Bishop Ireton High School

Bishop Ireton High School is a Catholic high school located in Alexandria, Virginia, less than one mile from Old Town Alexandria. The school was founded in 1964 by the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, and named in honor of Peter Leo Ireton, Bishop of Richmond from 1945 to 1958.^[5] The school originally admitted only male students. Bishop Ireton, more commonly known as "BI" or simply "Ireton", became coeducational in 1990 after the closing of sister school, St. Mary's Academy. In 2008, the Oblates withdrew their presence from Ireton^[6] and the school is now managed by the Diocese of Arlington.

Bishop Ireton High School
Location
201 Cambridge Road Alexandria , Virginia 22314 United States
Information
School type	Private, high school
Motto	Advance Always
Religious affiliation(s)	Catholic
Patron saint(s)	St. Francis de Sales
Established	1964; 61 years ago (1964)
Founders	Oblates of St. Francis de Sales
Oversight	Diocese of Arlington
Head of School	Kathleen McNutt[1]
Teaching staff	70.0 (FTE) (2015–16)[2]
Grades	9–12[2]
Gender	Coed[2]
Enrollment	813 (2015–16)[2]
Student to teacher ratio	11.6∶1 (2015–16)[2]
Color(s)	Cardinal   Gold[3]
Athletics conference	Washington Catholic Athletic Conference
Nickname	Cardinals
Rival	St. Stephen's and St. Agnes Upper School
Accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools[4]
Newspaper	The BI Word
Website	Official website

The patron of Bishop Ireton High School is St. Francis de Sales, a 16th Century apologist and writer of mystical theology, a Doctor of the Church, and patron saint of writers and journalists.

Notable alumni

• Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters and Nirvana (attended freshman and part of sophomore years)^[7]
• Bob McDonnell, former Governor of Virginia^[8]
• Andrew Rodriguez, winner of the 2011 Campbell Trophy, given annually to the top scholar-athlete in NCAA Division 1 football^[9]
• Kat Radley, comedian^[10]
• Jeffrey C. McKay, Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors