An era ended Saturday in Wayne as the final class of cadets from Valley Forge Military Academy (VFMA) marched through commencement for the last time.  

The ceremony, held inside the storied Chapel of St. Cornelius the Centurion in a joint ceremony with Valley Forge Military College (VFMC), was equal parts celebration and farewell, according to staff at 6abc. 

The Academy, originally founded in 1928, will close permanently following the 2025-26 academic year. School officials cited a combination of declining enrollment, rising operating costs, and increased liability exposure under recent changes to Pennsylvania law.  

Interim head of school Aaron Barkley noted enrollment had fallen from roughly 300 cadets in 2011 to just 90 students today, leaving the Academy’s tuition-dependent finances with nowhere left to turn. 

Maryland Governor Wes Moore, a 1996 VFMA and 1998 VFMC graduate and former regimental commander, took the stage to deliver the commencement address, offering living proof of what the Academy has meant to so many. 

Moore, who went on to become the first Black governor of Maryland, credited Valley Forge with shaping his life and leadership in ways that have stayed with him since his own graduation. 

He’s far from the only one who has been impacted by his time at the school. NFL legend Larry Fitzgerald and nonprofit leader Kareem Rosser also count themselves among the Academy’s alumni; a roster that speaks to the institution’s quiet but lasting reach. 

For the full story on the emotional final commencement and those whose lives were impacted by the Academy, read the complete article at 6abc. 

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