Virginia Catholic high school to move from Fairfax County to Loudoun County

June 3, 2015

Paul VI High School is leaving a facility that cannot be expanded and will build a $60 million campus 12 miles west.

Paul VI Catholic High School is moving from Fairfax, Va., to a site 12 miles west in South Riding, Va.

A $60 million school will be built on a 68-acre site owned by the Catholic Diocese of Arlington and is projected to open in 2020.

"The relocation of Paul VI High School to a world-class facility ensures that future generations of students in our diocese will receive Catholic education at the highest level of excellence," Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde says in a news release.

The decision to relocate the high school follows an assessment of the long-term needs of Paul VI High School. The existing 80-year-old facility, previously occupied by Fairfax High School and George Mason University, is being used to its maximum potential: Student enrollment is capped because of space restrictions, site expansion is not possible, and rising costs of building maintenance are unsustainable.

Paul VI High School was established in 1983. Since then, the diocese has opened nine parishes and seven schools. Loudoun County, where the new Paul VI will be built, is the fastest-growing county in Virginia.

In 2014-2015, the Catholic Diocese of Arlington educated more than 12,900 students in 37 elementary schools. Four diocesan high schools serve 3,570 students.