Next year my youngest son will be going to one of two math science academies, exposing himself to competitive academics, while the opportunity cost is no varsity athletics. Irregardless of the cost of varsity athletics, academics are the key. He will be an active student, but will no longer have access to varsity football, or track. He may see about starting a wrestling club, but the odds of that are minimal.
He wants to attend a service academy, but he’s a sophomore and at end of year will have completed every in person math offering at his high school
I'm not sure if you're asking a question with this post. Are you asking for feedback as to whether this is an ideal path for competitive colleges and the SAs? Academically it will prepare him for greater challenge - seems to be no question of that benefit. Are you posting this to in a sense declare your belief that regardless of what the admission statistics say, you feel academics, not athletics, matter to the SAs? Based on what, if so? How can we help you?
Were you my best friend, and advising your son will have no athletics because he'll be in a coveted, elite academy for math/science, I would both congratulate your son on this new school and opportunity, and constructively challenge him to find a way that physical fitness and evolving /improving and then maintaining a high level of fitness will be central to his life as it will be as an officer too.
Recommend...
1. Find a way to have athletics be central to his life, and to participate if possible in a way that provides advancing leadership responsibility. I like the post above about options.
2. review the statistics of the recent class of 2027, 2028 at these SAs to see what percentage have athletics, leadership (and for that matter other areas too - eagle scout (now for girls and boys (must achieve before turning 18), girls/boys state, officer for the class, etc.
The other thing here - if your goal is to commission and serve - then with 60 undergrad credits in hand/ maybe more with AP credits, why not go ROTC or OCS, get a degree in 2.5 -3 years - maybe less, and then commission and serve. You'll have to do 4 full years at the SA. Not so at say Princeton (if you test out), Penn State, etc. Use their undergrad credit transfer portal to confirm.
Just don't confuse academic excellence ( straight As with a demanding courseload of either AP/ college dual credit,etc.) as a guaranteed mulligan for a well rounded candidate. Keep the "as opposed to whom?" question - sure some don't excel but many of the candidates are also academically gifted/ rock stars who are 2-3 team sport captains, leaders, etc.
Beyond the SA, if you're an officer leading soldiers, you need to exceed the physical fitness/ lead from the front, not pass by the minimum.
Guaranteed Mulligan- hey, I think I just found a new name for my garage band. Good luck to your son in his next academies/ college and in his pursuit to train and serve.
I'll add this - it doesn't stink to get offers from Army, Navy, Air Force because you checked so many boxes in what they are looking for that you have all the options in front of you on where to go. Academic excellence and rocking the PRT/ fitness test will help, but no athletics sounds like a gap to me. Think about where you want to be and make the plan. Good luck to you.
