We are the only option in Western Pennsylvania for an all girls' Catholic education.

Oakland Catholic High School was founded on a long-standing tradition of educating young women in the foundations of Spirituality, Scholarship, and Service to serve the world as intelligent, ethical, and competent agents of change. Since 1989, we have remained true to that mission.

Academically Diverse

A broad array of opportunities in the Humanities, Sciences, and Arts allows students of diverse backgrounds to share their perspectives and achieve success across all disciplines.

Spiritually Centered

Grounded in our faith tradition, we believe that spiritual development is crucial to the wellbeing and thoughtfulness of leaders, so it permeates all aspects of the OC educational experience.

Leadership Focused

The all-girls environment facilitates a strong, supportive space for the development of leadership skills in the classroom, on the field, in the community, and in the world.

Globally Aware

By pointedly integrating current affairs, technology, and worldviews into our curriculum, programs, mission trips, and strategic plan, we share our vision of a world that calls our students to action.

The thing I like most about Oakland Catholic is how we acknowledge Christ everyday. Oakland is a unified community of strong, focused, and driven women who make each other better by respectfully challenging each other, preparing us for the future.
Kennedi Wade, OCHS '19

Campus News & Events

I chose Oakland Catholic because of the various opportunities offered. Through academics, athletics, travel opportunities, and mission trips, Oakland Catholic has forever changed who I am, who I want to be, and how I want to impact the world. Caroline Richard, OCHS '19

The Oakland Catholic Difference

Mission Forward

Two years ago, Oakland Catholic implemented a 1:1 MacBook Air program called Mission Forward. As research indicates, if you give students powerful tools, you equip them with the means to excel, and excellence is a hallmark of an Oakland Catholic education. The impact of integrating this level of technology into our curriculum has been tremendous and overwhelmingly positive. By furnishing each student with a high-end laptop, we have increased student engagement, augmented the development of essential technological skills, and further enhanced the Oakland Catholic learning experience. We are confident that Mission Forward will continue to transform the learning process, providing our students with the technological and collaborative skills necessary to become the next generation of leaders.

Global Competence Initiative

Recognizing that “community” encompasses much more than your neighborhood or local church, Oakland Catholic High School strives to bring global awareness and connectivity across its curriculum in multiple ways. Future leaders need to be globally aware, as well as culturally fluent and linguistically competent, in order to appreciate global issues and work to resolve them. The GCI certificate program is built to broaden students’ knowledge of the challenges, concerns, and achievements of the wider world by engaging them via lectures, workshops, summer conferences, travel, and other opportunities. What is required to be globally competent in today’s changing world? Review the program details and take advantage of this unique opportunity to develop as a future ethical global leader!

Empowered Students

An all girls’ environment is not about the absence of boys; it’s about the presence of only girls and how that builds confidence and competence. At OC, young women occupy every position of leadership possible. They lead every class discussion, ask and answer every academic question, coordinate each school event, and serve as leaders at every level of Student Government, Campus Ministry, and Athletic endeavors. They are empowered to be future leaders from the moment they step foot onto campus. Empowerment is integral to their educational experience and their sense of identity. When they graduate, they take that confidence, competence, and power with them, willing and able to respond effectively to calls for action.

Fine Arts

Creativity is essential to problem-solving and innovation – two capabilities that every good leader is called to exhibit. Music and Art do more than enrich the academic pursuits of Oakland Catholic High School students. Through expressions in Fine Arts, students learn perspective, enhance their appreciation of culture within different cultures, and learn that art and scholarship are complimentary activities and not meant to be separate experiences. The annual Spring Arts & Music Festival highlights the expansive role that Fine Arts plays in our students’ lives as hundreds of pieces are displayed for parents and guests while the different choral and instrumental performers provide background, beauty, and grace.

STEM

Reflecting the increased interest and need for women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math fields, Oakland Catholic’s curriculum equips students with the skills necessary to become leaders in STEM. Advanced Placement and college-equivalency courses complement the foundation provided in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Computer Science. Unique programs such as the Bio-Informatics course developed with Carnegie Mellon University, an approved chapter of the national organization Girls Who Code (GWC), and participation in the regional robotics team Girls of Steel (GoS) have all served to establish Oakland Catholic as a STEM school. Whatever a student’s particular STEM interest, Oakland Catholic High School provides the opportunity for her to explore it and develop skills that will aid her in her pursuit of knowledge. Knowledge provides the basis of empowerment, and empowered women lead!

Athletics

A well-rounded education requires treatment of mind, body, and soul. The Athletic Department at Oakland Catholic High School views health and fitness as essential to strong minds and souls. There are 18 athletic opportunities for team and individual competition on the field, on the court, and in the pool. Students can enjoy the camaraderie of a team and a high level of competition regardless of how much or how little skill they exhibit upon matriculation to OC. In other words, there is a sport for you at Oakland Catholic High School! View Team Rosters and Schedules and get ready to dive in, take the ball in your court, and run or row your way to victory. Go Eagles!

Spiritual Formation

At the root of our Catholic identity is the role of spirituality in our lives. Each individual is a unique creation of God and walks a path shaped by experiences, knowledge, and individual choices. At Oakland Catholic High School, it is our mission to meet each student on her path and walk with her as she grows spiritually. Religion classes, retreats, service opportunities, mission trips all contribute to a deeper understanding of what it means to be in relationship with God, with yourself, and with each other.

Ideal Location

OC Students enjoy all the advantages of an urban experience within a safe and nurturing environment. Within walking distance of the region’s largest universities, a stone’s throw from our brother school Central Catholic High School, and surrounded by culture and history in the form of museums, libraries, and lecture opportunities, Oakland Catholic High School facilitates ready access to experiences that put the knowledge obtained in class into real context. Students regularly participate in presentations at both the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. They practice their sports in nearby Schenley Park and conduct research at the main branch of the Carnegie Library. The vibrant location makes the educational experience authentic and exciting.

JOA Society of Scholars

Founded in 2002, the Joan of Arc (JOA) Society of Scholars is an invitation-only program that recognizes the academic accomplishments of students in the top tier of their class. Designed to formally acknowledge those students who perform exceptionally well academically over all four years of attendance at Oakland Catholic High School, JOA Society of Scholars maintains clearly articulated criteria including a specific GPA requirement at the end of each year of study. JOA Society of Scholars are also required to participate in a certain number of “JOA events” each semester in order to maintain their status in the organization.

Tradition

Tradition is an integral piece of the Oakland Catholic educational experience and is present in so many ceremonies, events, and rituals, including Spirit Week, Commencement, Back-to-School Picnic, Honors Convocation, Service, Athletic Excellence, and Academic Reputation. Tradition also speaks to the legacy of OC and what it means to be a student and then a graduate of the only all girls’ Catholic high school in Western Pennsylvania. Tradition recognizes the network of women who have gone before, who have paved the way, and the sisterhood that binds us together across time in the sharing of this unique educational experience. Tradition is embraced at Oakland Catholic High School because it ensures the continuation of the legacy.

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