Department of Defense Education Activity
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1992 |
| Preceding agencies |
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| Headquarters | Alexandria, Virginia |
| Employees | 15,000 |
| Annual budget | $3.07B USD (2021) |
| Agency executives |
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| Parent department | Department of Defense |
| Website | dodea.edu |
The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is a federal school system headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and managing prekindergarten through 12th grade educational programs on behalf of the United States Department of Defense (DoD). DoDEA operates 163 accredited schools in 8 districts located in 11 foreign countries, 7 states, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
DoDEA employs 15,000 employees who serve 71,000 children of active duty military and DoD civilian families. DoDEA has also historically served children of non-military and non-government affiliated families and continues to this day with admitting local students even in international locations.
DoDEA operates as a field activity of the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness). It is headed by a director who oversees all agency functions from DoDEA headquarters in Alexandria. DoDEA's schools are divided into 3 geographic areas: Europe, the Pacific, and the Americas.
It is one of two U.S. federal government school systems, along with the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE).