Spit and chewing gum holds a lot together at this school. They get a D in communications. Lateness, procrastination should not come from teachers nor administrators but it does. Bad scene. Too many changes each year in personnel is not a good sign, and those whom stay are no longer effective and need to retire. Beware that we found out 3 years in that the school accepts a large amount of "problem" kids which puts a huge damper on other students trying to do their best because of disruptions. The school has locally been deemed a "jock" HS due to football and other sports always in the limelight, so not so much for academics. The tuition is overpriced, not all $$ that you must give the school is listed on website, you do not get your money's worth for the amount of nonsense that goes on with both the administrators, students and teachers. Tardiness in all areas from the majority of teachers is unacceptable and translates into lackluster behaviors in students. The principal is great and I am sure he tries his best with the skeleton crew he has to work with, but he needs to step up and hire professionals that stay at the school long-term, and also have talks with some staff and teachers to dress professionally and act like adults not a kids best friend or goofy buddy! Doubt you would see such behaviors from adults in schools striving for excellence but here a $20K a year HS you will. Case in point the blonde lady from recruitment who greets you dressed like she was going to a 1990s club, not dressed appropriately nor the way to meet parents and kids. Casual and not professional at all. The face of PHS. Kids complain that it is very hot all year around in the classrooms. No air flow and old lockers, and classrooms. I surmise their heating bills are sky high and could be the major reason why the tuition prices are so high. Small class size for some classes is alright, but other times too many students crammed in a small classroom. Odd places for classes not healthy. The rate of teacher turnover is alarming. Not a good fit for students who want to learn in an environment fostering excellence. The school could be excellent if they hired excellent people and communicated very frequently with precision. The previous administration doomed the school by fostering a casual and laissez-faire approach to the manner that they ran the school for decades. The new uniforms are ugly as sin. The cafeteria food is trash because the "food" is made from the least expensive ingredients, therefore, taste and nutrition is nowhere to be found. If you can go elsewhere please do, otherwise you know the drill. read more

If you don't mind the administration lying to you about your child, this is the place for you. If you don't mind the school excluding both parents from important communications about your child, this is the place for you. The most un family friendly place I've been involved with. They have no oversight either. Email the Archdiocese, they tell you this school is "independent", they can do as they please. Catch them in a lie and ask them about it, they ghost you. Great "catholic" values? Not at this school. read more

My son went to Pallotti for two years. Junior year he had to transfer to another catholic school. Unfortunately we pay our tuition in full each year. As he only attended school for two days, we asked if we can still get refund. Our email to the secretary (Podorski) was never replied to. Instead we received an email from C Cross (Comptroller) who flat out said no. We contacted the Archdiocese of Washington to explain we are just switching catholic schools and inquiring if funds can simply be transferred. We were informed each school is its own business entity. Principal Palumbo was cc'ed onto that email. This was two months ago and we still have not received a reply from him. Such a shame. We send out children to these schools expecting caring administrators. When in fact, they could care less about you. All they care about is the money you are paying them. Pallotti has great teachers. Unfortunately administrators are terrible. They never reply back to emails and when they do it's very dismissive. My son was on Principal's List for two years. It would have been nice to get a courtesy email back. read more

