ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - U.S. Naval Academy officials say the school's attrition rate continues to drop.
The academy superintendent, Vice Adm. Ted Carter, said Monday this year's freshmen class only lost 9 students out of 1,091 during plebe summer. That's the lowest ever.
Plebe summer is when first-year students come to the academy before the start of the academic year to get conditioned to the rigors of academy life and learn basic military skills.
Carter says improvements to the admissions process have made it easier to select students who will succeed. He also says since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, students have been more committed to sticking with the academy.
Carter says the overall attrition rate is about 14 percent after four years. That's compared to about 33 percent when he attended 37 years ago.
