ABOUT US

Cristo Rey Orange County High School students studying.

Cristo Rey Orange County High School opened in the fall of 2023 in Santa Ana, California with its inaugural freshman class and is sponsored by the Cristo Rey Institute. Like all Cristo Rey schools, Cristo Rey Orange County is Catholic, college preparatory high school for students of all faiths from families who would not otherwise be able to access such an education. The school is co-educational and serves students of diverse backgrounds. We help our students grow intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, and professionally. Our aspiration is that all our students graduate from high school and college and become the future leaders in our churches, institutions businesses, nonprofits, and the community at large.

GRADUATES AT GRADUATION

By graduation, Cristo Rey students will be people of faith, wisdom, purpose, and service.

Faith: By graduation, the Cristo Rey OC student will have a deep knowledge of and respect for the doctrine and practices of the Catholic Church. Students will have developed their own spirituality, faith, and relationship with God. They will continue to define their faith and seek connection to religious traditions and gospel-based values.

Wisdom: By graduation, the Cristo Rey OC student will demonstrate mastery of the rigorous academic requirements for high school graduation and success in the workplace. They will have developed many intellectual, social, and critical thinking skills necessary for a lifetime of inquiry, learning, and discernment.

Purpose: By graduation, the Cristo Rey OC student will act with integrity, value diversity, and utilize their talents to promote the common good. They will begin to define and understand their God-given purpose and seek opportunities to utilize that purpose to promote peace and justice.

Service: By graduation, the Cristo Rey OC student will have developed a commitment to serving others and is prepared to become a leader in creating a more just and peaceful world.

ABOUT THE CRISTO REY INSTITUTE

About Our Religious Sponsor

Established in March 2017 through a Pontifical Decree, the Cristo Rey Institute (CRI) is a Public Juridic Person (PJP) within the canon law of the Catholic Church. CRI's purpose is to sponsor Catholic schools that are members of the Cristo Rey Network when a religious order or congregation is not available to sponsor a new Cristo Rey high school. As a PJP, the Cristo Rey Institute operates independently of the Cristo Rey Network and is recognized by the Catholic Church as able to certify that the Institute's sponsored Cristo Rey schools are "Catholic" and in good standing. CRI's two-tiered board is comprised of Class A members represented by the provincials of the Clerics of St. Viator of the Province of Chicago (Viatorians), the Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), and the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth. The Class B tier is constituted by a majority of religious as well as several lay persons with significant leadership experience in the Catholic Church.

The Cristo Rey Institute offers Cristo Rey Orange County High School robust support for its Catholic mission of serving families who would not otherwise have access to a quality, Catholic, college-and career-preparatory experience.

The Cristo Rey Institute provides spiritual leadership and assures the Catholic identity of Cristo Rey Orange County High School.

ABOUT THE CRISTO REY NETWORK

The Cristo Rey Network® is the only network of high schools in the country that integrate four years of rigorous college preparatory academics with four years of professional work experience through the Corporate Work Study Program. Comprised of 40 Catholic, college- and career-preparatory schools that today serve 12,000 students across 24 states and collectively claim 18,000 graduates, the Cristo Rey Network delivers a powerful and innovative approach to inner-city education that equips students from families of limited economic means with the knowledge, character, and skills to transform their lives.

Cristo Rey Network map of the United States with 40 Cristo Rey schools marked.

When Cristo Rey Jesuit High School opened under the leadership of John P. Foley, S.J. in 1996, it introduced a highly innovative integration of academic and professional experience to Catholic secondary education in the United States. The model had immediate appeal, first to Catholic educators across the country and soon after to prominent philanthropists committed to educational reform.

Through the talent and commitment of local communities and generous and enthusiastic support from philanthropic investors, the Cristo Rey Network has grown over the last 20 years from a single school in south Chicago to a national network of 35 schools. During a period when traditional Catholic schools were shuttering their doors at an alarming rate, the Cristo Rey Network has grown into the largest network of high schools in the country that exclusively serves low-income students.

THE CRISTO REY NETWORK CREDO

Our Cristo Rey Credo

Cristo Rey Credo

At Cristo Rey Orange County High School, our Credo written by Father John Foley S.J., Founder of the Cristo Rey Network, serves as a daily reminder of who we are and what we strive to become. These powerful words unite our community, inspire our actions, and reinforce our commitment to college, career, and heaven.

CREDO

We all have to be about changing the way things are. Our mission is to make the Kingdom of God concrete in the here and now, in other words, not merely to make things slightly better but to effect transformational change at every level. At Cristo Rey, no one has ever taught that we should be content with doing something small. Our world doesn’t need a touch-up; it needs total renewal!

We believe that God’s grace leads us not only to holiness, but also to greater intelligence, creativity, and resourcefulness in making the Kingdom come. And through the Spirit who lives in each one of us, we should expect, if we follow Jesus, to accomplish absolutely novel and startling things. The God we have studied in the Bible is one of boundless creativity, who wishes to communicate this same grace to each one of us. Made in His image, we are called to be co-creators of a totally new world. May we have faith in a dream so ambitious as to border on the delusional with a healthy disregard for conventional thinking.

May our hope be so outrageously bold that we are afraid people will laugh at us if they knew what we hoped for! May our love lead us to fly in the face of human logic and make us instruments in helping our King establish His reign, to transform all things, to bring true and lasting happiness to all of America. The plan our King always said he would set in motion is indeed moving forward in the Cristo Rey Network. This movement is the work of our King, taking away the sins of frustrated potential, lack of opportunity, and paralyzing poverty. Our world is awash in grace. Grace makes us excited about the future. The Kingdom is coming and we are an essential part of that dream!

VIVA CRISTO REY!

OUR FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL - 2023

MISSION

Cristo Rey Orange County High School empowers students of limited economic resources to fulfill their God-given potential and become leaders for the community, Church, and world. We do this through Catholic, college preparatory academics, professional work experience, and meaningful extracurricular activities.

VISION

Within a joyful, supportive community rooted in high expectations and high supports Cristo Rey Orange County High School provides students access to transformative educational opportunities. We integrate rigorous academics, meaningful Catholic spiritual formation, and Corporate Work Study to cultivate individuals who possess lifelong critical thinking skills & embody our core values. Cristo Rey Orange County fosters a culture of belonging where each member of our community knows they are valued & achieves their full potential.

VALUES

Faith & Justice.

Respect & Care.

Commitment & Responsibility.

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