OLGC, St Luke, St James, St John in NoVa

[Anonymous]

We live 10-15 min from all these schools. How do we pick? Applying for k next year
Can you share pros and cons of each and if you would have done anything different?

[Anonymous]

Don’t you have to go where you’re zoned?

[Anonymous]

Are you in at any? If not, do any have spots?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don’t you have to go where you’re zoned?

Catholic schools aren’t like public schools with boundaries. Parish schools give strong preference to families in the parish, yes, but you can apply anywhere.

[Anonymous]

Have you already applied? Are you seeking admission for fall 2024 or fall 2025? Options may already be quite limited for the 2024-2025 school year.

[Anonymous]

OP here! Applying for 2025-2026 year. Yes on the early side of looking into schools but this is what everyone seems to talk about are schools and just want to make sure we are exploring all the options. Not part of a parish yet. Would like to join once we figure out what school we are going to

[Anonymous]

Apply to the parish that is closest to your home now. That will ensure in parish tuition for at least one school. St. James and OLGC are two track while St. John and St. Luke have one class per grade. St. John does a classical education curriculum, so look into that to learn more. All participate with CYO sports and all have similar standards from the Diocese. Look at each facility and get a feel of the culture when kids are in school. That should help you feel what is the best fit for you family. Know that all four will be competitive to get into without parishioner status (and even with that status, enrollment is competitive). Hope this all helps.

[Anonymous]

You can call and ask for a tour now. I would do that and tour them now instead of waiting for the fall open houses. You’ll want to join the parish for the one you like asap, so I wouldn’t wait for fall.
I prefer 2 classes per grade and that would be a deal breaker for me. But all 4 schools are great and people are generally happy with the community, faith formation and education at all of them. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can call and ask for a tour now. I would do that and tour them now instead of waiting for the fall open houses. You’ll want to join the parish for the one you like asap, so I wouldn’t wait for fall.
I prefer 2 classes per grade and that would be a deal breaker for me. But all 4 schools are great and people are generally happy with the community, faith formation and education at all of them. Good luck!

Note - some schools (like OLGC) don’t only require you to be a member of parish but be active parishioner to get discounted tuition rate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We live 10-15 min from all these schools. How do we pick? Applying for k next year
Can you share pros and cons of each and if you would have done anything different?

OLGC is great. On social they are saying that they still have openings for K so if you are considering apply now. In the past there have been waitlists for every grade. Kids tend to feed into Catholic high school - PVI, O’Connell, Gonzaga and Georgetown Visitation - or public. Sometimes sends one kid every year or so to flint hill, Georgetown Prep or St John’s. Don’t really see other schools pop up.

Biggest drawback is class size. Classes starting in 1st can be as large as 28-29 kids. There can be two classes each grade that size with 1 teacher and maybe a floating aide between the two in the lower grades.

Also Behavioral issues seem to be talked about more but not sure if that is unique or just a sign of the times. Did go through principal change two years ago and not as innovative or inclusive as it used to be but still an amazing community and school. Administration also is slow to address things sometimes. Quality of teachers is mixed - some amazing ones and some that are known issues or get away with things you wouldn’t see other places. Be warned more country club privileged types seem to be coming into school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live 10-15 min from all these schools. How do we pick? Applying for k next year
Can you share pros and cons of each and if you would have done anything different?

OLGC is great. On social they are saying that they still have openings for K so if you are considering apply now. In the past there have been waitlists for every grade. Kids tend to feed into Catholic high school - PVI, O’Connell, Gonzaga and Georgetown Visitation - or public. Sometimes sends one kid every year or so to flint hill, Georgetown Prep or St John’s. Don’t really see other schools pop up.

Biggest drawback is class size. Classes starting in 1st can be as large as 28-29 kids. There can be two classes each grade that size with 1 teacher and maybe a floating aide between the two in the lower grades.

