About
The Georgia Youth ChalleNGe Program offers a high school diploma program, a credit recovery program to help students earn or make up lost credits to return to high school, college classes, job skills training, service to the community, and leadership activities. The program uses a very disciplined and structured approach based on a military model, and provides training, discipline, and mentoring for youth in a quasi-military environment. This structure enables cadets to focus on completing their academic goals while also working on personal strength and resiliency.
• Ages: 16–18 years old
• Schedule: Students in the High School/Credit Recovery programs earn an average of six high school credits during their 22-week stay.
• Price: This is a tuition-free program open to Georgia residents, and a cost-free program that is open to permanent legal residents in each of the participating states and territories.
The mission of the Georgia National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program is to provide education, leadership, character development, and life coping skills to Georgia’s youth through training, discipline, and mentoring so they may become successful members of society. The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program is a voluntary 17-month dropout recovery program that helps at-risk youths earn their high school diploma or GED, and in some states offers credit recovery that allows youth the opportunity to return to high school upon successful completion. ChalleNGe works with program participants after graduation to help enroll them in college or trade school, start a career, or join the military.
The Georgia Youth ChalleNGe Program is one of ten original academies nationwide and is described as the premiere residential alternative education provider. The Fort Stewart Youth ChalleNGe Academy officially opened its doors in 1993, celebrated 25 years of success in 2018, and has graduated over 9,000 young men and women. Students in High School/Credit Recovery programs earn an average of six high school credits during their 22-week stay, with highly motivated students earning as much as fourteen credits.
Minimum qualifications for careers with the program include being a U.S. citizen, having a high school diploma or equivalent, and holding a valid driver’s license. ChalleNGe is the only program of its kind that provides graduates with a personal mentor for one year to help them transition into adulthood. The program states that it empowers participants to embrace responsibility, achievement, and positive behavior, and that it instills self-confidence, fosters ambition, and increases opportunities through job skills training, service to the community, and leadership.
A multi-year study by MDRC found that program participants had a 29% increase in GED or high school diploma attainment, an 86% increase in college attendance, and a 20% increase in annual earnings. According to a RAND Corporation cost-benefit analysis, every dollar spent on ChalleNGe yields $2.66 in benefits, a return on investment of 166%. The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program was established by Congress and by the National Guard in 1993 and currently operates 39 programs in 28 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, with more than 203,500 students graduated to date.
Applications for the Georgia Youth ChalleNGe Program are accepted electronically using the Submittable platform, and each applicant is required to provide an email address to set up an account that is used throughout the admissions process.
Last updated April 25, 2026.
• Ages: 16–18 years old
• Schedule: Students in the High School/Credit Recovery programs earn an average of six high school credits during their 22-week stay.
• Price: This is a tuition-free program open to Georgia residents, and a cost-free program that is open to permanent legal residents in each of the participating states and territories.
The mission of the Georgia National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program is to provide education, leadership, character development, and life coping skills to Georgia’s youth through training, discipline, and mentoring so they may become successful members of society. The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program is a voluntary 17-month dropout recovery program that helps at-risk youths earn their high school diploma or GED, and in some states offers credit recovery that allows youth the opportunity to return to high school upon successful completion. ChalleNGe works with program participants after graduation to help enroll them in college or trade school, start a career, or join the military.
The Georgia Youth ChalleNGe Program is one of ten original academies nationwide and is described as the premiere residential alternative education provider. The Fort Stewart Youth ChalleNGe Academy officially opened its doors in 1993, celebrated 25 years of success in 2018, and has graduated over 9,000 young men and women. Students in High School/Credit Recovery programs earn an average of six high school credits during their 22-week stay, with highly motivated students earning as much as fourteen credits.
Minimum qualifications for careers with the program include being a U.S. citizen, having a high school diploma or equivalent, and holding a valid driver’s license. ChalleNGe is the only program of its kind that provides graduates with a personal mentor for one year to help them transition into adulthood. The program states that it empowers participants to embrace responsibility, achievement, and positive behavior, and that it instills self-confidence, fosters ambition, and increases opportunities through job skills training, service to the community, and leadership.
A multi-year study by MDRC found that program participants had a 29% increase in GED or high school diploma attainment, an 86% increase in college attendance, and a 20% increase in annual earnings. According to a RAND Corporation cost-benefit analysis, every dollar spent on ChalleNGe yields $2.66 in benefits, a return on investment of 166%. The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program was established by Congress and by the National Guard in 1993 and currently operates 39 programs in 28 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, with more than 203,500 students graduated to date.
Applications for the Georgia Youth ChalleNGe Program are accepted electronically using the Submittable platform, and each applicant is required to provide an email address to set up an account that is used throughout the admissions process.
Last updated April 25, 2026.
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