Scouts BSA

Scouts BSA
Troop 1887, from Fairfax Virginia at a 4th of July celebration
OwnerScouting America
Age range11 to 17 years
CountryUnited States
Founded1910
Membership
  • 388,941 youth (2025)
  • 21,242 troops (2023)
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Cub Scouts
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Venturing
Sea Scouts
Website
scouting.org
Standard uniform colors for Scouts BSA

Scouts BSA (known as Boy Scouts until 2019) is the flagship program and membership level of Scouting America for coeducational children and teenagers between the ages of typically 11 and 17. It provides youth training in character, citizenship, personal fitness, and leadership, and aims to develop the skills necessary to become successful adults.

To foster these skills, Scouting utilizes eight methods of Scouting to guide their educational programing: scouting ideals (as exemplified by the Scout Oath, the Scout Law, the Scout Motto, and the Scout Slogan), the patrol method of working in small groups, participation in outdoor programs, advancement and recognition for achievements, adult leaders, personal growth, leadership development, and the uniform.

The participants, also known as Scouts, are organized into small groups called Scout troops, which are led by youth leaders given the title of senior patrol leaders (SPLs), as well as adult leaders, called Scouters. In February 2019, the program began admitting girls as well as boys, and the name of the program was changed from "Boy Scouts" to "Scouts BSA".