Blog: Why Preview Day Is Worth the Visit: 7 Things You Can Only Discover on Campus 

By Erin (Baltz) Riggs ’00, Director of Enrollment, Father Ryan High School 

You can learn a great deal about a high school online. But even the most compelling digital experience can only tell you what a school offers, not what it feels like to be part of it. 

That is why Preview Day and in-person admissions events matter. These are opportunities to experience the people, purpose, and sense of community that make this place distinctive. Families can see how students are challenged, supported, and inspired, and imagine the lasting impact of being part of it. 

At Father Ryan, we believe choosing a high school is about more than comparing programs and checking boxes. It is about finding the right fit and place where your child can be challenged, supported, known, loved, and inspired to become who he or she is meant to be. 

Preview Day gives your family the opportunity to experience that for yourselves. Before attending, set expectations as a family. You do not have to decide that day. Just come see what might be possible.  

We have compiled tips to prepare for a great Preview Day. Come with your child and ask questions, including the most important one asked by your child: “Can I see myself here?” 

1. See What Your Child’s Path Could Look Like 

At Father Ryan, we celebrate each student’s different strengths, interests, challenges, and goals. We tailor our education and experience to your child through our distinctive personalized learning program with flexible levels of learning: College Preparatory, Honors, High Honors, and Advanced Placement. With appropriately challenging and supportive academic paths and 200-plus courses, students can build a schedule around their interests and aspirations rather than being placed into one predetermined academic track. 

At Preview Day, you can talk with students about their academic path and how they are challenged. Ask about our Educational Support Programs for students who learn differently and our Hayes Scholars Program for high-achieving students.  

Your child's path through high school won't look exactly like anyone else's. Come see what their path could look like. 

2. Meet the People Who Will Know and Love Your Child 

Ultimately, a student's experience comes down to people—teachers, coaches, counselors, campus ministers, advisors, staff members, and the students themselves—and not facilities, programs, and statistics. Father Ryan's promise is simple: “You Will Be Known. You Will Be Loved.®” At Preview Day, you can experience what that promise looks like in practice. 

Notice how students interact with teachers. Listen to how faculty members talk about their students. Ask questions. Have a conversation that goes beyond the information in a brochure.  

Often a student's reaction tells you more than any presentation can. Watch your child at an event. Do they start asking questions of their own? Do they seem curious? Comfortable? Excited? Do they begin imagining themselves participating?  

3. Discover How a Big School Becomes a Family 

Father Ryan is Nashville's largest private high school, but our focus is on making our community feel like a small family from the very beginning through our House System.  

Belonging is the critical factor in a student’s high school success. Our House System allows students to belong immediately. As you evaluate a school, pay careful attention to how a school prioritizes belonging. It should be central to everything. 

At Father Ryan, students are assigned to one of six Houses and a smaller Mentor Group of 20-25 peers across grade levels and 2-3 faculty and staff mentors. Mentor Groups meet most days during dedicated House time for mentoring, faith and bonding activities, leadership, and fun competitions among Houses. Mentor Groups remain together throughout a student's four years. 

At Preview Day, ask a student about their House. 

• Ask what they love about it. 

• Ask who they would go to if they needed help. 

• Ask a freshman what surprised him or her about finding connections. 

Then listen. You may discover that one of the most important questions when choosing a high school is not simply: “What can my child do here?” It is “Who will my child become here and who will be beside them along the way?” 

Read our latest Irish Insights blog post, “When I Knew I Belonged at Father Ryan: Student Voices.”  

4. Explore What Your Child Will Learn Beyond the Classroom 

In-person admissions events bring a website to life well beyond academics. You can discover opportunities and meet the people who share your child’s interests and passions.   

Our Preview Day showcases our numerous athletics, visual and performing arts, clubs, leadership, service, faith opportunities, academic enrichment, study abroad, and more. As a large high school, we have numerous in-depth opportunities for students to customize their experience.  

Rephrase your questions about offerings to “What could my child discover here?”  

Talk with students, coaches, activity and club advisors about your child’s interests.   

It is important to evaluate how a school values extracurricular activities. Is there ample time for students to pursue interests beyond the classroom? Does the schedule and mission promote a balance between academics and students’ passions outside of the classroom? If so, how? Many of our sports teams have practices built into the academic schedule to allow for a better balance between high school athletics and academics.  

Also look for unique learning opportunities like study abroad programs. In addition to 28 AP courses for potential college credit, we offer a Dual Enrollment program in partnership with Trevecca Nazarene University of 11 college credit courses, taught on our campus, during the school day, by our master teachers. Last year, students earned 144 college credits through this program, another unique opportunity that allows for a tailored academic experience. 

5. Understand What a Catholic Education Looks Like Every Day 

Through our mission to be an experience of the living Gospel while challenging students to reach their spiritual, academic and personal potential, we are proud of our long tradition of Catholic education. While many families choose Father Ryan because of our Catholic identity, we do accept and embrace students of all faiths. 

