La Cueva MCJROTC Named Top in Nation

Eldorado joins La Cueva as Naval Honor School for 2025–2026.

Through exceptional leadership, academic excellence, and dedicated community service, the Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps units at La Cueva and Eldorado High Schools have earned prestigious national recognition. 

La Cueva has been awarded the Marine Corps Reserve Association Outstanding Unit Award, and both La Cueva and Eldorado have been designated as Naval Honor Schools for the 2025–2026 school year.

The MCRA Outstanding Unit Award recognizes La Cueva as being the top MCJROTC school in the nation among programs with a comparable student population size. The award reflects excellence across a broad range of areas, including academic and scholastic achievement, cadet citizenship and community service, unit participation, inspections, extracurricular activities, and competitive performance. 

Eldorado and La Cueva were also designated as Naval Honor Schools, an honor awarded to the top 20 percent of MCJROTC programs within the nation. Eldorado’s MCJROTC program has earned this designation for more than six consecutive years while La Cueva’s program has earned it for more than 10 consecutive years.

“This award is a testament to the dedication of our cadets, who consistently choose to serve, lead and excel,” said 1stSgt Matthew McMenimen, who oversees the La Cueva program. “Previous cadets established a standard of excellence, and each year these cadets continue to uphold and build upon that legacy.”

“We are very proud of our cadets and all of their accomplishments,” said Major James Koerber, who oversees the Eldorado program. “This award signifies that the leadership and expectations of our cadet leadership continues to be passed down year after year. The upperclassmen mentor, teach and genuinely care about the welfare of the younger cadets, much like an older sibling would do.”   

Among the La Cueva unit’s accomplishments last school year:

• Cadets qualified and competed in the JROTC Leadership and Academic Bowl National Championships in Washington, D.C.
• Theycompleted over 2,400 hours of community service across Albuquerque.
• And they achieved competitive success.Teams achieved high rankings at both the National High School Drill Team Championships and the Marine Corps JROTC Air Rifle National Championships.

Eldorado’s program also had a strong showing last year, with cadets:

• Earning national recognition at the All service Nationals Marksmanship Championship and placing seventh in the nation among all services in Camp Perry, Ohio.
• Finishing in third place at the Marine Corps JROTC Air Rifle National Championships, earning an invitation to all service nationals
• Completing more than 1,400 hours of community service.
• Finishing third overall nationally for Hover Ball in the women's division in a competition that took place in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in August.

Beyond competition, multiple cadets from the two schools earned entrance into the military’s service academies, ROTC scholarships, national academic awards and other merit-based recognition. 

Cadets also participated in color guards, community service projects, leadership development, physical fitness, academic programs, numerous school activities and multiple summer leadership opportunities. These accomplishments demonstrate their focus on developing responsible citizens and preparing students for success after high school.

The Naval Honor School designation also provides Eldorado and La Cueva MCJROTC with additional opportunities to support outstanding cadets seeking appointments to the United States Service Academies.

These awards are not based on a single competition or event. They represent an entire year of cadets choosing to serve, compete, lead and hold themselves to a higher standard.

The Marine Corps JROTC program is designed to develop character, leadership, citizenship, personal responsibility and self-discipline while providing students with opportunities to participate in academic, athletic, competitive and community-service activities.