Pine Forge Academy

The campus resides on the historical property once owned by Thomas Rutter, an abolitionist iron miller, which was deeded to him by William Penn in the early 1700’s. Several of the original buildings still remain on the campus including the Manor House in which it is said that George Washington once rested. Additionally, the property was used during the closing days of slavery as a terminal for the Underground Railroad. These sites have been designated as official projects of Save America’s Treasures and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In the 1940s, Elder John H. Wagner, Sr., former President of Allegheny Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, envisioned a boarding school in the North where African-American high school students could attend without the racial issues of schools in the South. News spread that 575 acres of land near Pottstown, Pennsylvania was for sale. President Wagner, a small entourage of preachers, and Dr. Grace Kimbrough visited the Rutter Estate. Immediately upon seeing the property, they knew their prayers had been answered. After a unanimous vote, it was clear that they had found the site for the school in the North. The 575-acre Rutter Estate was purchased for $46,000. The boarding school would first be called Pine Forge Institute. It opened its doors on September 9, 1946 with its 90 pioneer students.

Pine Forge Academy, a co-educational Seventh-day Adventist school, serves grades 9-12. It is committed to providing a Christ-centered curriculum in a safe, caring environment, to prepare students spiritually, intellectually, physically, and socially for service to God and man.

Pine Forge Academy’s intimate class sizes allows the experience of all students to be proclaimed, and no one is seen solely as an academic, athlete, or artist. Excellence begins with valuing each individual’s strengths and weaknesses, this is both the lesson and the practice at Pine Forge Academy.

The goal of our curriculum is to teach students to think and to develop within them a lifelong love of learning. The coursework at Pine Forge Academy is both rigorous and engaging. Our courses are taught by faculty members who are passionate about their subject areas and dedicated to helping each student reach his or her full potential.

Our academic departments share a commitment to teaching students to think critically, to organize and analyze information, to competently speak and write with confidence, to listen and observe with acuity, and to nurture their innate curiosity and creativity.

In the 9th and 10th grades, students take many of the same required courses together. These courses are designed to help students build a strong foundation in their basic skills and to allow them to get a sense of their own strengths and interests. Students in the 11th and 12th grades may choose from a variety of electives, including numerous Honors and Advanced Placement classes, as well as individually designed research and directed-studies projects.