There are many reason a family may look to military school once a school year has already started. Most people assume it is because there are behavioral problems motivating the idea, but this is not necessarily the case. In some situations it is the realization that the school the student is currently attending is not working well. In others it may be that the family has moved to a new area and are simply investigating options.
Regardless of the reasons, the admission process in generally the same as at any other time of the year. At Fork Union Military Academy, we ask families to provide the same documentation (transcripts, references and such) as we would at any other time of year. Since the relative number of rolling admission is small, the turn around can generally be much quicker, because you are not competing with the large number of people that tend to look at more traditional times.
The schools the do offer a rolling admissions scenario will either enroll students as soon as they are able to enter, or they may employ specific dates of entry so small groups of students ca start at the same time. In general this has more to do with the structure of breaks and semesters. IF you are in need of relatively quick placement, simply ask the school how soon you could enroll if your child were accepted. It is also good to let the school know WHY you are looking so they understand that the difference between urgency and desperation!
The best way to find out if a school you are interested in has a rolling policy is to call and ask. Some schools will not post "applications still being accepted" for fear that it may actually dissuade people from inquiring. Do not take the lack of "advertising" openings as a sign that there are, in fact, no openings.
