Service academies provide military-focused education for secondary students who have had average to limited success at school. Education at a service academy involves academic study, outdoor education and physical fitness, goal setting, leadership and life skills.
This report discusses the performance of 16 service academies funded by the Ministry of Education funded. These are located at 16 predominantly low decile secondary schools across the country. Most have been in operation only since the beginning of 2008. They are staffed by directors, and in many cases by assistant directors, who typically have experience in the military and who are not formally trained teachers.