History of Our School

Chesterton Academy of Our Lady of Victory began with Catholic parents who wanted a classical high school for their children in the south Denver area. In 2018, a group of parents organized First Educators, a speaker series at St. Mary Parish in Littleton exploring parents’ responsibilities as their children’s primary educators. With the support of parish clergy, the series brought families together around a shared vision of Catholic education. By early 2019, those conversations had grown into a concrete effort to establish a high school.

Over the next six months, founding families and supporters recruited teachers, raised funds, secured classroom space, and sought formal recognition from the Archdiocese of Denver. The curriculum and practical support of the Chesterton Schools Network helped make that ambitious timetable possible.

With the help of Dr. R. Jared Staudt, the Chesterton Schools Network, and families throughout the Denver area, OLV opened in the fall of 2019. Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila formally recognized it as a Catholic school in the Archdiocese of Denver. The school began with a freshman class occupying two classrooms at the former St. Louis Parish School building, sharing space with the south campus of Our Lady of Lourdes.

OLV’s founding vision placed daily Mass, an integrated classical curriculum, and the formation of the whole person at the center of school life. The school’s name expresses that vision. Under the patronage of Our Lady of Victory, OLV entrusts its mission to Mary’s intercession. Its association with G.K. Chesterton reflects an approach to Catholic education marked by wonder, gratitude, intellectual curiosity, and joy. As a member of the Chesterton Schools Network, OLV shares in a wider effort to make a rich classical education accessible to Catholic families.

During the 2020–21 school year, when pandemic restrictions made a traditional fundraising gala impractical, OLV launched its first Giving Day. Held on October 7 in honor of the school’s patroness, Our Lady of Victory, it became an annual tradition that brings families, friends, and benefactors together to sustain the school’s mission and help keep tuition affordable.

In the opening weeks of the 2021–22 school year, while construction temporarily prevented OLV from returning to its classrooms at St. Louis, St. Mark Catholic Church in Highlands Ranch welcomed the school into its parish facilities. This brief stay became another chapter in a history sustained by the hospitality of local parishes and the resourcefulness of faculty and families.

As the founding students advanced through high school, the community grew around them. At the start of the 2022–23 school year, OLV moved into rented space at the Littleton Church of Christ campus in Centennial, beginning a new chapter after three years of sharing space with Our Lady of Lourdes at their south campus.

On May 20, 2023, the school celebrated a defining milestone: ten seniors became its first graduating class to complete all four years at OLV. Monsignor James Shea, president of the University of Mary, delivered the commencement address. These pioneering students had helped establish the school’s traditions, taking part in its earliest classes, performances, and shared experiences. Their graduation marked the fulfillment of the founding families’ hopes for a complete high school education rooted in faith.

In fall of 2025, the school opened its doors to the largest freshman class in the school’s history, creating an opportunity to welcome a double cohort of students for the first time.

In early 2026, OLV went under contract to purchase a permanent home at the former Mackintosh Academy campus on South Prince Street in Littleton. The purchase of the 2.85-acre campus, completed in June 2026, provided the stability and room for growth the school had sought since its founding. Through the generosity of benefactors and the dedicated work of families, faculty, staff, and school leadership, a long-held aspiration became a place the community could call its own.