Federal Schools Mandated to Test 11th Graders with Classic Learning Test; Military Academies Must Accept Scores

The Promoting Classical Learning Act of 2025 is a short, punchy bill that makes two major changes to how certain federal schools and military academies handle standardized testing. First, it requires the Secretary of Defense to ensure that all Military Service Academies accept the Classic Learning Test (CLT) scores as an admissions option, putting it right next to the long-standing SAT and ACT. Second, and this is the bigger operational change, it mandates that all secondary schools run by the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) and the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) must now administer the CLT to every eleventh-grade student.

More Seats at the Testing Table

For high school seniors aiming for places like West Point or the Naval Academy, this bill offers a clear benefit: choice. Right now, most applicants rely on the SAT or ACT. The CLT, which focuses more on humanities, classical literature, and philosophical texts, provides an alternative pathway. If your student thrives on reading Plato and Shakespeare over, say, advanced trigonometry, this new option (Section 2) could potentially make the application process more aligned with their academic strengths. It’s about widening the door for applicants whose learning style might not perfectly align with the traditional testing metrics.

The Administrative Homework for Federal Schools

While choice is great for applicants, the mandate placed on DoDEA and BIE schools (Section 3) is where the rubber meets the road—and potentially hits a few potholes. The Director of DoDEA and the Director of BIE are required to make sure all their eleventh graders take the CLT. This is a significant logistical and financial lift. These schools, which serve children of military personnel stationed globally and students in tribal communities, already have packed schedules and budgets.

Think about the school administrator in Germany or on a reservation in Arizona. They now have to procure the tests, train staff, allocate class time for mandatory testing, and manage the scoring process for a brand-new exam. The bill is clear about the mandate but silent on the funding. This means DoDEA and BIE will have to figure out how to pay for this new testing requirement—potentially diverting resources, staff time, or instructional hours away from other critical needs just to implement the new mandate.

The Real-World Cost of Compliance

For the students and parents in these federal school systems, this mandate means another mandatory standardized test on the calendar, adding pressure and taking up valuable instructional time. While the intent might be to prepare students for the newly accepted admissions test, the immediate impact is a resource drain on the schools themselves. When federal agencies like BIE and DoDEA face unfunded mandates like this, the costs often trickle down in the form of reduced flexibility in other areas. It’s a classic trade-off: a gain in admissions flexibility for military academies, but a potential headache and cost burden for the federal school systems tasked with making sure every junior takes the test.