Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How diverse is it? Many of the Catholic schools in DC especially in that corridor are very white. We are Latino and looking so would appreciate a diverse student body!

In my kid’s class, it’s about 50% white, 15% Black, 15% Hispanic and 15% Asian. We also have a good number of international families that are working for their embassies or other related agencies.

I’d say most classes have a few bilingual kids (that do very well in the every day Spanish classes)! There are also other languages represented.

Most kids are Catholic or another Christian denomination, but we have had kids from other religions.

I really appreciate that they celebrate Black History month and Hispanic Heritage month and often incorporate diverse authors, artists and saints (it’s a Catholic school ) into all the lessons.

Thank you!

Anonymous wrote:How diverse is it? Many of the Catholic schools in DC especially in that corridor are very white. We are Latino and looking so would appreciate a diverse student body!

In my kid’s class, it’s about 50% white, 15% Black, 15% Hispanic and 15% Asian. We also have a good number of international families that are working for their embassies or other related agencies.

I’d say most classes have a few bilingual kids (that do very well in the every day Spanish classes)! There are also other languages represented.

Most kids are Catholic or another Christian denomination, but we have had kids from other religions.

I really appreciate that they celebrate Black History month and Hispanic Heritage month and often incorporate diverse authors, artists and saints (it’s a Catholic school ) into all the lessons.

How diverse is it? Many of the Catholic schools in DC especially in that corridor are very white. We are Latino and looking so would appreciate a diverse student body!

It's a really good school. We liked alot about our public but OLV is such a better fit for our family. The academics are much stronger. The teachers know your kids in a way our public teachers didn't get the chance to.

The facilities at our public were nicer (gym, fields). My kids don't care, but as a parent it would be nice to not have to transport to separate locations for sports practices. All schools have trade offs, this one isn't a huge deal to us but may be for some families.

The CYO teams are great and if you join the school, join some teams and it's a great way to meet families quickly. There are also community events throughout the year (trunk or treat, breakfast with Santa, annual gala, trivia night, etc) so we found it easy to dive in and make a new community at the school.

Anonymous wrote:I have a neighbor who send two daughters there and they loved it. Both went on to Visi and seemed to have really strong math skills. Our kids are a ways a way from starting (about two years) but we will definitely be looking there. It seems very diverse as well. Not sure how much it costs though.

It’s about 15K a year.

I have a neighbor who send two daughters there and they loved it. Both went on to Visi and seemed to have really strong math skills. Our kids are a ways a way from starting (about two years) but we will definitely be looking there. It seems very diverse as well. Not sure how much it costs though.

Re: the preschool, our kids did not go there for preschool (we joined in K), but I wish they had! I don’t get the sense that it is overly academic. They seem to have plenty of fun and one of the pre-K teachers won the Golden Apple award, which is a ADW-wide honor. It is a small environment, and the families get to know each other very well. The older kids are also very sweet to them. We wanted a very play-based preschool, but our kids were very behind when they showed up to K, and I think a mix between fun and academics is better.

We are a current family and love OLV! Academically, it has been great for both of our kids - one a more natural, quick learner and the other that needs more help in remembering to turn in assignments and stay on task. We transferred from public and it was a good step up. Good teachers that care. Smaller classes - they vary by age, but around 16-20 when younger, and 20-25 when older. Our kids have about an hour of homework each night in later elementary years, which is good to see the reinforcement, but not take up all of their after-school time. Both do well on MAP tests, as do many at the school.

The community has been wonderful. There are after-school activities for the younger kids, lots of parent-organized play dates and the older kids all hang out after school and on weekends. Parents become friends as well. There are a few parent-only and family events to get to know everyone.

OLV actually has a great CYO sports program, but, as someone was alluding to earlier, not great sports facilities. CYO is rec level and the good athletes do supplement with travel sports. That happens everywhere though. Any public or private elementary or middle school in the area only has rec level sports. Anyone who wants to play in HS these days plays club/travel/AAU. We do wish the playground and facilities were a little better, but for ~15K a year compared to 50-60K, we are fine with it!

Not OP but wondering if anyone can weigh in on early childhood at OLV? We liked the school but Pre-K and K seemed quite academic to us when we toured (principal proudly emphasized that this is “real school” in the PreK3 classroom), and the outdoor space seems like a bummer for younger kids.

OLV is great -- we had kids there for ~10 years. Wonderful community, teachers, and administration. It's a multi-year Blue Ribbon School for good reason.

We started in the earlier stages, so I can't say for transfers, but the families we knew that came in at later dates/grades all seemed very pleased and stayed.

Feeder into SJC, Visitation, and Gonzaga primarily, a smattering of kids at Prep, SR, and others. Very helpful in prepping for the high school process and the HSPT.

The only weak spot is sports—if that's a big issue, there are other schools with better facilities (though they often have downsides and dramatically higher tuition). They have CYO teams, and we supplemented with a variety of travel teams/external options.

In all, would highly recommend.

This is OP - just to clarify, I am asking about OLV in DC.

What’s the latest on this school? Looking for early elementary 2nd and maybe 3rd. What are your thoughts on the community - our child is very friendly so we really want to be somewhere where there are after school play dates and the parents/families are really welcoming.

Also, if you transferred in, are the academics better than where you transferred from? Current school situation has been rough - poor teaching, long term subs, etc.) so looking for not only good teaching but also stability with hopefully not a lot of teacher turnover.