The Breakdown: Class of 2027 Stats

Class of 2027 basic cadets battle through the Obstacle Course during Basic Cadet Training at Jacks Valley July 24, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley)

By Randy Roughton 
U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications 

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – More than 1,130 cadet appointees arrived for U.S. Air Force Academy In-processing Day June 28, 2023.

The training concluded Aug. 4 and the basic cadets will enter the Cadet Wing during the Acceptance Day Parade Aug. 9.

The breakdown

This information is based on data from the Academy’s Operations and Analysis Directorate, released Aug. 3.

— In all, 1,118 Class of 2027 basic cadet trainees took the Oath of Office and began Basic Cadet Training. Some appointees are turned back for medical reasons, other issues or they decide not to commit to military service required for an Academy appointment.

— 70.9% of the Class of 2027 are men and 29.1% are women

— 33.3% are racial and ethnic minorities

— The average high school GPA for the class of 2027 was 3.84; the average SAT score was 681.9 for evidence-based reading and writing and 696.7 for mathematics; the average ACT score was 30.3 for English, 30.9 for reading, 29.5 for mathematics and 30.1 for science reasoning

— 52.8% of the Class of 2027 finished in the top 10% of their high school graduating class, 73.9% finished in the top 20%, 81.6% finished in the top 25%, and 99.2% finished in the top 50%.

Cadet totals

The Class of 2027 consists of 793 men and 325 women and 14 international cadets. The class includes 372 students who identify in the following ethnic or racial groups:

— 185 Asian American, 124 Hispanic or Latino, 71 African American, 27 Pacific Islander and 23 Native American, with some cadets identifying in two or more of these identity groups.

— 930 cadets in the Class of 2027 identify as white.

— 174 Class of 2027 graduates attended the U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School. The Prep School offers a select group of cadet candidates a pathway to the Academy. After cadets graduate from the Prep School, they must reapply for admission to the Academy. The Prep School commander Col. Michael Cornelius can recommend them to the Academy board, the final appointment authority. Thirty-nine are prior enlisted Air Force Airmen and one was enlisted in the Army.

— 62 basic cadets have one parent who graduated from the Academy and 7 cadets have two parents who graduated.

See photos of Class of 2027 Basic Cadet Training.