If accepted, it might be worth asking admissions to put you in contact with some NoVa moms from the SJC Mother’s Club who could tell you how they make the commute work. They would have some good tips and insights based on experience.

OP here, SJC checks all of the boxes for our DC in terms of academics, athletics, and extra curriculars. SJC also aligns financially, quite a few of the NoVA options are in the $50K+ range. DC loved SJC during shadow day, unfortunately BOC doesn't check all the boxes the same way (only the location does for our DC).

Thank you to those that have posted, I really do appreciate the input and details that have been shared here.

I’m in Arlington and I’ve heard the commute is horrible.

We moved our kid to SCJ from another school because of commute. Think long and hard about taking that on, especially when you have great options out in VA.

Anonymous wrote:There are many students from NoVA who transfer out after freshman year due to the commute.
Unless your child is a recruited athlete, I would recommend to go with a different school as you will be rethinking this choice many times over the next 3 years if you decide to go to SJC.

Think of it this way, would you sign up for that commute for your job if you had a closer option that was similar?

Just for full information. My kid just graduated from SJC. The graduating class was the largest number of kids from Virginia to attend SJC ever. The graduating class was also the largest ever at SJC at 344.

I know of one kid in my child's graduating class from Arlington that transferred between 1st and 2nd semester and it had nothing to do with the commute but not fitting in. It happens.

The bus in the morning is relatively easy. Afternoons can be harder if your child stays on campus. But, it doesn't take long to build carpools and have them get rides from juniors and seniors.

Anonymous wrote:Unless there is some very compelling reason (big break on tuition vs alternatives), just send your kid to BOC and have a much better all around family life for four years.

The schools are far more similar than they are different, and really zero difference from an education perspective.

What is BOC?

I know some NoVa students who chose SJC for their Benilde program.

My kid isn’t at SJC (he’s at another catholic HS). We liked SJC but realized the commute would be brutal.

We live very close to our high school, and it’s been very helpful given:

1. Early morning lifts

2. After school lifts/practice (and pick up during rush hour)

3. Sticking around to watch other sports/games during the week

4. Having friends nearby

The families we know who opted to endure the commute to SJC received scholarships they couldn’t turn down.

I know a couple Arlington kids who transferred after freshman year, and my DS has friends who stayed but say it was really, really hard. So much time on the bus or in the car. Unless you have a SAHP willing to do a crazy amount of driving, it doesn't seem worth it for overall quality of life.

A lot of NoVa students at SJC take the school’s bus or carpool. If you join the Mother’s Club, there is a message board where you can reach out to ask questions and arrange carpools, etc. If your student does an afterschool sport, I guarantee there are other NoVa SJC families who are looking to carpool.

There are many students from NoVA who transfer out after freshman year due to the commute.
Unless your child is a recruited athlete, I would recommend to go with a different school as you will be rethinking this choice many times over the next 3 years if you decide to go to SJC.

Think of it this way, would you sign up for that commute for your job if you had a closer option that was similar?

Unless there is some very compelling reason (big break on tuition vs alternatives), just send your kid to BOC and have a much better all around family life for four years.

The schools are far more similar than they are different, and really zero difference from an education perspective.

The bus system is great for the am. But the only way to get home post practice is 1) pick them up or carpool, and metro.
I worked in DC so I was able to stay late to do pick up. After freshman year, we were able to arrange carpool with juniors and seniors.

I’m not in NoVA but that sounds like a terrible commute. What aspects of SJC do you think would make up for such a long drive?

For the Northern Virginians with students at St John’s, how is the bus service in the morning?

How about coming home with extra curricular activities/sports?

DC is considering St John’s for next year but the potential commute getting them to/from the school seems like it could be quite brutal. We are just outside of Tysons.