Community members gathered at the Radnor Memorial Library Thursday night to learn more about the future of Valley Forge Military Academy, a private boarding school and day school serving grades 7-12 in Wayne, Pennsylvania.

Citing rising costs and declining enrollment, the academy shut down for all students except seniors on Nov. 21.

But the campus may soon get a new life and a new mission. An effort is underway to open the Valley Forge Public Service Academy Charter School, a public charter school that would be located on the same campus, in September 2026.

The proposed school would enroll 450 students in grades 6-12, offering training for careers in policing, firefighting, EMS and local government. It would be a hands-on pathway for students who may not be interested in attending college.

"I think the on-the-job readiness that the trade school will provide for the students is a completely different academic track than what the local high school or elementary schools offer," Steve Shreiner, CEO of Valley Forge Public Service Academy Charter School, said.

The charter school would be open to students from Radnor Township, the city of Philadelphia, Tredyffrin Township and surrounding areas.

Samiha Ortiz-Rivera, a mother of six from Northeast Philadelphia, backs the plan. Her 13-year-old son, Anthony Ortiz-Rivera, Jr., was just a few months into his enrollment at Valley Forge Military Academy when it closed.

"We were kind of just devastated," Samiha Ortiz-Rivera said. "I thought that I would have at least the end of the year to try to find accommodations for Anthony to go to another school. But I am very hopeful for the new charter school."

The co-founders of the charter school are asking to join the Radnor Township School District. They recently submitted a 1,000-page application with 40 exhibits.

"The reason why this is good from a taxpayer perspective is that Radnor doesn't need to build a school and set up a whole system to educate students who want a different path," Alan Wohlstetter, co-founder of the proposed school, said.

The charter school plans to present its five-year financial projections to the school district at a hearing on the charter school's application later this month.

"At this stage, the Board has not taken a position on the application," a spokesperson for the Radnor Township School District said. "The process is designed to ensure a thorough review and provide opportunities for public input before any decision is made."

Anthony Ortiz-Rivera Jr. is hoping the plan moves forward so he can pursue his dream.

"I want to be an engineer in the Air Force," Anthony Ortiz-Rivera Jr. said. "If I like retire from the Air Force, maybe I'd do like, the police."

The Radnor Township School District is expected to vote on the proposed charter school early next year.