Valley Forge Military Academy to close in May 2026, citing rising costs and declining enrollment [View all]

Source: CBS News

Updated on: September 15, 2025 / 5:30 PM EDT


Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, Pennsylvania, will close in May 2026 after a review found the prep boarding school to be "no longer viable" due to rising costs and declining enrollment, the school announced Monday.

The board of trustees cited rising tuition prices, falling enrollment and a change in Pennsylvania law that increased liability exposure and drove up insurance premiums as the reasons behind the decision to close down VFMA, which was founded in 1928, after the 2025-26 academic year, in a statement posted online. "Together, these factors made the Academy's future unsustainable," the statement said.

VFMA trustees said the Valley Forge Military College, which shares the 70-acre Main Line campus with the academy, will remain open. The academy and college have a different set of boards of trustees and leadership, the statement said.

"For nearly 100 years, we have maintained a strong tradition of developing resilient young men of character," Gray Beck, VFMA's board chairman, said in a statement. "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." The board of trustees said it will help with cadets transferring to other schools and provide support for faculty and staff.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/valley-forge-military-academy-closing-may-2026/

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I heard on the radio this morning that the cost (tuition and am guessing room/board as a boarding school) was upwards of $50,000 per year. It covered grades 7 - 12. I remember having an elementary school classmate who transferred there after 6th grade.