Mindful of the great commission of our Lord to "go...and make disciples... teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you..." (Matt. 28:19-20), the primary aim of the faculty and administration of St. Joseph School is to pass on the faith by word and example to the Church's next generation.

Classroom intruction is based on the curriculum established by the Diocese of Arlington. Church doctrine as established by the Magisterium and set forth in the Catechism of the Catholic Church is the foundation for faith instruction at St. Joseph School.

Classroom instruction, which is only one facet of the school's religion curriculum, involves the use of traditional textbook lessons. The Christ Our Life series by the Sisters of Notre Dame of Chardon, Ohio is used in all grades. Students are thoroughly prepared for the reception of sacraments and learn the faith through active participation in school Masses. When asked how they had been taught the faith at St. Joseph School, eighth grade students remembered that, in addition to note-taking and textbook lessons, they had learned their faith through "scripture, prayer, meditation, field trips, the response of teachers to individual questions, reports, projects, and how teachers relate religion to other subjects."

For the past thirty years, St. Joseph School has provided excellence in religious instruction. This strong tradition is evidenced by the high scores recieved by students each year on the nationally-standardized Assessment of Catechesis/Religious Education (ACRE) test. For the past five years, averages on the ACRE test for both fifth and eighth graders in part I, Faith Knowledge, have been above 80% and exceed the national average by at least ten percentage points.