How Long Is Navy A School?

U.S. Navy A School lasts anywhere from four to more than 50 weeks, depending on the sailor's rating, or job specialty. The exact length and location of training are determined by the specific rating a recruit has signed up for. There are currently 23 Navy A schools and each is located in a different part of the country. Below, we break down Navy A School durations by rating and walk through every A School location across the country.

Upon completion of boot camp, U.S. Navy sailors will report to their Navy A School for training. Navy A schools are where sailors learn their technical skills or their military occupation. For example, if a recruit enlisted to be a culinary specialist, A school would be where that recruit learns to cook.

In addition, Navy A schools ensure sailors remain physically fit, maintain their military bearing and professional appearance, and perform within academic standards. Navy A schools have some residual boot camp events like physical training, standing watch, and daily sailor responsibilities at the Navy A schools.

What Happens After Navy A School?

When Navy A schools are completed, sailors are traditionally given ten days of leave and then they report to their new duty stations. Sailors assigned to overseas duty stations after Navy A schools may receive more than ten days of leave before reporting to their next unit.

Navy A School Locations by Rating and Duration

Navy A School locations vary by rating, with training lasting anywhere from four weeks to over a year depending on the technical complexity of the job. The table below summarizes each major A School location, the ratings trained there, and where that training falls in a sailor's post-boot-camp timeline.

A School Location	Ratings/Specialties Trained	Typical Length	Post-Boot-Camp Timeline
Naval Base Point Loma, San Diego, CA	Mine warfare, surface sonar technician	Varies by rating, but at least 19 weeks	Reports directly after boot camp
Naval Base Coronado, CA	Navy SEALs, Special Warfare Combatant Crewmember	Extended, multi-phase training, about 14 months	Reports directly after boot camp
Defense Language Institute, Presidio of Monterey, CA	Foreign language, cryptological interpreters	Varies, often 6+ months for language proficiency	Reports directly after boot camp
Naval Construction Training Center, Port Hueneme, CA	Seabees, construction trades (interservice with Air Force)	Varies by trade, approx. 8 to 14 weeks	Reports directly after boot camp
Naval Submarine Base New London, CT	Submarine electronics (navigation, communications, information systems)	Varies by rating, about 18 to 33 weeks	Reports directly after boot camp
Panama City, FL	Naval Surface Warfare, Navy Experimental Diving	Varies by specialty, about 15 weeks	Reports directly after boot camp
Naval Air Station Pensacola, FL	Air traffic control, avionics, aviation fuels, aviation ratings	Varies by rating, about 15 to 20 weeks	Reports directly after boot camp
Great Lakes, IL (also site of boot camp)	Mechanical, electrical, and electronic specialties	Varies by rating, 9+ weeks	Reports directly after boot camp
Fort Meade, MD	Mass Communications (digital multimedia, videography, public affairs, photojournalism)	Varies by specialty, about 6 months	Reports directly after boot camp
Naval Construction Battalion Center, Gulfport, MS	Carpentry, masonry, steelwork trades	Varies by trade, 10 to 14 weeks	Reports directly after boot camp
Naval Air Station Meridian, MS	Aviation administration, logistics, personnel	Varies by rating, 10 to 11 weeks	Reports directly after boot camp
Keesler AFB, MS	Equipment use and calibration training	Varies by rating, 17 to 19 weeks	Reports directly after boot camp
Fort Leonard Wood, MO	Engineering assistants, equipment operators, construction specialists	Varies by rating, roughly 10 weeks	Reports directly after boot camp
Naval Air Station Newport, RI	Navy War College, Naval Justice School, paralegals	Varies by program, 4 weeks to several years	Reports directly after boot camp
Joint Base Charleston, SC	Nuclear power, machining, electrical, electronic fields	Nuclear power training can exceed a year	Reports directly after boot camp
NAS Meridian, MS	Religious Program Specialists, chaplaincy support	Varies by rating, about 8 weeks	Reports directly after boot camp
Sheppard AFB, TX	Electricians, utility specialists (interservice construction management)	Varies by trade, about 18 weeks	Reports directly after boot camp
Lackland AFB, TX	Law enforcement, anti-terrorism, military working dogs	Varies by rating, about 9 weeks	Reports directly after boot camp
Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, TX	Enlisted health professionals	Varies by medical specialty, about 14 weeks or more	Reports directly after boot camp
Naval Air Station Oceana, VA	Intelligence Specialist	Varies; over 200 courses offered annually	Reports directly after boot camp
Fort Lee, VA	Culinary Specialists	Varies (basic food prep to advanced skills), about 5 weeks	Reports directly after boot camp
Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, VA / Fort Story	Navy musicians	Varies by program, but roughly 21 weeks	Reports directly after boot camp

Note: Exact week-by-week durations vary by specific rating and are set by the Navy's training pipeline; sailors should confirm current course length with their detailer or recruiter, since durations range from four weeks for simpler ratings up to 50+ weeks for highly technical fields like nuclear power.

