The current study measured the effects of an education component in the Arkansas boot camp program. The study sample included 193 inmates in nine flights that graduated during 1992. Educational achievement in arithmetic, reading, and spelling was measured using the Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised, both upon entry to and exit from the boot camp program. Statistical analysis revealed significant gains in each of the three academic areas for all inmates. Significant race and age differences were also noted in arithmetic scores, with white inmates scoring higher than black inmates. Only the reading measures revealed an interaction of age range with race, with higher gains among black inmates than among white inmates over 30 years of age. The authors conclude that an education component can have a positive impact in the prison boot camp setting. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for including an education component in prison boot camp programs. 6 references and 4 tables