Overview of Military Schools in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania is home to three college preparatory military schools. One is The Philadelphia Military Academy at Leeds (PMA), a public high school in northwest Philadelphia, currently located in a wing of Leeds Middle School. The other two are college preparatory all-boys boarding schools: Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, Pennsylvania, and Carson Long Military Institute in New Bloomfield, Pennsylvania. Here is an introduction to the three military schools in Pennsylvania.
The Three Military Schools in Pennsylvania
• Philadelphia Military Academy— Philadelphia Military Academy is a new public school, filling its ranks starting with incoming 9th graders, limited to a class of 150 each year, working towards a total enrollment of less than 600. Students are required to take core courses in English, Math, Social Studies, and Science and the ROTC LET (Leadership) course, physical education, and Spanish. The focus is on training students for college and leadership. Extracurricular activities include military-focused activities, such as Drill Team and Color Guard, and standard high school sports and clubs, such as basketball, chess, and Computer Club. Students apply in eighth grade and must have a positive discipline record, good attendance, and good grades, as well as agree to wear the JROTC uniform and abide by the JROTC Cadet Creed.
The Philadelphia Military Academy website is here: http://www.philadelphiama.com/
• Valley Forge Military Academy —Valley Forge Military Academy founded in 1928, has a 100-acre campus. It is a non-denominational Christian boarding and day school offering grades 7 through 12 and a post-graduate year. The student body of 280 students is 99% boarding and 20% international. The school offers ESL courses ans support for both students with ADD/ADHD and learning differences. Ninety-six percent of the faculty have an advanced degree.
The five cornerstones of the Valley Forge experience are academic excellence, character development, personal motivation, physical development, and leadership.
Seven AP/Advanced courses and 15 sports and other extracurricular activities are offered. These include sports, such as rugby and ice hockey, Boy Scouts, Paintball, and Regimental Band. Noted alumni of Valley Forge include author J.D. Salinger, best known for A Catcher in the Rye, and General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, Commander, Operation Desert Storm.
The Valley Forge Military Academy website is here: http://academy.vfmac.edu/
• Carson Long Military Institute—Carson Long Military Institute was founded in 1842, has a 50-acre campus. It is a non-denominational school offering grades 6 through 12. The student body of 127 students is 98% boarding and 30% international. The school offers ESL courses and provides support for students with ADD/ADHD. The teacher-student ratio is 1:8.
Nine interscholastic sports and supervised evening study halls are offered, and JROTC and physical education are required, as well as a college preparatory course load. Students also can participate in Rifle Team and Drum and Bugle Corps. Bible study is offered, and students attend worship services for their faith on Sunday.
The Carson Long Military Institute website is here:
http://www.carsonlong.org
