About
Texas ChalleNGe Academy is a quasi-military residential academy that includes academic instruction, GED preparation, job readiness programs, volunteer service, and community service. The program operates in a structured, quasi-military environment and has no military obligation for the students. It is not a juvenile detention center, not a court ordered boot camp, not affiliated with the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, and not a drug or alcohol treatment center.
• Ages: 16–18 years old
• Schedule: 5 1/2-month quasi-military residential academy with a 22-week residential phase and a 12-month post-residential phase, for a total 17 1/2 month commitment; two class cycles each year starting in January and July
• Price: The Texas ChalleNGe Academy (TCA) is a tuition-free program; TCA is tuition free to the families served.
Texas ChalleNGe Academy is sponsored by the Texas National Guard and operated solely by the Texas Military Department. The program is an accredited high school through a partnership with the Rice Consolidated Independent School District in Eagle Lake, Texas. It is a volunteer program for 15 1/2- to 18-year-old teens that are at-risk of dropping out or that have already dropped out of high school. The mission of the Texas ChalleNGe Academy is to reclaim the potential of at-risk youth through education, training, mentoring and service to community. The program is funded through the Department of Defense with matching funds from Texas and private foundations and donations, and it serves the youth of Texas while including volunteer service to the community.
The Texas ChalleNGe Academy, formerly Seaborne Conservation Corps, began as an AmeriCorps Program in 1994 and transitioned to the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program in 1999. Following Hurricane Ike’s landfall on Galveston Island in 2008, the campus was relocated to Sheffield, Texas. Texas opened a second campus in Eagle Lake, Texas in July 2015, and in August 2018, the Sheffield campus was closed and consolidated into the Eagle Lake campus. The program revolves around eight core components. The leadership team includes Outreach, Admissions, Recruiting Supervisor Ms. Alexondria Pinchback and Mentor Coordinator Ms. Shirley Jones.
Last updated July 10, 2026.
• Ages: 16–18 years old
• Schedule: 5 1/2-month quasi-military residential academy with a 22-week residential phase and a 12-month post-residential phase, for a total 17 1/2 month commitment; two class cycles each year starting in January and July
• Price: The Texas ChalleNGe Academy (TCA) is a tuition-free program; TCA is tuition free to the families served.
Texas ChalleNGe Academy is sponsored by the Texas National Guard and operated solely by the Texas Military Department. The program is an accredited high school through a partnership with the Rice Consolidated Independent School District in Eagle Lake, Texas. It is a volunteer program for 15 1/2- to 18-year-old teens that are at-risk of dropping out or that have already dropped out of high school. The mission of the Texas ChalleNGe Academy is to reclaim the potential of at-risk youth through education, training, mentoring and service to community. The program is funded through the Department of Defense with matching funds from Texas and private foundations and donations, and it serves the youth of Texas while including volunteer service to the community.
The Texas ChalleNGe Academy, formerly Seaborne Conservation Corps, began as an AmeriCorps Program in 1994 and transitioned to the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program in 1999. Following Hurricane Ike’s landfall on Galveston Island in 2008, the campus was relocated to Sheffield, Texas. Texas opened a second campus in Eagle Lake, Texas in July 2015, and in August 2018, the Sheffield campus was closed and consolidated into the Eagle Lake campus. The program revolves around eight core components. The leadership team includes Outreach, Admissions, Recruiting Supervisor Ms. Alexondria Pinchback and Mentor Coordinator Ms. Shirley Jones.
Last updated July 10, 2026.
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