Mediocre Leadership and Inept Communications In some regards St. Vincent Pallotti is a pretty good school. But the areas in which they fall down are significant, and they all seem to center around a lack of communication, and/or lethargic leadership--namely Principal Palumbo. And unfortunately the principal's listlessness trickles down to some school staff. I'll share several anecdotes to support my review. Academically the school seems to have prepared my two children well for college, so the teachers and counselors get high marks in that regard. But it was frustrating dealing with leadership on some issues. Senior Trip Car Death In 2018 the senior class took a bus trip to a retreat out in distant Maryland somewhere, and one of the buses was involved in a tragic accident, through no fault of the bus driver. As the third of three buses--the one my daughter was on--attempted to slowly navigate a narrow left turn on a country road, the bus became stuck in mud off to the side of the road. The driver tried for 20-30 minutes to free the bus, to no avail. And then tragedy struck: A young man driving a car speeding down this road while typing something on his phone (frightened students in the bus witnessed this from a rear window of the bus as the car sped towards them) slammed into the rear driver's side of the bus and was killed. In the aftermath, a few days later, Pallotti leadership sent out an email to school parents notifying us of the school's intent to donate funds to the dead boy's family to help pay for funeral expenses and whatnot. I responded to this email and commended the school for doing this, but also chiding school leadership for having displaced priorities. You see, up to this point--and even after--Pallotti did nothing formal to turn this tragedy into a teachable moment, a cautionary event for its own students. I know because I asked several times and recommended it, and because my child told me that nothing of this nature was happening. Yes, they communicated to the students and parents that students could come and speak to someone at the school about the incident if they felt the need, but in my humble opinion Pallotti completely dropped the ball with regard to how seriously they should have treated this situation within their own walls. Typical. (After the bus incident I even showed up at the school unannounced to express my dissatisfaction to Mr. Palumbo with how he had not responded to my email about the incident, and how there was a lesson in it that should not be missed. Instead of listening, Mr. Palumbo repeatedly interrupted me and rattled off excuses, tried to show me online pictures from the accident scene, and did everything in his power to deflect the issue at hand. It was so obvious that just wanted the whole thing to blow over and not have to actually do any real work behind it.) Tennis Team Debacles My child played tennis at Pallotti, and after her freshmen year the school disbanded the girls' team. We should have seen the writing on the wall that amongst all sports at the school tennis was the lowest priority of all. After freshman year, all girls had to play on the boys' team, if they wanted to play tennis at all. Except for my daughter and one other young lady recently, the tennis team over the years was not at all competitive vs. the other schools, and after my daughter's junior season, in a long email, I recommended to the principal that tennis be discontinued altogether, noting that it was a waste of money to travel so far to the rival schools in the league only to potentially win one match out of 6 on a regular basis. Mr. Palumbo never responded to my email, and after the junior campaign the marginal tennis coach they had quit. When this year rolled around--my daughter's senior year--Pallotti ended up scrambling to find a new tennis coach, and ended up with a completely inexperienced and equally marginal coach (not a knock against him...Pallotti should have been looking for a real tennis coach) leading a team of eight girls, only two of whom who actually had any skills. Even more evident of the complete lack of any status for tennis at Pallotti was the absolute inability to attract the minimum required number of boys, 3, in order to field a legitimate team (league rules) this last year. With eight girls, and no chance for post-season play or league honors because of the absence of boys, the athletic director managed to scrape up matches against a few teams who would play just for fun. Fast forward through another dismal ("for fun") season, to the night of the school-wide athletic banquet held in May. Coaches normally present two awards per team at this big event, and the tennis coach wanted to give both awards--MVP and Coach's Award--to my daughter. He encountered a little push back from the two ADs, because they felt like the awards should be split between two players like all the other teams. NOT ENOUGH ROOM TO POST ENTIRE REVIEW... read more

I have had three children graduate from Pallotti, and my youngest currently attends as a sophomore. My experience spans 14 years with Palloti, and this provides a deep insight into the growing culture and stead-fast commitment of the school. Every one of my children has had their own unique experience at Pallotti that has helped propel them to the next level in their college experience, academically and with college sports. As a result, they were all well-prepared for college, and all three are currently pursuing advanced degrees. During Covid, my daughter received tutoring from her Pallotti math teacher for her college math class. He refused any compensation but rather was committed to her success. These relationships can be formed in a small, tight-knit community that Palloti fosters with its students. The administration is committed to the student's success, and I am very proud of how the school has grown through the years. A school depends on the involvement of its parents and the community; we have the biggest impact on our children and the success of their high school experience. Thank you to Pallotti for all that you have done in educating, creating accountability, and encouraging the principles of a successful life with my children. read more

great school!!! The teachers take their time to help out student and overall it's 10/10