Oaks Christian School (OCS) is a
co-educational
Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...
,
college-preparatory
A college-preparatory school (usually shortened to preparatory school or prep school) is a type of secondary school. The term refers to public, private independent or parochial schools primarily designed to prepare students for higher educatio ...
,
non-denominational Christian school
A Christian school is a school run on Christian principles or by a Christian organization.
The nature of Christian schools varies enormously from country to country, according to the religious, educational, and political cultures. In some count ...
serving grades 5–12. Oaks Christian School is located on in
Westlake Village
Westlake Village is a city in Los Angeles County on its western border with Ventura County. The City of Westlake Village incorporated in 1981 becoming the 82nd municipality of Los Angeles County.Baker, Pam (2002). ''Thousand Oaks Westlake Vil ...
,
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the List of the most populous counties in the United States, most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, ...
. The school was established in 2000.
As of the 2019–20 school year, total student enrollment is approximately 1,400 students. Approximately three-quarters of these students are enrolled in high school (grades ), while the remainder comprise the middle school population (grades 5–8).
History
In 1997, in a Westlake Village industrial park were purchased for the original campus. Oaks Christian School opened in 2000 to approximately 160
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
students and 40
middle school
A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...
students. By the year 2002, most of the school and campus infrastructure had been completed, with the exception of the Bedrosian Pavilion, a performing arts facility completed in 2007. Surrounded by the
Four Seasons Hotel and the
Dole Food Company
Dole plc (previously named Dole Food Company, Standard Fruit Company) is an Irish agricultural multinational corporation headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. The company is among the world's largest producers of fruit and vegetables, operating wit ...
headquarters to the east, the
Ventura Freeway
The Ventura Freeway is a freeway in southern California, United States, running from the Santa Barbara/ Ventura county line to Pasadena in Los Angeles County. It is the principal east-west route (designated north-south) through Ventura Count ...
to the south, and a large industrial park to the north, only one property lies contiguous to the campus. That seven-acre property became available in 2007, allowing for expansion.
In the 2009–10 school year, Oaks Christian opened its new middle school facility on the adjacent property. In 2014-15, the Academy V program for fifth grade students was launched.
As of the 2019–20 school year, Oaks Christian was scheduled to open a new on-site student dormitory to offer both 5- and 7-day/week boarding options. Additionally, the opening of the Idea Lab (Innovation Design Engineering and Aeronautics) will offer students a jump start into careers focused on STEM career paths. Admission is competitive (59% acceptance rate), based on a variety of criteria ranging from primary school grades,
Independent School Entrance Examination
The Independent School Entrance Examination''ISEE online page(ISEE) is an entrance exam used by many independent schools and magnet schools in the United States. Developed and administered by the Educational Records Bureau, the ISEE has four l ...
(ISEE) score, a personal interview, essays, and extracurricular interests.
Academics
Oaks Christian School is accredited by the
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) was an organization providing School accreditation, accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary school, secondary and elementary schools in California and Hawaii, ...
, the
National Association of Independent Schools
The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) is a U.S.-based membership organization for private, nonprofit, K-12 schools. Founded in 1962, NAIS represents independent schools and associations in the United States, including day, boa ...
, as well as the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The average class size is 17 students. Fifty-one percent of the faculty hold advanced degrees, and 100% of the student body is admitted to colleges and universities. Among first-year students admitted to the
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...
, OCS is one of most-represented independent high schools.
Athletics
Oaks Christian School teams are nicknamed the Lions. The school is a member of the
CIF Southern Section
The California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section (CIF-SS) is the governing body for high school athletics in most of Southern California and is the largest of the ten sections that comprise the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF ...
(CIF-SS) and competes in the
Marmonte League The Marmonte League is a high school athletic conference in California affiliated with the CIF Southern Section (CIF-SS). The league is composed of schools located in Ventura and Los Angeles counties.
Member schools Current
As of the 2020–21 sch ...
. OCS sponsors 48 athletic teams across 26 sports. As of the 2019–20 school year, OCS holds a total of 49 CIF-SS championships (including six consecutive section titles in football in the 2000s), five
CIF-State titles, 165 league championships, two Gatorade State Players of the Year, and one Gatorade National Player of the Year.
Since its inception, Oaks Christian has gained national prominence with its
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
team. The football program has developed numerous players who have been recruited for NCAA Division I programs and have played in the National Football League.
