Military Academies Must Now Accept the Classical Learning Test, Mandating Its Use in Federal Schools

The Promoting Classical Learning Act of 2025 is a short bill that makes a couple of big changes to how federal education and military admissions work. Essentially, it elevates the Classical Learning Test (CLT) to the same status as the SAT and ACT in two specific federal contexts: military service academy admissions and federal secondary school testing.

The Admissions Game Changer for Service Academies

If you have a kid aiming for West Point, Annapolis, or the Air Force Academy, listen up. Section 2 of this Act mandates that the Secretary of Defense ensure all military service academies must accept scores from the Classical Learning Test (CLT) equally alongside the SAT and ACT for admission. This means applicants now have three standardized testing options, not just two, when applying to these highly competitive schools. For students who might perform better on a test focused on logic, literature, and philosophy—the CLT’s core—this provides a real alternative route into the military’s leadership pipeline. It’s a definite win for applicant flexibility, though the bill doesn't specify how the academies must weigh these scores, which leaves some room for interpretation in the admissions office.

Mandatory Testing in Federal Schools: Who Pays the Price?

The second part, Section 3, deals with mandatory testing, and this is where things get interesting—and potentially costly. The bill requires two specific federal school systems to start administering the CLT to all eleventh-grade students. First, the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), which runs schools for military families worldwide, must implement the test. Second, the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), which runs or funds schools for Native American students, must do the same.

For a DoDEA student—say, a junior whose family is stationed overseas—this means a new, mandated standardized test is suddenly added to their already busy schedule. For BIE schools, which often face unique resource constraints, this mandate creates a new administrative and financial burden. While the bill is clear about what test must be given, it doesn't mention who is footing the bill for the test administration, scoring, and potential curriculum changes needed to align with the CLT. Mandating a specific test in these schools effectively forces them to spend instructional time and resources preparing for an assessment that may or may not align with their existing educational priorities or the needs of their specific student populations. It’s a classic example of a federal mandate that looks good on paper but could strain budgets and resources on the ground.

The Real-World Impact

This Act has a mixed impact. On one hand, it gives military academy applicants more choice, which is great for those who excel outside the traditional SAT/ACT framework. On the other hand, it imposes a new, specific testing requirement on two federal school systems—DoDEA and BIE—that serve unique and often vulnerable student populations. School administrators in these systems will be dealing with the logistics and cost of implementing this new test, potentially pulling resources away from other educational needs. It’s a significant shift that forces a specific testing model onto federal schools, and time will tell if the benefits of increased testing choice outweigh the costs and administrative strain imposed on these specific school systems.