Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't O'Connell the only catholic HS in Falls Church/Arlington/McLean/Vienna?

No

Oakcrest is in McLean, and is a small all-girls high school. O'Connell is in Arlington, right on the edge of Falls Church. Those are the only two Catholic high schools in the four jurisdictions named.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you live in Falls Church/Vienna, your best option for a boy is Gonzaga and for a girl is Visitation. Prep is a good school, but the commute on the Beltway is more difficult and time-consuming than the trip downtown to Gonzaga. St Anselms and The Heights are decent schools, but best serve certain types of Catholics. If you are a run-in-the-mill Catholic without quircks and not extremely conservative, you are best served by Visi/Gonzaga.

Visi/Gonzaga are highly selective and sought-after schools for most Catholics. You don't just apply and get it. It's not so easy.

Not true if you DON'T live in Kensignton, Chevy Chase, NWDC, Potomac, Bethesda.

There are a lot of Gonzaga students from Virginia.

She means Catholic.

OP here - I mean I am looking for a school with religious (Catholic) education, religious beliefs and ethical teaching etc. Jesuits fit the bill of what I would consider a Catholic education for sure.

Anonymous wrote:If you're saying parochial means "parish school" (but see Wikipedia gives it a broader definition), then none of the high schools mentioned are "parish schools." Maybe you meant Diocesan?

None of the schools receive funds from the ADW.

If you're saying parochial means "parish school" (but see Wikipedia gives it a broader definition), then none of the high schools mentioned are "parish schools." Maybe you meant Diocesan?

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. I appreciate the responses that were informative. I did not want to get into public vs private debate... I think I received some good answers about those catholic schools focused more on academics vs those that might not be, but might offer something else in return. I am a firm believer that no one school is a good fit for each child. I simply wanted to know the academic focused schools in our area and I can research the remainder. Not so much concerned with prestige as finding a good school where my child can learn, grow and mature in a parochial environment.

Not to debate private vs. public vs. parochial, and not sure why you used the term... but most the schools mentioned are private not parochial... (Gonzaga, Prep, Heights) St. Anselms, not sure.

This is OP. I appreciate the responses that were informative. I did not want to get into public vs private debate... I think I received some good answers about those catholic schools focused more on academics vs those that might not be, but might offer something else in return. I am a firm believer that no one school is a good fit for each child. I simply wanted to know the academic focused schools in our area and I can research the remainder. Not so much concerned with prestige as finding a good school where my child can learn, grow and mature in a parochial environment.

OP,

When you consider the responses that you get here, remember the profile of the DCUM user (e.g. uptight snob). There is nothing wrong with any of the schools that have been mentioned. Kids can and do get great educations at O'Connell and Ireton as well as Heights, Gonzaga etc. True, they are larger and more inclusive, but the strong students get good educations despite what PPs said. Don't believe me? It seems that it was good enough for Stanford, Berkeley, UCLA, Georgetown, Duke, Northwestern, W&M, Carnegie Mellon, Notre Dame, Rice, Wash U., and Penn this year.

I would have no problem with my kids attending either school. Consider whether any perceived increase in prestige is worth making your life crazy trying to get kids to schools that are farther away.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about O'Connell?

You can get a good education at any of these schools. Students at the top of their classes go to great colleges.

People who go to not-so-great colleges have tremendous careers.

But the question was about schools with significant focus on academics.

O'Connell and Ireton would not fit that description.

This is correct. Look at the test scores and compare to a public like Langley. The Heights (just over the river - it runs a bus from NoVA) is the most academically rigorous but it is Opus Dei and your kid must be a self-starter. If not, you will be counseled or advised out. There is no hand holding.

If you took the scores of just the O'Connell kids who come from homes similar to those that feed to Langley, I'm sure the SATs score would be comparable.

So why spend the thousands of dollars?

Because it's a better fit for my kid and it's our money to spend? What's your concern?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you live in Falls Church/Vienna, your best option for a boy is Gonzaga and for a girl is Visitation. Prep is a good school, but the commute on the Beltway is more difficult and time-consuming than the trip downtown to Gonzaga. St Anselms and The Heights are decent schools, but best serve certain types of Catholics. If you are a run-in-the-mill Catholic without quircks and not extremely conservative, you are best served by Visi/Gonzaga.

Visi/Gonzaga are highly selective and sought-after schools for most Catholics. You don't just apply and get it. It's not so easy.

Not true if you DON'T live in Kensignton, Chevy Chase, NWDC, Potomac, Bethesda.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about O'Connell?

You can get a good education at any of these schools. Students at the top of their classes go to great colleges.

People who go to not-so-great colleges have tremendous careers.

But the question was about schools with significant focus on academics.

O'Connell and Ireton would not fit that description.

This is correct. Look at the test scores and compare to a public like Langley. The Heights (just over the river - it runs a bus from NoVA) is the most academically rigorous but it is Opus Dei and your kid must be a self-starter. If not, you will be counseled or advised out. There is no hand holding.

If you took the scores of just the O'Connell kids who come from homes similar to those that feed to Langley, I'm sure the SATs score would be comparable.

So why spend the thousands of dollars?

Some people want the Catholic education for their kids. My nieces go to O'Connell and they have been in Catholic schools all their lives - both here and overseas. I don't think their parents wanted to start them in public for high school.

Anonymous wrote:If you live in Falls Church/Vienna, your best option for a boy is Gonzaga and for a girl is Visitation. Prep is a good school, but the commute on the Beltway is more difficult and time-consuming than the trip downtown to Gonzaga. St Anselms and The Heights are decent schools, but best serve certain types of Catholics. If you are a run-in-the-mill Catholic without quircks and not extremely conservative, you are best served by Visi/Gonzaga.

Visi/Gonzaga are highly selective and sought-after schools for most Catholics. You don't just apply and get it. It's not so easy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about O'Connell?

You can get a good education at any of these schools. Students at the top of their classes go to great colleges.

People who go to not-so-great colleges have tremendous careers.

But the question was about schools with significant focus on academics.

O'Connell and Ireton would not fit that description.

This is correct. Look at the test scores and compare to a public like Langley. The Heights (just over the river - it runs a bus from NoVA) is the most academically rigorous but it is Opus Dei and your kid must be a self-starter. If not, you will be counseled or advised out. There is no hand holding.

If you took the scores of just the O'Connell kids who come from homes similar to those that feed to Langley, I'm sure the SATs score would be comparable.

So why spend the thousands of dollars?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about O'Connell?

You can get a good education at any of these schools. Students at the top of their classes go to great colleges.

People who go to not-so-great colleges have tremendous careers.

But the question was about schools with significant focus on academics.

O'Connell and Ireton would not fit that description.

This is correct. Look at the test scores and compare to a public like Langley. The Heights (just over the river - it runs a bus from NoVA) is the most academically rigorous but it is Opus Dei and your kid must be a self-starter. If not, you will be counseled or advised out. There is no hand holding.

If you took the scores of just the O'Connell kids who come from homes similar to those that feed to Langley, I'm sure the SATs score would be comparable.