Our Lady of the Way School is situated in a bushland setting. A rainforest habitat is part of the parish property.

The school is situated on the site of the former homestead of Tom Petrie, the son of Andrew Petrie, for whom the suburb is named. On the school site are a number of significant trees, including a large Java Fig (our school emblem) and several Bunya trees, which the Petrie Family originally planted.

Monsignor English laid the foundation stone for Our Lady of the Way Parish School on 2 February 1964.   On 3 February 1964, students numbering 55 attended for the first time, in a two-room house. Three classes were rotated daily, with one class being taught at a time indoors.

​Sister Lorraine and Sister Christine Mary, Holy Spirit Sisters, were the first nuns to teach at Our Lady of the Way, with Mrs Crilly being the first lay teacher.

Our Lady of the Way School was, at that time, under the guiding hands of Fr Thomas Guy, Administrator of St Dymphna's Parish at Zillmere, and it was through his persistence, that a Church School was started at Petrie.

On  20 September 1964, the main wing of the new school building was opened by Monsignor English with the blessing of the foundation stone, and Petrie became a separate parish from Aspley, Bald Hills, Lawnton and Strathpine.

The first official Parish Priest in the new Petrie Parish was Fr Richard Wilson, who came from Pomona. Auxiliary Bishop H. Kennedy blessed our new Church at a special Celebration Mass on 15 November 1970.