Looking for Catholic School (K-8) in NVA

My son is in the Pre-K program at St. Timothy in Chantilly - a little farther out from DC than Vienna, but not far. St. Tim's is a great school. The only criticism I've heard about the parish is that it's very conservative. I don't have any problem with that aspect, and I'm no prude... ;) Maybe I'm more conservative than I know! ;) Anyway, it's a great school and it feeds into Paul VI high school and others. Also a very community minded parish. The ministries are many and all are wonderful.
Good luck.

I live in Falls Church, and the kids in my neighborhood all attend St. James. They absolutely LOVE it, and it's highly rated, I believe. We are not Catholic, or we would send our kids there, as well.

Good luck, and welcome to the area!

All Saints School in Manassas, VA. It's attached to the church.

I live in Falls Church (not the City) and many families send their kids to St. James. Discipline is strict compared to public schools, but the parents and kids I know are very happy there.

Jessica,

Vienna is a good area. I hope you will be very happy in the DC area.

The best rated Catholic school in the area is in Alexandria. The best rated private (non-denom / religious) is Oak Hill in Reston.

Bets of luck to you!

Our kids are in school at St Mary's in Alexandria--we (and they) LOVE it! I actually grew up in Vienna but went to public school. Vienna is a fantastic town!!!!
My mother used to teach at Paul VI HS in Fairfax with the woman who is now the princiapl at St. Mark's. Helen Brewer is a wonderful woman and I've know a couple of families who have been extremely happy at St. Mark's. We love Father Pat, the Pastor, too.
Actually, I've never heard any negative things about any of the Catholic schools in the area. The public schools here are so strong that I'd imagine that the Catholic ones would have to be strong as well in order to compete academically. Best of luck in your search!
K.

I would not recommend St. Mark at all. Having been there for 7 years, I can tell you it has gone down hill every year and It does not teach the Catholic faith nor put emphasis on Service as it claims. My experience has been that many of the teachers don't have any background in the subjects they are teaching and get shuffled around a lot. It is a school that had so much potential however they never thought out-of-the-box.

I would recommend St. Josephs (Herndon) or Our Lady of Hope (Sterling). It depends on how Catholic you want your school to be. Best of Luck!

My kids don't go to a Catholic School but I know that St. Leo the Great is not far from Vienna. You might want to consider that one too. Also, if you are new to the area, you might want to check out http://www.JustSettling.com. They have tons of info about this area, including schools, doctors, activities for children, shopping, etc.

Good luck!

We just pulled our 6 year old out of St. Mark's Kindergarten. The school has a great reputation and high test scores. However, it seemed they looked at the children as a group of well trained sheep. Everyone marching in step. Any deviation from that was considered bad behavior. As a Kinderdartner our 6 year old was on constant time out for doing things I thought were reinforced in Kindergarten, like not being able to sit still during group time, getting impatient while waiting in line, talking out of turn. Apparently they are supposed to have these behaviors well in hand by ages 5 or 6. His biggest offense was making faces at other children. (This was his attempt to make friends, misguided as it was he needed guidance which he didn't get. He was on recess time-outs for doing this.) It was suggested he needed professional help for his behavior. I could go on and on, but we left with many tears and heavy hearts for how he was treated her.

They are a very strict school and religion is a huge part of the curriculum. It wasn't for us but if that is what you are looking for the school is highly regarded.