The Lions boys' and girls' track and field teams combined for five CIF-SS championships between 2014 and 2019.
Oaks Christian girls' water polo won its first CIF-SS championship in 2019 under Jack Kocur, who at the time also coached the
Pepperdine Waves
The Pepperdine Waves are the athletics teams of Pepperdine University, located outside the city of Malibu, California. They compete at the Division I level of the NCAA. The school is a member of the West Coast Conference for the majority of its ...
men's water polo team and was an assistant with the
U.S. men's national team.
Notable alumni
*
Alex Bachman, professional football player
*
Phil Bickford
Phillip Roger Bickford (born July 10, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Amateur career
Bickford attended Oak ...
, professional baseball player
*
Maya Brady, college softball player
*
Zach Charbonnet
Zachariah Charbonnet (born January 8, 2001) is an American football running back. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines before transferring to UCLA Bruins in 2021. He was a two-time all-conference selection in the Pac-12 with ...
, college football player
*
Jimmy Clausen
James Richard Clausen (born September 21, 1987) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) from 2010 to 2015. He played college football at Notre Dame and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in t ...
, professional football player
*
Colin Ford
Colin Ford (born September 12, 1996) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Josh Wheeler in '' Daybreak'', Joe McAlister in '' Under the Dome'', the voice of Jake on ''Jake and the Never Land Pirates'', Mikey on '' Can You Teach My A ...
(born 1996), actor
*
Max Heidegger
Maximilian Heidegger (מקס היידגר; born June 5, 1997) is an American-Israeli professional basketball player for Merkezefendi Bld. Denizli Basket of the Turkish Basketball Super League (BSL). He played college basketball for UC Santa Bar ...
(born 1997), American-Israeli professional basketball player
*
Dree Hemingway
Dree Louise Crisman Hemingway (born December 4, 1987) is an American fashion model and actress. She gained attention playing the lead in American director Sean Baker's feature '' Starlet'' (2012). She has since become known for her high-profile ...
(born 1987), model
*
Malcolm Jones, professional football player
*
Cameron Judge
Cameron Judge (born November 29, 1994) is a Canadian football linebacker for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). After being selected second overall in the 2017 CFL Draft by the Saskatchewan Roughriders, he played three ...
, professional football player
*
Cassius Marsh
Cassius Lee Marsh Sr. (born July 7, 1992) is an American football outside linebacker who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at UCLA. He has also playe ...
, professional football player
*
Casey Matthews, professional football player
*
Nick Montana
Nicholas Alexander Montana (born April 28, 1992) is an American former football quarterback. He began his college football career at the University of Washington before transferring to Mt. San Antonio College. After one season at the junior co ...
, college football player
*
Chris Owusu, professional football player
*
Francis Owusu, professional football player
*
Colby Parkinson, professional football player
*
Jordan Payton
Jordan Joseph Payton (born September 1, 1993) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCLA Bruins, ending ...
, professional football player
*
Michael Pittman Jr.
Michael Pittman Jr. (born October 5, 1997) is an American football wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at USC, where he was named a consensus second-team All-American as a ...
, professional football player
*
Sofia Richie
Sofia Richie (born August 24, 1998) is an American social media personality, model, and fashion designer. She has been featured in campaigns by a number of major brands including Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Kors, and Adidas. She is the youngest da ...
, model and fashion designer
*
Preston Strother
Preston Strother (born January 28, 1999) is an American teen actor born in Dallas, Texas. He is best known for playing the Fox in ''Ni Hao, Kai-Lan'', Arthur Junior in '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'', and several television shows and movies. ...
, actor
*
Kayvon Thibodeaux
Kayvon Thibodeaux ( ; born December 15, 2000) is an American football outside linebacker for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). A native of Los Angeles, he was named ''USA Today'' High School Football Defensive Player of ...
, professional football player
*
Marc Tyler
Marc Anthony Tyler (born September 27, 1988) is a former American football running back. He played college football at Southern California. Tyler was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2012.
High school career
Tyler ...
, professional football player
*
Peter Weber, television personality
References
External links
*
2007 Oaks Christian High School Educator of Distinction (National Society of High School Scholars)
{{authority control
Christian schools in California
Private high schools in Los Angeles County, California
Private middle schools in Los Angeles County, California
Private preparatory schools in California
Westlake Village, California
Schools accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Educational institutions established in 2000
2000 establishments in California