A new study shows about one-fourth of the students who try to enlist in the United States Army fail the entrance exam, in what is a sorry commentary on the state of education, parenting and student motivation in the nation.

These youngsters somehow finished 12 or more years of school without learning basic mathematics, science and reading skills.

In a separate measure, about 75 percent of the potential recruits do not qualify to take the test because they are too physically unfit, have a criminal record of failed to graduate from high school. Overall, nearly 40 percent of black students, 30 percent of Hispanics and 16 percent of whites failed to pass.

The study by The Education Trust confirms the growing concern among military and education leaders that the number of young people qualified for military service will grow too small in the future.

“Too many of our high school students are not graduating ready to begin college or a career — and many are not eligible to serve in our armed forces,” U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan told The Associated Press. “I am deeply troubled by the national security burden created by America’s underperforming education system.”

For now, the Department of Defense is meeting recruitment goals, but those goals clearly are endangered.

Coupled with tests showing U.S. students are falling behind their foreign counterparts in math, science and reading, the national security risk presented by the failure rate on the Army entrance exam demands a back-to-the-basics approach to education.

What’s more, innovative new methods need to be found to engage parents and motivate students to learn.