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 the fall of 2018, six fathers organized a series of talks at St. Mary Parish in Littleton about the responsibilities of parents as their children’s first educators. Those conversations soon became a practical undertaking: establishing a school where intellectual formation, the Catholic faith, and a joyful community would shape every student’s education.

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.

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.