Where Are Navy A Schools Located?

Navy A schools are located across the country. At Point Loma Naval Base in San Diego, California, the Navy's regional headquarters, Navy trainees who work with mines receive training. Also in San Diego, the surface sonar technician A school is located here.

Around 80 miles from San Diego, Naval Base Coronado serves as a facility for Navy helicopters and aircraft. The Naval Special Warfare Training Center is also housed there. Both SEALs and Special Warfare Combatant Crewmember schools have Navy A schools there.

The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center located in U.S. Army Garrison Presidio is where many U.S. service members receive foreign language instruction and it is the location of the Navy's A school for language. Cryptological interpreters are also trained at the Presidio.

Port Angeles is home to the Naval Construction Training Center where students from the Navy and Air Force can receive interservice training in specific building skills at Port Hueneme. This is also the home of the U.S. Navy Seabees.

The main east coast Navy installation is Naval Submarine Base New London, whose purpose is to educate qualified submariners. It is also the location of the Navy A schools for electronics professionals who work with information, navigation, and communications technology aboard submarines.

The Navy A schools for Naval Surface Warfare and Navy Experimental Diving are located in Panama City.

Enlisted aircrew for the Navy and Marine Corps are trained at Naval Air Station Pensacola and at the Naval Aviation Technical Training Center by the Aviation Schools Command. A School at Naval Air Station Pensacola is attended by Navy recruits in the air traffic control, avionics, aviation fuels, and aviation related ratings.

The Navy boot camp is located in Great Lakes, which is on Lake Michigan and is north of Chicago. It was founded in 1911 and is now the biggest training facility for the U.S. Navy. On its 1,600-acre complex, there are Navy A schools for a variety of ratings including mechanical, electrical, and electronic specialties.

Fort Meade in Maryland houses the Defense Information School and Defense Media activity. It serves as A school for Navy specialists in Mass Communications, including digital multimedia, videography, public affairs, and photojournalism.

The Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport, Mississippi is where sailors who are carpenters, masons, and steelworkers, to name a few, train on their trades.

Naval Air Station Meridian is a significant naval training facility that focuses on technical and aviation specialties. Here, specialists in aviation administration, logistics, and personnel attend Navy A schools.

On the grounds of Keesler AFB, the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit Keesler is situated on the Gulf Coast. Sailors and Marines receive training there on how to utilize and calibrate equipment.

Engineering assistants and equipment operators attend their Navy A schools at Fort Leonard Wood, an Army training complex, where construction specialists train. Students learn to use heavy machinery and learn how to support building projects.

The Navy War College and Naval Justice School are located at Naval Air Station Newport. It is the training ground for sailors who want to become paralegals.

The Navy's nuclear power training program is at Joint Base Charleston in South Carolina. Machining, electrical and electronic fields also have their Navy A schools there.

Navy ratings for Religious Program Specialists receive training at Fort Jackson, S.C. at the Naval Chaplaincy School and Center. All branches of the armed forces receive their chaplain and support personnel training at the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Center at Fort Jackson.

Navy, Air Force, and Army construction management teams get interservice training from the Center for Seabees and Facilities Engineering Detachment at Sheppard AFB. The A School at Sheppard educates electricians and utility specialists.

Lackland AFB's Naval Technical Training Center serves as the Navy's A School for the law enforcement profession. It also specializes in anti-terrorism training and trains military working canines.

Enlisted health professionals are provided training by Medical Education and Training Campus at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, a Department of Defense training facility in San Antonio, Texas.

The Navy Intelligence Specialist A school is located at Naval Air Station Oceana. About 17,000 sailors and Marines receive more than 200 different courses annually from the Navy and Marine Corps Intelligence Center.

Navy Culinary Specialists learn their skills at the Naval Technical Training Center Det at Fort Lee, Va. More than 1,100 sailors train yearly there and receive basic food preparation skills. This center also provides basic culinary training for the Army and Marine Corps, as well as advanced skills training available to Air Force and Coast Guard cooks.

Lastly, Navy musicians attend A school at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek Navy base and at the Army's Fort Story.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can sailors choose which Navy A School they attend?
A: A sailor's A School assignment is determined by their rating, which is typically selected during the enlistment process based on qualification scores, Navy needs, and available slots. Sailors don't choose the school location directly—it's tied to the job they've signed up for.

Q: Is Navy A School harder than boot camp?
A: Navy A School is academically and technically more demanding than boot camp, since it focuses on mastering a specific job skill rather than general military training. However, sailors have more personal liberties at A School than they did at boot camp, even as physical training and military bearing standards continue.

Q: What happens if a sailor fails Navy A School?
A: Sailors who struggle in A School may be offered additional academic support, a chance to retest, or in some cases reclassification to a different rating. The specific outcome depends on the rating, the reason for the setback, and Navy policy at the time.

Updated September 2026.