Early years Paul VI opened for the 1983–84 school year, accepting
freshmen and
sophomore students only. The next year (1984–85), the school was open to freshmen through juniors, and 1985–86 saw the first senior class. The
Diocese of Arlington purchased the school building, which was in a dilapidated condition, from
George Mason University, which had owned it for about a decade. The structure had originally been
Fairfax High School, which opened in 1935 and relocated to a new facility in January 1972. One wing of the building housed
Alzheimer patients until the school's third year. During its first years, the school was ministered by five
Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, who also taught classes and one of whom (Rev. Donald Heet, OSFS) served as the principal. The remainder of the faculty were
lay teachers. The other ordained faculty were Rev. Robert Mulligan, OSFS and Rev. John Lyle, OSFS. In 2000, the school selected its first principal who was not from the Oblate order. Mr. Philip Robey was selected for this position, and stepped down seven years later. He was replaced by Mrs. Virginia Colwell, a former English teacher at Paul VI.
2001–2003 Expansion On May 9, 2001, Bishop
Paul Loverde of the
Diocese of Arlington led a group of civic and school officials at the groundbreaking for a $6.5 million student activity center. It included a gathering space for the entire student body, three classrooms, a gymnasium, locker rooms, a weight room, a movable stage used for athletic and stage equipment, offices, laundry facilities, and a concession stand. The expansion was the result of five years of planning and fundraising by the school to refurbish its grounds. After a generous grant from the Diocese of Arlington, school officials were able to make some needed repairs to the old building. Before actual construction began on the activity center in the winter of 2001, air conditioning was installed in the current building, and the original locker rooms were torn down. The two-story addition was completed for the 2003–04 school year. This included the new gymnasium, locker rooms, computer lab, coaches' offices, and a wrestling room.
Renaming and Relocation After the
canonization of Pope Paul VI in October 2018, the school was renamed St. Paul VI Catholic High School to further honor its patron and namesake. In 2020, the high school relocated to the South Riding area in Loudoun County, amid the
COVID-19 pandemic. The move had been planned prior to the pandemic. ==Academics==