Mission, History and Values
our Mission
To dedicate ourselves to Christ in the pursuit of academic excellence, artistic expression, and athletic distinction while growing in knowledge and wisdom through God's abundant grace.
Our Motto
Preparing Minds for Leadership and Hearts for Service
Academic Excellence
From our founding, Oaks Christian has been a leader in innovative, engaging and future-focused academics.
Artistic Expression
To be human is to be creative! Artistic expression means every student has an opportunity to develop their creative side.
Athletic Distinction
Athletic distinction is more than titles or medals. It is about character and integrity developed through teamwork and unity.
our History
Impacting Young Men and Women for a Quarter Century
Beginnings
The search for a suitable property began in March 1994, but yielded few options and no success. In 1997, after much prayer and patience, an 18-acre piece of property became available in Westlake Village. Although at first this location seemed too far away from the original vision for a West Los Angeles school, the Prices felt led to consider the Conejo Valley as the place for their dream.
Early Days
Original Headmaster Jeff Woodcock laid the foundation two years before the doors opened in 2000 with 198 students in grades 6, 9 and 10. Grades 7 and 11 were added in 2001. Grades 8 and 12 were added in 2002 and the school year began with 646 students. The first graduating classes of 8th and 12th graders participated in the historic inaugural commencement ceremonies in spring 2003.
Championship Year
The 2002-03 sports season was a banner year for athletics when the Lions won four CIF championships early in the year - boys' basketball, girls' basketball, girls'soccer, and softball. In December 2003, varsity football won its first CIF championship. That began a winning streak which included six consecutive CIF championships, establishing the Lions as an athletic powerhouse in SoCal.
Arts Expansion
In 2007, the new 30,000-square-foot Bedrosian Pavilion opened as a multi-purpose, modern performing arts center. The Bedrosian Pavilion enabled students to flourish in the beautiful facility equipped with highly advanced technology and theatre-specific features that exceeded that of many colleges and universities. "The Diary of Anne Frank," and "Thoroughly Modern Millie" were some of the first shows.
Campus Growth
in 2009, a seven-acre site was developed to create a new middle school campus complete with modern facilities and creative programming specifically geared toward students in grades 6 through 8. The grand opening in August 2009 marked another chapter in the school's history. The middle school also built its own cafeteria, unique grade-level pods, and athletic facilities.
Athletic Facilities
The rennovated baseball stadium complex was dedicated in April 2009. The $500,000 project included elevated bleacher seating, a new press box, and concession stand, and a team room complete with players' lockers. In addition to the baseball field, Oaks Christian also built the Leko playing fields, the Sotelo Aquatic Center, and the Huffman Field in middle school.
Online Outreach
In 2011, the online school was established to serve full-time online students and offer online courses to the main campus students. Today, OCO serves students from other schools, private or public, and homeschool students. Students can also blend online and brick and mortar learning.
Oaks Christian Online
The Learning Center
In 2012, the Learning Center pilot program grew to 80 students, and became a formal program providing tutoring help. The program experienced great growth, and in 2013 Oaks Christian purchased the adjacent Westlake Plaza to house the Learning Center (now serving over 800 OCS and community students, annually).
The Learning Center
Residential Dorm
Forty students made history on Aug. 10, 2019 when they moved in as the first residents of the brand new residential dorm. The state-or the-art facility rivaled college dorms. Students from China, Vietnam, Ghana, Indonesia and locally, from Orange County were among the first residents.
Residential Dorm
The Ross Family IDEA Lab
The Ross Family IDEA Lab (innovation, design, engineering and aeronautics) opened in fall 2019. The 14,000 square foot facility gives students a jump in STEM careers. It features fabrication machines, 3D printers, and a variety of other useful tools that are typically reserved for college or industrial labs.
The IDEA Lab
Institutes Launched
The Institute of Arts and Innovation launched in 2019, and was soon joined by the the Institute of Engineering and the Institute of Global Leadership, further delivering unprecedented opportunities for 21st century learning. The institues of Health Science and Bible and Discipleship launch in 2024.
Our Signature Institutes
Elementary School Begins
In the spring of 2022, the board of trustees approved expanding Oaks Christian to a TK through 12th grade school. Head of School Rob Black made the announcement at the April gala dinner auction, and planning began. In fall 2023, fourth grade opened with 35 students in two classrooms.
Staying true to our mission and motto, Oaks Christian has shaped and molded hundreds of young men and women who have become difference-makers, impacting their communities and succeeding in many ways. In just two short decades, we have become a nationally recognized leader in education. Beginning with less than 200 students, we now enroll over 1,600 students, domestic and international. As we prepare to celebrate 25 years, our commitment to stellar Christian education and the bonds of our community are strong and steadfast. We are grateful for our founders' vision and the early pioneers who have made Oaks Christian the special place it is today.
our Values
Biblical Worldview
Oaks Christian School’s Biblical Worldview is an overarching view of the world based on God’s revealed Truth in the Bible, which informs our knowledge of God, the Good News of His Son Jesus Christ, Creation, Humanity, Moral Order, and Purpose, and thus provides direction for our lives.
God: There is One God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—who created and sustains all things. God is infinite, eternal, transcendent, all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present, and sovereign over all His creation. God chooses to reveal and express Himself to humankind through His creation, the Bible, His Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
Truth: God’s ordered universe and revealed Word communicate objective truth that can be rationally investigated and known. All truth ultimately points us to Jesus Christ, who is Himself Truth and through whom we can have a saving relationship that restores us to God. We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and that it is true.
Good News: God the Father, out of His abundant love, sent His Son Jesus Christ as a sacrifice for humanity. Jesus’ suffering, blood, and death on the cross paid the price for sin once and for all, and His resurrection confirms that He is the Son of God. His sacrifice was complete, and the power of death over humanity was broken. His resurrection assures those who put their faith and trust in Him of eternal life with Him. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus invites humanity into a transforming relationship with Himself. Through repentance and faith in Jesus, all who accept the gift of salvation through God’s grace are accepted into the Kingdom of God to become new creations, fully alive in Christ and provided with the assurance of eternal life with Him.
Creation: God created a good world and assigned its stewardship to humanity. Through humankind’s sinful choice to break relationship with God, creation was corrupted, causing evil, pain, suffering, and death to enter the world.
Humanity: God created humankind, male and female, in His image and likeness. He has gifted each with rationality, creativity, and a moral conscience. Human beings of all races and ethnicities, both born and unborn, are valuable as individuals created in His image. We are privileged to commune with God through worship and prayer.
Moral Order: God makes Himself known through His Creation and Scripture and has established His moral law in human hearts so that they can discern right from wrong, good from evil, and justice from injustice. Therefore, humankind will give an account before God for choices made throughout life.
Purpose: God created each person with an eternal plan and earthly purpose. God fulfills humanity’s search for this meaning and purpose through a relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ. Meaning and purpose are most fully enjoyed as people learn to love Him and love one another.
Statement of Faith
WE BELIEVE the Bible to be the inspired and only infallible word of God.
WE BELIEVE that there is only one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
WE BELIEVE that mankind was created good but lost the hope of life eternal, destroyed his communion with God, and fell under the bondage of sin and death by rebelling against God’s perfect way of life.
WE BELIEVE that Jesus Christ is God’s eternal Son, who redeemed mankind. As true God and true man, He was born of a virgin through the Holy Spirit, taught men how to live through His sinless life, took the consequence of our sin upon Himself in His passion and death upon the Cross, arose bodily from the dead on the third day after His death, was seen by His disciples, ascended to the right hand of the Father and will return in power and glory.
WE BELIEVE that all are sinners, that all are called to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, that no one can come to the Father except through Jesus Christ, and that no one can come to faith in Christ, repent, and attain holiness, but by the grace of God.
WE BELIEVE as a gift from God; sexual intimacy is to be experienced only between a man and a woman within a marital relationship. We believe, therefore, that any other form of sexual intimacy is not in keeping with God’s plan for mankind.
WE BELIEVE that the Holy Spirit is freely given to those that believe in Jesus Christ, that the fruits and benefits of Christ’s redemption are applied to us individually by the Holy Spirit, and that the Holy Spirit lives in us and enables us to live godly lives.
WE BELIEVE that at the end of the age, there will be two resurrections: one to eternal life and glory, the other to eternal condemnation.
Christian Values
- Christ-centered: Oaks Christian School strives to be Christ-centered in all aspects of the learning environment—through action, word, and deed.
- Biblical Worldview: OCS teaches and leads from Biblical truth, equipping students accordingly.
- Spiritual Growth: Every OCS student is embraced with the welcoming love of Jesus Christ and invited and encouraged toward spiritual growth through dynamically integrated programs, activities, and curriculum.
Preparatory Values
- Excellence and Achievement: Oaks Christian believes that excellence honors God and inspires people; thus, students are prepared to achieve at their highest potential.
- Character and Citizenship: Honorable character and citizenship are the responsibilities of OCS students and an aspiration for their futures.
- Future Leadership: OCS students are equipped with the mental, physical, social, and spiritual competencies necessary to become humble stewards of their God-given gifts and talents.
School Values
- Educational Challenge: Thorough preparation and consistent execution are required, which result in academic excellence, artistic expression, and athletic distinction at Oaks Christian School.
- Nurturing Environment: Amid significant challenges and high standards, every OCS student experiences the love of God and the importance of being one of His children.
- Lifelong Learning: Comprehensive knowledge and critical thought will become hallmarks of the well read and confident alumni of Oaks Christian School, who develop knowledge, wisdom, and conversational intelligence that goes well beyond high test scores and grade point average.