STARBASE is a Department of Defense program that immerses at-risk youth in an engaging Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) environment. Classes are taught at the 125th Fighter Wing, Jacksonville, where nearly 21,000 students have been educated during the 21 years of existence.

Fiscal year 2015 proved to be another landmark year for the program. STARBASE taught students from 16 schools, completed 43 week-long classes and reached 960 students. The success rate is nearly perfect with 98.83 percent of the students graduating and averaging a test score of 37.3 percentage points.

These results would not be possible without the support of state and federal legislators, Florida Air National Guard leadership and the STARBASE staff.