Paul VI Catholic High School

I'm a junior at PVI and I LOVE IT! I can't imagine going anywhere else. I have learned so much and I have amazing relationships with my classmates and teachers (who are always willing to help). You know PVI is a great school because everyone has so much pride and spirit. We are all truly proud to be panthers. From day one, the administration hosts events so you can meet lots of people (I didn't know hardly anyone as a freshmen..now I have loads of friends). You couldn't pay me to go anywhere else because I know I wouldn't be half as knowledgeable or happy!
--Submitted by a student

PVI.... where to begin? We will start with the rules they do not enforce such as the uniform. On the first dat students are given a lecture on the correct uniform yet it is not followed and just the polo all year DOES NOT model a Catholic school- there needs to be a tie worn in the winter, in my opion. Religion teachers believe that religion shouldn't be hard and they don't even take their classes seriously sometimes. The MAth dept goes around yelling at people and some teachers in all depts dont know what they are teaching! The athletics are good but a lot of money goes into the unsucsessful football team. The assistant principle of students needs work as he likes to stand in the middle of the halls and yell at people. There is a lot of favoritism shown towords students on athletic teams and by athletic teams i mean the football, baseball, basketball, and lax teams. Otherwise your team is hardly mentioned. School needs work but there are sme positives such as SOME of the teachers and the Catholic beliefes are avaliable if you find them (confessions and mass) but over all I would take my money elsewear/

PVI is a great place!!! There are so many ways to get involved. The upperclassmen really reach out to you; however, YOU have to want to get involved! I think it's easier to fit in at PVI than at public schools because kids come from so many middle schools that in the beginning, everyone is new. The work is challenging but I absolutely feel like I am getting a better education than my friends at other public and private schools. PVI's goal is that no one will be a "ghost." This means the administration, teachers, and students reach out to make you feel welcome. It's a cool place to go to school!
--Submitted by a student

My two children are PVI students. My daughter is a PVI graduate and presently attending the college of her choice and my son will graduate this June. I can't believe the number of colleges that have contacted my children to encourage them to apply. It is clear to me that the academic program and the school's networking are two of the main reasons for this outreach by the colleges. PVI has great academic programs which are challengeing and prepare them for college. The teachers go out of their way to help and make themselves available for student that need extra help. The teachers are so advanced in their teaching and make student success a first priority. My children love PVI and all that they stand for academically and socially. Its a great place to send your children.
--Submitted by a parent

This was THE toughest decision to put my daughter into a private school let alone a Catholic school since we are not Catholic. She was excelling academically at the public school but the social setting was such that there was way too much partying, to put it mildly. She does play sports at PVI and does work out daily which is why I assume they can compete in the highly competitive WCAC!. She also has strong parental follow up from this single mom who monitors homework through teacher contact and B;ackboard access. Your children rise to the level you expect of them so I had to speak up on behalf of the teachers and curriculum here which I feel is VERY strong. She was in all honors and AP at her Fairfax County secondary school and feels these classes are quite challenging ! She LOVES PVI ! Go Harvard or UVA!!
--Submitted by a parent

My son is a rising senior at PVI. We were initially so excited to send him there but soon realized we were disillusioned. The administration is self serving, it is not about the children, just about sports, like most Catholic high schools. The school recruits, so most of the students on the sports teams are there on 'scholarship' which leaves little to no room for children whose parents are actually paying for the school. The children are rude and cliquish, not allowing any 'outsiders' in. I had to pull my daughter after 6 weeks because she was tortured there by other girls. If my son wasn't going into his senior year, I would definitely move him to John Paul the Great. What an awesome school! I wish it had been open when he was entering 9th grade.
--Submitted by a parent

I am a rising sophmore at Paul VI and I absolutely love it. I'm on dance team and student government and I just cannot say enough good things about PVI. I've read many of these reviews and it seems to me that the people who don't like PVI are the kids who don't try. I would not say that PVI is easy, but it is also not impossible to get a good grade in a class. If you use all the resources provided and study, you will get an A, and that is the way it should be. If someone is not struggling at all, they need to be put into higher classes. The teachers are always enthusiastic and the classes ARE up to date; in fact, they update the curriculum every year. I recommend this school to anyone, regardless of their level of learning.
--Submitted by a student

I live in Fairfax. Deciding to go the Catholic school route instead of FCPS system was based on our observations, of what was happening to the public school system in this area. We choose PVI based partly on location. My child liked nothing about the school. The academics were not at all challenging, the students were not very friendly, they stayed within their small elementary group clicks. It just never seemed welcoming. My child transferred to O'Connell after the first year. It was a fantastic choice. The academics blew PVI's academics away. The student body was very inviting and friendly. The faculty excellent. It is larger in size, and student body which also works to its advantage. It is a further commute granted, but well worth the extra time. I will send all my children to O'Connell. It is a wonderful high school environment! We love everything about.
--Submitted by a parent

Paul Vi in my opinion is a very bad school. It concentrates more on giving you detentions rather than helping you learn. The teachers have no connection with the students and dont give a damn about their students. The student to teacher ratio is very high and in this case, meaning the teachers dont personally give help that the students need. Every test or assigment the teachers give are from the book or another source. They never make tests or quizzes themselves. Overall this is one of the worst private schools that you can send you children to.
--Submitted by a parent

PVI is not a bad school. You certainly get the tools you need for college, but very few will go out of there way to help you with that extra mile. Very few will go out of their way for anything at all, unless your tie is loose around your neck. Which, if frequent enough, will earn you a polite request to not return the following semester. If you're really willing to sacrifice quality of education for rigidity and good old-fashioned catholic guilt, PVI might be for you. In fact, in most other parts of the country, PVI would probably be better than average. What I can't understand is why, with access to one of the best public school systems in the country, anyone would send their child here.
--Submitted by a student