Catholic Private School Insights

[Anonymous]

We are starting to think ahead about elementary school options for our rising 3-year-old daughter and would love insight from those who know the local Catholic/parochial school landscape well.

We currently attend a preschool in McLean that we absolutely love, but are now discerning next steps for elementary and beyond. Long term, we could see our daughter ultimately applying to either Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, or potentially The Madeira School for high school, and likely our son to The Heights School.

We live in McLean (inside the Beltway), so commute/location is definitely part of the equation. Right now we are interested in learning more about:
Little Flower School, Our Lady of Mercy School, St. Agnes School (Arlington), Holy Trinity School (Georgetown), The Woods Academy.

We are looking for schools that are academically rigorous and strong community-wise, but also nurture curiosity, confidence, and creativity. We are open to environments that are a little less “traditional” than sitting in desks all day, especially in the younger years, while still preparing students very well academically for competitive high schools down the line.

Would love any insight on:

* Academic strength and overall culture
* Parent/community fit
* Which schools tend to feed well into Visitation, Stone Ridge, Madeira, and/or the Heights
* Whether there are other parochial schools we should absolutely be considering from our area
* Whether families coming from McLean/inside the Beltway feel integrated into the community at the DC/Maryland schools, or if most families are very geographically centered around the parish/school itself

Would especially appreciate hearing from families who made a similar decision coming from McLean/Arlington/DC. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

St Luke?

[Anonymous]

OP Here - I haven’t heard great things about St Luke’s. People seem underwhelmed by the education there.

[Anonymous]

Madeira is not Catholic.

[Anonymous]

St. Agnes in Arlington fits your specifications, but they are totally full with a waitlist. If you visit and are interested, I would consider joining the parish to enhance your chances of admission.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Madeira is not Catholic.

Yes thank you. Just noting it’s a potential school on our list

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:St. Agnes in Arlington fits your specifications, but they are totally full with a waitlist. If you visit and are interested, I would consider joining the parish to enhance your chances of admission.

Do you have a child there? Would love to know more about the community. Are other McLean families there?

[Anonymous]

St Agnes is MAGA and so is St. James. Why wouldn't you look at St. Luke?

[Anonymous]

St. Agnes isn't MAGA. The community is very warm and supportive. Principal is great. I suggest you visit. Many McLean families there.

[Anonymous]

1. move the child as early as possible such as for preK-3.
2. I really liked The Heights for my son - and still do. He has enjoyed their summer camps and Study Skills. It was his second choice when we applied for grades 6-12. Wish we had applied so that he could have reconsidered but happy where he landed (Jesuit).

[Anonymous]

I’ve spoken with many St Luke’s families who haven’t been thrilled with the academics there

[Anonymous]

My brother's children went to St Luke. I have one at St Agnes now and one who has graduated. Ask the schools you're looking at about high school placement. St Agnes is very successful at getting boys and girls into their top choice schools, especially Visitation and Gonzaga. The academics at St Agnes are far and above what my brother's children have experienced at St Luke. Check out the past five+ years of valedictorians at Gonzaga. Then look at where these valedictorians went to grade school...St Agnes!

[Anonymous]

Are you Catholic and do you belong to a parish now?

[Anonymous]

We attend Our Lady of Victory from Arlington and find the commute tolerable, but not ideal. It definitely fits what you are looking for, except for location (though I suspect it’s closer than any of the MoCo/DC schools you’ve named). We joined during the pandemic and the two Arlington Catholics we were interested in were already full. We also like that OLV and any ADW Catholic school tend to be more liberal than the Arlington diocese schools. Our kids are happy, we are pleased with the academics and we have met a lot of nice families. It’s a great community. Worth the commute for us, but you may be able to find a similar community closer to home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We attend Our Lady of Victory from Arlington and find the commute tolerable, but not ideal. It definitely fits what you are looking for, except for location (though I suspect it’s closer than any of the MoCo/DC schools you’ve named). We joined during the pandemic and the two Arlington Catholics we were interested in were already full. We also like that OLV and any ADW Catholic school tend to be more liberal than the Arlington diocese schools. Our kids are happy, we are pleased with the academics and we have met a lot of nice families. It’s a great community. Worth the commute for us, but you may be able to find a similar community closer to home.

So great to know - will look into it!