Valley Forge Military Academy Closing after 97 Years
When I was a kid, despite the common trope of “we’ll send you to a military academy” in TV shows and movies, I actually did, really, want to be sent to a military academy. Alas, I had to settle for Scouts and JROTC.
Oh, and watching and rewatching (we taped it off HBO on the Betamax) the 1981 classic, Taps.
That’s why finding out this week that VFMA, founded in 1928 with the motto “Courage, Honor, Conquer,” is closing its doors left me with a pang of nostalgia. Another aspect of my Gen X childhood was erased from existence.
This is because much of Taps was filmed on its campus, and the teen actors, including Timothy Hutton, Sean Penn, Giancarlo Esposito (Gus Fring), and Tom Cruise, spent 45 days of orientation with the students of the academy to learn to drill properly as cadets.
I mean, what military nerd can forget the hallway scene?
Anyway, the real-life academy, which held its 97th Commencement in June for just 21 cadets, will complete the current academic year. Its final Commencement will take place as scheduled on Saturday, May 30, 2026.
“For nearly 100 years, we have maintained a strong tradition of developing resilient young men of character,” said Gray Beck, Board Chairman, Valley Forge Military Academy. “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 reasons for closure:
After a thorough review of VFMA’s long-term sustainability, the trustees determined that the Academy is no longer viable for several reasons. 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.
The related but separate Valley Forge Military College, formerly the Valley Forge Military Academy Junior College, which was founded in 1935, is still going strong and has no plans to close, although it is rebranding as the Military College of Pennsylvania.