Also Behavioral issues seem to be talked about more but not sure if that is unique or just a sign of the times. Did go through principal change two years ago and not as innovative or inclusive as it used to be but still an amazing community and school. Administration also is slow to address things sometimes. Quality of teachers is mixed - some amazing ones and some that are known issues or get away with things you wouldn’t see other places. Be warned more country club privileged types seem to be coming into school.

^ OP here. This is helpful as we are looking into this school. In regards to OLGC, is there any plan to address class sizeto bring it down closer to 25 kids?
If you had to to it over again, would you send your child here?
Isn't it the (unfortunate) norm for most private schools to have a small number of parents who are "country club privileged types?" I've heard this to be a little like this at St. Luke.
Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Long time OLGC family here (been in the school for more than 10 years; large family spanning multiple grades. PP is correct about class sizes. My kids' class sizes increased from about 20-22 to 28-29 post-pandemic. Many were surprised when very few went back to their public schools. Some did, but the majority of those who came in from public have stayed. I have heard that at the last PTO Meeting, our admin announced that they will not be adding to classes or replacing students as they leave, allowing for natural attrition to bring class sizes back down to what they call their targeted, sweet spot (24-25 kids). I was unable to attend that meeting so I cannot validate that. There are 3 kindergarten classes, with a max of 20 in each classroom. That has not changed in the 10+ years we have been at the school. The larger class sizes come when they combine into first grade (and beyond). Hopefully, they are taking that into consideration as they admit students in K. Definitely something you can ask.
All the Diocesan Catholic Schools have two open houses per year. OLGC does one in November, one in January. You should definitely come out in November, if you aren't ready to take a tour now.
I agree with PP that behavioral issues seem to be increased, but that seems to be the case with my friends' kids who are in local publics. So it really could be a sign of the times.
Definitely agree with more 'country club type' families coming in.
If you are Catholic and are concerned about Sacramental Prep and religious eductation, I would suggest that you also attend Mass at each of the schools that you are considering. Years ago, someone gave me advice that if you don't like the feel of the Mass or the 'vibe' of how it is run -- think long and hard about whether or not this is the best fit for your kid/family. That is going to be the general vibe of the religious education and preparation your kids are going to get regularly. We actually felt this was about the various Masses in the area and joined a church well before we had kids applying to Catholic school. And it was just as I said -- "a feeling."
You asked PP if you had to do it over again, would you send your child there? Yes, Yes, Yes, a thousand times over.
Good luck!

[Anonymous]

PP: wanted to add that our friends at St. Mark and St. John are very happy. I don't know anyone at St. Luke (but two of my kids grades came over from St. Luke bc of "issues" and not liking the middle school there....only what I was told, like I said I don't actually know anyone there).

[Anonymous]

^ PP AMAZING! Thank you for the real and honest feedback! We are doing this! We’ve gone to all of the masses and have the best friendly vibes at OLGC. I’ve never met such a warm and welcoming people offering up seats for our kids, offering us an umbrella going into mass, etc,
I do hope the class sizes get a bit smaller (but still hope my DS gets in)

[Anonymous]

DS is at Gonzaga now, having been at St Luke k-8. We were part of some "transition" years where teacher and/or admin were not great. But there was enough good overall that we stayed. From what I've seen and heard, the most recent prior principal "cleaned house" of all the sub par teachers and made good new hires and classroom upgrades. Also, during/since covid, the entire school has had a wonderful re-fresh, the uniforms are less strict, the theater program looks robust. I see their IG page and the school has gone from a bit stodgy to really fun and welcoming. So I'd just keep in mind what you've heard from people a couple years ago. All changes see to have been for the better. (I do not know the current principal). DS's class size was 25 max, as I recall, with a full time aid through 3rd or 4th grade. Middle school science and math are differentiated. French and Spanish offered from early grades. Math track to get to Geometry in 8th grade is available. Tour the school to have your questions answered. Apply early if you're interested.