The Texas ChalleNGe Academy, operated by the Texas Military Department, is a 5 1/2-month residential educational program that offers a second chance to 16 to 18-year-old teens who are disengaged from school or at risk of dropping out. The program, free of tuition, is open to all students, without any discrimination based on race, sex, religious affiliation, or household income. The program is delivered in a structured, disciplined residential environment in Eagle Lake, Texas, where cadets are supervised 24/7. The main objective of the Texas ChalleNGe Academy is to reclaim the potential of at-risk youth through education, training, mentoring, and service to community. The program's curriculum is based on an eight core component model of study that encompasses academic excellence, physical fitness, job skills, service to the community, health and hygiene, responsible citizenship, leadership/followership, and life-coping skills. A typical day for a cadet includes waking up at 4:45 a.m. for physical training and barracks cleanup, academic classes from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Life Skills classes, organized athletics, and free time after the evening meal. In addition to the residential phase, the program requires a 12-month post-residential phase where the cadets continue to be mentored. This mentoring provides the cadets with a continuous relationship with a positive role model, which is integral to the program's mission. While the program does not specify eligibility criteria, it is mentioned that all cadets are there voluntarily, have no felony convictions, are non-smokers, and are drug-free at the time of entry to the program. Upon completion of the program, cadets will have developed a foundation of positive values that foster maximum educational and growth potential. They will be equipped with marketable skills and a GED preparation, making them productive, employed, and tax-paying citizens. The program also fosters a sense of responsible citizenship by providing the opportunity to give back to the community through volunteer service.