Saint Rita Catholic School
In the Classical Tradition
Preschool - Grade 8
"The soul of education is the education of the soul"

Military Families

Saint Rita Catholic School welcomes military and diplomatic families from near and far, and we hope your family will quickly feel at home in our community.  With the Pentagon less than 10 minutes away and numerous other bases in driving distance, we have long had a sizeable, consistent military presence in our parish and school. Our military families tend to jump right into school events and activities and make fast friends in the process!  We are committed to supporting you as you settle in and in whatever ways you may need while you are with us.  Your child(ren) will be paired with a buddy to help them acclimate to the school community. If needed, we are happy to help outfit your family with gently used uniforms from our Uniform Closet for $1/item. Should your student need extra academic support while getting settled, we have a fantastic Resource team at the ready. We hope your family thrives at Saint Rita, and when the time comes to move on to the next assignment, we will do everything we can to make that transition as smooth as possible.

One of our amazing families shared this perspective on their experience at St. Rita:

As a military family the past 30 years, we have moved all over the world and enrolled our children in countless schools, both public and private, along the way. Our youngest daughter has been a St. Rita student for four years, and our experience in this school and in this community was among the best we experienced over the decades. The quality of the education is superior, providing a rigorous classical education. The teachers are caring, compassionate, and focused on the development of their students. But best of all, the St. Rita community is incredibly inclusive and welcoming. There is a reason there are so many military families at this school—because this community embraces and celebrates service to others. In fact, we joined the St. Rita community based on the recommendation of a military colleague. I strongly recommend any military family moving to the DC area consider joining St. Rita school and community!

Our Purple Star Team

Our Purple Star Team, made up of a military parent and student, faculty, and and an administrator, meets periodically to assess and discuss the needs of our military families. They help match up parent and student buddies for new military families and plan special events during the year. Ideas or concerns can be brought to them any time for discussion and possible implementation.

Military Family Point of Contact

Mrs. Monica Ciatti, Admissions Director

(703) 548-1888 ext. 32

mciatti@saintrita-school.org

Please contact us as soon as you have orders bringing you to our area. We will help you navigate the admissions process and schedule your child for a shadow day if possible. If not, we are happy to schedule a virtual meeting with you and your student. Normally our applications are due in early January, but we are happy to consider military family applications at any time and will continue to offer placement as spaces permit. Click on How to Apply to see all of the steps in the process, and note that we coordinate admissions with our Preschool Program for ages 2-5 in order to welcome whole families whenever possible.

Our school curriculum covers the skills and content outlined in the Diocesan standards in a unique way. The historical focus of our Classical tradition underpins four large time periods that our students in grades 1-4 and then 5-8 cycle through while at Saint Rita. Content from other disciplines is integrated into this time period as much as possible to give students a solid historical foundation for their learning. All of our learning is oriented toward forming young people of character and virtue who serve God and others, who can navigate the confusion of the world with a sharp intellect, and who orient themselves toward the good, the true, and the beautiful. Our intentionally low technology classrooms emphasize discussion as well as reading, writing, and oral presentations or recitations. All of our students study Latin, and accelerated math is available in our middle school. Our teachers are dedicated to meeting the learning needs of all children, including newcomers of varying backgrounds, and we look forward to supporting your child’s intellectual, moral, emotional, and physical growth.

Our military students put this education to good use! One of our middle schoolers recently won the Military Children 2024 World Expo Poetry Contest! Read her amazing poem here.

Military families, like any new family looking to join us, receive the support of our Resource team from the point of application through enrollment and any struggles that arise during the adjustment period.  Our dedicated Resource teachers are experienced and enthusiastic supporters of incoming students who may not have been classically educated before and need some extra help getting acclimated to our school. More information about Resource support at Saint Rita is available here.

Children in military families are also entitled to free tutoring support 24/7 through this website – check it out!

Relevant articles, links, videos, and trainings related to the Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission can be found here.

If you receive transfer orders, please notify the school in writing that the student(s) will be transferring to another school and note the last day the student will attend classes at Saint Rita. All school-owned materials such as textbooks and library books must be returned to school. Scholastic information will be sent to the new school upon receipt of a Release of Student Records Form from the new school. All fees and tuition due must be paid prior to the release of the student’s records.

If a student withdraws from school, parents must submit a letter in writing one calendar month in advance of the intended date of withdrawal, if possible. Exceptions to the one calendar month rule are made with regards to imminent military orders. Tuition will be due for the student’s last month in school but then, given appropriate notice, future payments for the remaining months of the school year will be cancelled.  

St. Rita families who are awaiting military orders may receive an extension on their annual re-registration upon request.  Our Admissions Director works closely with military families experiencing uncertainty on this point and will work to facilitate a smooth transfer to a new school when needed.


We are so happy that St. Rita’s provides a community in which our children can grow in their faith, their friendships, and their academic pursuits. We are also so blessed to be a part of a community that values service to the Church, to our community, and to our country.
– Joel