I am a member of the class of 2025 and I want to share what four years here have felt like from the inside. The biggest problem is consistency. Rules exist in the handbook but they rarely get enforced in daily life. Students notice this quickly. When deadlines get ignored and consequences rarely follow, effort drops. Many classmates stopped studying because they know they will still pass. Instead of learning material, a lot of students copy work from each other or rely on AI tools to finish assignments and even quizzes. The environment slowly trains people to aim for completion instead of understanding. Teaching quality also varies a lot. Some teachers explain clearly and care about whether students understand. Others rush through slides, assign work without context, and move on whether anyone gets it or not. When students feel lost and no one checks in, they stop asking questions. Over time classes turn into grade management instead of education. Students memorize short term facts, submit work, and forget it immediately after. Lunch is another daily frustration. Prices are high compared to portion size and quality. Meals often feel closer to convenience food than something prepared fresh. I got sick after eating there once and several friends have said the same. The cafeteria also only has two microwaves. Because many students bring food from home, lines stack up fast. Waiting ten minutes is normal and arguments happen over who was first. I have seen people push in front of others and threaten them over a place in line. Staff rarely step in unless it becomes loud. Substance use happens more often than people expect from a private school. Students leave class claiming they need the restroom and go vape or smoke. It is common knowledge which bathrooms people use for this. Yet students almost never get caught. When problems do surface, they tend to disappear quietly. Discipline does not always feel equal either. Some students face harsh punishment while others seem protected. There are also situations where administration response feels more focused on avoiding attention than addressing behavior. Incidents get handled internally and rarely discussed openly with the student body. Because of this, rumors spread and trust drops. Students start believing rules depend on who you are instead of what you did. Tuition is another major concern. The yearly cost is close to college level unless families meet certain religious qualifications for a lower rate. At the same time, resources inside the school do not always match the price. The campus added a new building recently and money feels tight in other areas. Programs shrink, teachers leave, and students notice classes getting larger or combined. From the outside the school looks structured and high achieving. Tours highlight facilities, uniforms, and college acceptance banners. Daily life feels different. Many students focus on getting by instead of improving. Cheating is common, discipline feels uneven, and basic services like lunch and supervision struggle to keep up. After four years here, my honest view is simple. The school has potential and some great teachers, but the overall experience does not match the cost or reputation. Families looking at it should talk to current students and not rely only on appearances. read more

Let me preface this by saying that I am a senior at PVI in the class of '25. I am not writing this out of hate, but of experience. Most of the teachers here never enforce rules, nor do they teach in a way that students can easily understand. This latency leads to many students developing (if not already developed) an entitlement ideology, which leads to them using things like chatgpt in order to cheat on assignments and tests because they don't feel like they need to complete them. The cafeteria food is overpriced, not safe for regular consumption, and not that good. I got food poisoning one day because I had something from the cafeteria. They also only have 2 microwaves in the cafeteria for those who wish to reheat food, leading people to either over-pack microwaves or wait upwards of 10 minutes at a time to get their food. I was even threated by another student that he would "slime me" because I wouldn't give him my spot in the microwave line. They have a large drug problem, kids often get out of classes to smoke or vape or huff in the bathrooms, and are not usually caught. The only way this doesn't get out to the public is because they are scarily good at covering up the bad stuff here. During my freshman year one of the male juniors had sex with a female freshman in one of the confessionals and when the school administration found out, only the freshman was expelled and the situation was covered up. The charge what is worth of a college (More than $22k per year), unless you are both baptized and confirmed (I believe it is around $12k per year). They are in a great state of debt due to their latest purchase of a new building and will do anything (including firing a teacher) in order to avoid getting sued. All in all, do not go to this school. Its education prowess is at the same level as a regular, public high school. Most of its students cheat on tests and do not care about having sex or doing drugs at school. It costs outrageous amounts of money and will cover up any discourse in its property. It is all empty looks with nothing going on behind the scenes read more

I went for a visit to St. Paul IV as a tour. They have students/children who can't answer all your questions giving tours to parents paying 22k+ per student. Our child did not get in because our child is not cut out to be 100% online school due to the pandemic also how LCPS handled education and grades were reflected in the previous year via the public school system. Our child has very good grades now with in class presence this school year. St. Paul IV will do a 50% online/50 classroom as necessary so be prepared it's not always 100% in the classroom. As parents we know 50/50 is extremely different verses 100% online school because it still offers some structure which some students require to be successful but not all. This was not disclosed I assume because a child was giving a tour. So bottom line. If your child's grades were not stellar with 100% online school or I assume not good grades in general (although a friend of ours child didn't have good grades got in). They will take your application fee and reject you. The online application process is wonky. It allows you to apply without having the scores from the placement test required. I was unaware the placement test was required to be considered. I assumed the process would be once accepted you take the placement test. The online application process does not prompt you and inform you that it's required. If you do not have this they will take your application fee and reject you without notice. They need to change the name from placement test to ENTRANCE EXAM because it's very misleading. Finally, during the end of the tour we did manage to speak to an adult. We were advised even though it's past the deadline to enter to go ahead and apply anyway because things change. Not true. I was informed my application was rejected also because it was past the deadline. Again they are quick to absorb your application fee and reject you. They will not disclose this information to you unless you ask. The admissions process comes across very judgmental. They are easy and quick to absorb your application fee even if the not all the information is there to make an accurate and fair consideration. There's definitely room for improvement which for a school to be in business this long is concerning. read more

This campus learning environment offers academic rigor and high performing athletic competition side by side excellent music and arts experiences. If you want to be part of a community spirit that willingly instills a great balance of pride and service leadership, then PVI is THE place for you and your family. Both my kids love it there. read more

It's so funny that a person who only went on a tour came on Yelp to give them a bad rating. I'm a parent of a child who came into St. Paul VI High School in the middle of the pandemic - she got in, and has excelled. I've had my eye on PVI for several years, back when the campus was in Fairfax. I was always amazed at how well the students behaved in public (I would see them in the food shops around the school from time to time). Now that my child is attending school here, I'm even more convinced that seeing her to PVI was the right decision. The tuition is what it is, but the school is amazing. The staff seems to genuinely care about every student, and the classes are conducive to what one would expect from a college prep school. Even during the pandemic, the rigor remained firmly in place and my child continued to gain knowledge and perform at top levels. I can't speak highly enough about St. Paul VI High School. I recommend them to anyone, Catholic or not, and have never regretted my decision to enroll my child. read more

This review is for the baseball field only. Paul VI has a very nice grass field. 430 feet to deep center field, 342 at the right field pole, and 302 to left. They have high netting surrounding the stands and the field have lighting. The mound looks high and true, but the baselines are grass not dirt. The stands are basic metal benches, but plentiful. They have a restroom facility right next to the field with a concessions stand adjacent to it. Nice high school field especially compared to other schools in their conference. read more