Preview Day is a great time to ask questions about what Father Ryan’s Catholic education and what a values-based education would mean for your child. The goal is to understand what Father Ryan believes and to clearly see how those beliefs shape the education and formation your child will experience.  

• What does faith look like during an ordinary school day? 

• How do Theology and academics intersect? 

• How do students who aren't Catholic experience the community? 

• What does service teach students about themselves and the world around them? 

• How does Father Ryan's Catholic Tradition shape the way students think, lead, serve, and treat one another? Ask students and faculty how this happens each day and the impact these values are having on their lives.  

6. Look Beyond Graduation to Who Your Child Will Become 

A high school education is about more than getting to graduation. It is about preparing your child to embrace what comes next with confidence and competence.  

As detailed in our Profile of a Graduate, we seek to develop graduates who are: 

• Christ-like examples who love God and neighbor and practice moral decision-making. 

• Critical thinkers who evaluate information, apply knowledge, and communicate well-reasoned arguments. 

• Clear communicators who express ideas precisely and listen thoughtfully and empathetically. 

• Confident collaborators who work toward common purposes and value diverse perspectives. 

• Courageous innovators who embrace challenges, learn from failure, and adapt with resilience to create meaningful change. 

Instead of asking only, “Where will my child get into college?”, ask, “Who will my child be when they leave here?” When choosing a school, you are not just choosing classes for four years. You are choosing the environment in which your child will grow. Preview Day is where you can see the evidence of that formation: 

• Look at how students speak to adults. 

• Listen to how students talk about one another.  

• Look for a culture where students are encouraged to ask questions, stretch themselves, take initiative, work together, and try something new.  

7. Ask the Questions that Matter the Most for the Best Fit 

There are no wrong questions at Preview Day. You might ask: 

• How does Father Ryan personalize a student's academic schedule? 

• What happens if my child needs additional academic support? 

• How do students find their community? 

• What opportunities are available for students who are not varsity athletes? 

• How early can students take on leadership roles? 

• How does the House System work? 

• What does a typical freshman experience look like? 

• How does Father Ryan prepare students for college and beyond? 

• What opportunities are available in the arts, service, and extracurricular activities? 

• What does a Catholic education look like for a student from a different faith background? 

• What makes the Father Ryan experience different from other schools I am considering? 

• How can our family make a Father Ryan education financially possible? 

Father Ryan understands that a private education represents a significant investment for families. We are one of Nashville’s most accessible schools. We provide need-based scholarship opportunities and a tuition assistance program designed to help make a Father Ryan education accessible to families who qualify. In 2025-2026, Father Ryan awarded $2.4 million in tuition assistance for eligible families.  

We have worked diligently in recent years to grow our tuition assistance program to make it more equitable for all families applying for aid. 

• We continue to boast one of the most generous multi-student discounts among independent schools in Nashville at 15%. This year, nearly 100 families participated in this discount, totaling $430,000 in Father Ryan support.  

• We do not receive any tuition subsidies from the Diocese of Nashville or its parishes but remain committed to helping families send all their children to Father Ryan if it is the right fit.  

• We now use Clarity, the third-party tuition assistance platform used by many Nashville schools. This makes applying for aid easier, more efficient, and fairer for all families. For example, Clarity uses Nashville cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for our applicants, as opposed to a nationwide COLA that may not be applicable or appropriate for our applicants.  

• Most importantly, just as our students are known and loved, we respect that every family has a different financial situation. We work individually with every family, with intention and care, to understand their unique financial needs.  

Our Enrollment Office provides personalized guidance and support throughout the Tuition Assistance application process. If you have questions or need assistance along the way, please don’t hesitate to contact us. 

Download our Tuition Accessibility brochure. 

Bonus Tip: Include Your Child in the School Decision.   

Parents often begin the high school search, but students have to live the experience. Let your child explore Father Ryan, online and in-person. Give your child the opportunity to imagine who he or she might become here. 

I always recommend that families jot down other questions in the car ride home. As you talk about what you have just experienced, questions or areas you want to learn more about will crop up. Then call or email us (or come back for another visit).  

Join us for Preview Day. Come discover whether Father Ryan could be the place where they are known, loved, and inspired. 

Register for Preview Day 

Visit fatherryan.org/discover to: 

• Watch videos about our programs and meet students. 

• Download brochures with FAQs and deep dives into academics, arts, athletics, College Counseling, Educational Support Programs, and more. 

• Read Irish Insights, our monthly blog.  

 

About Father Ryan High School 

Father Ryan High School, Nashville’s trusted Catholic, coeducational, college preparatory high school, shapes exceptional young people of faith and character. Since 1925, Father Ryan has offered an education rooted in our mission "to be an experience of the living Gospel while challenging students to reach their spiritual, academic, and personal potential." We combine our rigorous, personalized learning pathways with tailored support and the school’s promise of “You Will Be Known. You Will Be Loved.®” to inspire students to become the people they were meant to be. Today, 15,000-plus alumni steward that legacy to serve Nashville and communities around the world, leading with grace, purpose, and a profound sense of responsibility to something greater than themselves.