us. The call allows us to learn more about your family and why you are considering changing your son’s education.
After receiving your inquiry or application, an Admissions team member will contact you the same day or the day after the weekend. If you’d rather talk on the phone, please email us the best day and time to reach you.
However, there’s an application for U.S. Boarding & Day Students
Step 1: Application
Click the button below to access the online application. If you prefer a printable version, please email or call our Admissions Office at (573) 581-1776, extension 321.
Step 2: Pay the Application Fee
When you apply, pay the required $100 non-refundable application fee with a credit card or ACH transfer (electronic check). Your payment can be made here.
Step 3. Transcript and Recommendations
Please collaborate with your son’s current school to submit the following documents:
- The most recent academic transcript of your son
- A recommendation from a school official
- Two recommendations from teachers
- A character mention
Step 4 is to follow up.
Check that we have received all required forms and the application fee. We’ll start processing your application once we have everything. Please contact our Admissions Office via email.
Step 5: Financial Assistance
Please review your options if you require tuition assistance and promptly return the necessary documents and forms.
Step 6: Conduct a personal interview
Your admissions counsellor will contact you to arrange for your son to have a personal interview.
Step 7: Acceptance
You are informed of your son’s acceptance and any tuition assistance available. In addition, you will receive an electronic acceptance package. Please complete and return the paperwork included in it as soon as possible.
Return the signed enrollment agreement and enrollment deposit within 14 days.
Step 8: Register your son.
Upon receipt of your signed agreement and deposit, you will receive an enrollment and registration form bundle.
Complete and submit the forms
Your son has been accepted into the MMA Corps of Cadets.
P.s: Find out all about financial aid offered here
Official Website & Social Media Pages
Notable Alumni From Missouri Academy
Some notable alumni from Missouri Academy are:
- George E. Bates (B.A., M.A.), Harvard Business School Professor of Investment Management, editor of the Harvard Business Review
- Thomas Curtright (B.S. 1970, M.S. 1970), University of Miami Professor of Physics
- Walter Dandy (B.S. 1907), Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Professor of Medicine, is a founding father of modern neurosurgery.
- Northwest Missouri State University President (1964-1977), Robert P. Foster (M.A., Ph.D.).
- Uel W. Lamkin (attended), President of Northwest Missouri State University (1921-1945).
- Robert J. Jones (Ph.D. 1978), Chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and former president of the University of Albany.
