Legendary Valley Forge Military Academy, which counts “Stormin’ Norman” Schwarzkopf Jr. and author J.D. Salinger among its alumni, was founded in 1928. But it will not live to see its 100th birthday.
The VFMA Board of Trustees announced Monday that the Wayne, Pa., school is closing at the end of the current academic year. When the 98th Corps of Cadets graduates in the spring, that will be the last.
The end of VFMA will have no impact on the separately governed and accredited Valley Forge Military College, administrators said. Despite sharing a campus, each has its own independent board of trustees, leadership and operations.
After a thorough review of VFMA’s long-term sustainability, the trustees determined the academy is no longer viable for several reasons, officials said in a press release.
“First, rising costs have made a boarding school education less affordable for many families. In turn, this has driven sharp declines in enrollment. In addition, changes in Pennsylvania law increased the academy’s liability exposure, driving steep insurance premium increases and narrowing the number of insurers willing to provide coverage. Together, these factors made the academy’s future unsustainable,” according to the statement.
“For nearly 100 years, we have maintained a strong tradition of developing resilient young men of character,” said VFMA board chair Gray Beck. “Despite today’s announcement, the legacy of Valley Forge Military Academy will live on in the thousands of graduates, faculty and staff members, and supporters.”
Many alumni speak fondly of how the school made them the person they are today. Among them is Maryland’s Democratic governor — and rumored future presidential candidate — Wes Moore.
“I walked onto the Valley Forge campus as a 12-year-old boy with a complicated past and a questionable future,” Moore told DVJournal. “I walked away as a graduate and an Army officer with a love of our country and a commitment to preserve its future.
“My experience at Valley Forge is exemplary of the pivotal role it has played in building character, empathy, focus and drive within so many of the young people it has served over 97 years. I am proud and grateful to be counted among the long line of Gray. Courage, honor, conquer.”
Former Pennsylvania state Sen. Bob Mensch, who graduated in 1965, said he tried to help VFMA by forming a charter school there. However, the charter school did not come to fruition. He said lawsuits and financial issues had beset VFMA, and he hoped income from the charter school could help.
Mensch also regretted that the board fired retired Major General Walter T. Lord as president after only a few months in 2019. Lord, also an alum, wanted to make changes that might have allowed VFMA to continue, Mensch said.
Some parents realized the school was in dire straits and withdrew their children over the summer.
William Perdigon, who withdrew his son, a rising sophomore, in August, spoke to DVJournal about his frustration with VFMA letting key staff members go.
While the younger Perdigon had thrived since he came to VFMA at 13, excelling at academics, Perdigon said the loss of key staff members and the school’s firing of its recruitment department led him to believe it was not going to exist for much longer.
He is now in the Strath Haven School District and doing well.
In a Facebook post, Perdigon noted a “serious issue that arose last year regarding cadets being placed in leadership roles over other cadets without proper oversight. This situation came to a head when it was revealed that a ‘Fight Club’ had formed in the barracks at night. The absence of adequate tactical officer supervision placed cadets in unsafe and compromising situations and highlighted the reality that young men between the ages of 14 and 18 should not be left to manage themselves without proper adult guidance. At an all-boys school especially, it takes exceptional leadership and structure to ensure discipline, safety and growth.”
Perdigon said he had hoped his son would graduate from VFMA.
“He came to Forge much like many of your sons did: without direction, caught up in minor struggles and beginning a downward spiral. But Forge changed that trajectory.
“Today, at just 15 years old, he has gone from a 2.0 GPA to a 4.25. He was awarded the President’s Award for being the best in his class. He carries himself with confidence and maturity, offering a firm handshake and looking others in the eye when he speaks. Most importantly, he has grown into a young man of character — someone I trust to do the right thing even when no one is watching. I know he will carry on our family’s legacy long after I am gone, and that he will care for his autistic sibling when I no longer can.”
He noted VFMA has a $10 million endowment but borrowed $5 million this summer. And he said VFMA officials did not announce the upcoming closure until after parents had paid the $40,000 tuition.