Catholic School Growth, Expansion Continue in Arlington

By Michael F. Flach
^{HERALD Editor}

ARLINGTON — The annual Catholic Schools Week celebration — which takes place this year from Jan. 25-31 — gives diocesan schools an opportunity to showcase their individual talents. But it is also an opportunity to view the larger picture by examining the enormous growth surge taking place at the diocesan level.

Catholic school enrollment has increased in the Arlington Diocese by 15 percent over the past five years. Total enrollment for all 33 elementary schools, four high schools and one special education school exceeds 16,600 students.

The estimated annual tax savings for communities within the diocese is in excess of $108 million per year (based on the per pupil cost of education in public schools).

If 1997 was the "year of the groundbreaking," then 1998 promises to be the "year of the dedication." Construction is well underway or completed on many new school projects.

Bishop John R. Keating dedicated the new gym for St. John School, McLean, on Jan. 17. St. James School, Falls Church, broke ground for a new gym. New additions are planned for St. Luke School, McLean, All Saints School, Manassas, and Bishop Ireton High School, Alexandria.

The crowning achievement for the diocese promises to be Holy Cross Academy in Stafford County. Construction on the $4.6 million structure is expected to be finished by June. It will officially open next fall, replacing 50-year-old Montfort Academy, a private Catholic school in Fredericksburg.

The Daughters of Wisdom, who have owned and operated Montfort Academy since its inception, decided to sell the school property to help meet the growing needs of their order.

Holy Cross will be an inter-parish school located on approximately 25 acres in Stafford Lakes Village. St. Mary Parish in Fredericksburg, and a new parish on the same site as the school, will contribute to its financial support.

A "town meeting" has been scheduled for Jan. 22 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Mary Church to discuss tuition and enrollment structure for the new school. Dr. Timothy McNiff, diocesan superintendent of schools, will lead the discussion.

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