Schools on U.S. military and NATO bases overseas offer a very different educational experience from what most American students know.

While the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools use U.S academic standards as a guide, the schedules, rhythms, and education levels are shaped by the host nation and the logistics of living in an international military community.

When I lived in Italy—going to Vicenza High school—I had to follow both the American academic calendar and the local Italian calendar, usually meaning I would have random days off when it was an Italian holiday and not American one. While on the NATO base in Belgium, I attended SHAPE American High School, and I had to follow the NATO calendar, which did not include several traditional American holidays. Thanksgiving break, for example, does not exist on the calendar.

Although the structure of the school day in elementary and middle school stayed mostly the same, the high school experience looked very different. In the DoDEA system, once you advanced into a higher-level course, you were expected to continue progressing. When I took geometry as a freshman, I was automatically placed on a path on which I completed algebra II by junior year and was required to take an AP-level math course, either AP Calculus or AP Statistics, during my senior year. Taking an easier elective math course simply wasn’t allowed unless I wanted to take both the elective and one of the AP classes.

Another major difference was the absence of free periods. In many stateside schools, students with enough credits can have open blocks in their schedules in senior year, or maybe they only attend two periods a day. In contrast, DoDEA students must have full schedules regardless of how many credits they have, leading me to take two additional online classes to fill in the empty spaces in my schedule senior year.

Transportation was another unique part of DoDEA schools. Since the legal driving age overseas is 18 and learning how to drive is quite expensive and time-consuming, most high school students rely entirely on the bus system. Unlike the familiar yellow school buses in the U.S., overseas, we rode large charter buses. In Italy, these were operated by local Italian drivers employed by the government, and the bus numbers were printed onto sheets of laminated paper instead of being built into the vehicle. The routes and buses were regularly changed for safety reasons, and the unpredictability sometimes affected the school calendar itself. If buses were not running due to an Italian holiday, school was cancelled since many families had no other way to get to the school. In Belgium, the system was more consistent since the buses were operated by the same company that ran transportation to local schools. Although routes still rotated, the changes were not nearly as significant as they were in Italy.

Safety was always top priority for the DoDEA system, and this shaped our routines in ways that students stateside might not experience. One unforgettable moment occurred during a normal morning commute in Italy when our bus changed routes at least two different times because the same car was following us for almost the entire drive. Our bus monitor began taking pictures of the car and communicated with the driver as we adjusted the route. As the high schoolers in the back, we watched the situation unfold in real time, and the next day, we had a totally new bus with an entirely different schedule and route, showing just how seriously the school treated our safety.

Overall, attending a school through DoDEA means experiencing a blend of American education and international life. The rules, schedules, and added precautions were all designed to create the safest and most supportive environment possible. While it came with annoyances—like full schedules, rotating bus routes, and unusual holiday calendars—it also provided a unique educational experience shaped by both American structure and global surroundings.