In September, the president of Valley Forge Military Academy (VFMA) stunned parents, alumni and faculty when he announced that the school would permanently close next year, citing years of declining enrollment and money troubles. But his account about the VFMA’s demise masked another plan that officials declined to disclose at the time. The president and board had spent months discussing plans to install a charter school that would replace the academy on the historic Main Line campus — a plan that was predicated on the academy’s closure, according to two organizers of the proposal. The 60-acre property straddles Radnor Township in Delaware County and Tredyffrin Township in Chester County. By the time the public announcement of the closing was made, a group of charter school backers was already forming a pitch for the Valley Forge Public Service Academy Charter School, alongside plans for 30 units of affordable housing in the academy barracks and a new community center for Radnor residents. The viability of the charter school plan remains an open question, as two prior attempts to create one there failed. If approved, it would enroll up to 150 students next year to prepare them for careers as first responders, such as police officers and firefighters, and as public servants.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 10/14/2025