After Declining Enrollment, Coatesville’s Air Force Junior ROTC Program Gets Boost

After struggling with low enrollment for several years, the Air Force Junior ROTC program at Coatesville Area School District is once again thriving thanks to the recent “Crosstown Agreements” with two local school districts, according to a staff report from The Daily Local News. 

In 2020, the enrollment was low enough that it threatened to decommission the program. U.S. Representative Chrissy Houlahan, who is an Air Force Veteran herself, reached out to the Air Force and ensured a two-year probation period for the program to raise its numbers. 

In the 2020-21 school year, a crosstown agreement with Oxford Area School District helped increase student enrolment. Then an agreement with Downingtown West and Downingtown East High Schools did the same during the 2022-23 school year. 

Additionally, in December 2022, the program got an “Exceeds Standards” rating during a comprehensive program evaluation by Air Force Junior ROTC Headquarters, which is the highest possible rating. 

“The program appears to have a bright future in our region,” said retired Lt. Colonel James Turnbull, Senior Aerospace Science Instructor at Coatesville Area High School. 

Read more about the program in The Daily Local News.