Oakton High School

Oakton High School is a public high school in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, in proximity to Vienna, Virginia, in the United States. It is part of Fairfax County Public Schools in Northern Virginia. As of the 2023–24 school year, it had 2,620 students, according to National Center for Education Statistics data. History 20th century Oakton High School was founded in 1967, in Vienna, Virginia. The original Oakton High School was located in the facility now used by Oakton Elementary School. When it opened, Oakton was the host facility for an IBM 1401, which was Fairfax County's first computer, and a computer curriculum, one of the first offered at the high school level, was available to full-time Oakton High School students and students from several other county high schools on a part-time basis. This system was retired in the early 1970s when Fairfax County installed an IBM 360 mainframe at the Annandale campus of Northern Virginia Community College. In 1973, while W. T. Woodson High School in nearby Fairfax was being repaired after it was struck and damaged by a tornado, Woodson students attended the remainder of the school year in a split shift at Oakton High School with Oakton students attending in the morning and Woodson students attending in the afternoon. 21st century In 2009, the school suspended, and threatened to expel, a student for taking a birth control pill while on the school's premises. The incident was referenced during the August 3, 2009, episode of The Colbert Report, with the show satirically portraying the student as a "druggie". Organization Oakton operates on a block schedule five days a week, alternating between "Burgundy" and "Gold" days. Feeder schools Crossfield Elementary School, Hunters Woods Elementary School, Mosaic Elementary School, Navy Elementary School, Marshall Road Elementary School, Oakton Elementary School, Waples Mill Elementary School, Franklin Middle School, Luther Jackson Middle School, Thoreau Middle School, and Rachel Carson Middle School are all feeder schools into Oakton High School. Admissions Academics Curriculum The school offers various elective courses and allows students to participate in academy courses, including courses hosted by other schools at other school sites. Elective courses include psychology, various engineering courses, journalism, video production, accounting, multivariable calculus with linear algebra, astronomy, and six foreign languages. Oakton offers an Advanced Placement (AP) program and a large variety of AP classes in major subject areas, including English, Social Studies, Science, Foreign Languages, Math, Performing Arts, and Fine Arts. Post-AP courses, including multivariable calculus and linear algebra, are available to sufficiently advanced students. Virginia Index of Performance (VIP) awards Oakton High School is a frequent recipient of the annual Virginia Index of Performance (VIP) awards, which, since 2007, recognize advanced learning and achievement and are awarded by the Governor of Virginia and the Virginia Department of Education. U.S. News & World Report Best High Schools rankings In 2024, U.S. News & World Report ranked Oakton #199 nationally among U.S. public high schools. In the same report, Oakton was ranked fourth-best among Virginia high schools. Standardized testing Oakton High School is a fully accredited high school based on Virginia's Standards of Learning tests. The average SAT score in 2006 for Oakton High School was 1,703 (568 in Critical Reading, 578 in Math, and 557 in Writing). In 2022, SAT scores at Oakton High School were the fourth-highest out of all Fairfax County high schools, and SAT scores at Oakton High School exceeded both national and state averages. Extracurricular activities Athletics Oakton is a member of the VHSL Group 6A North Region and the Northern Region of the Virginia High School League. Its cross country, football, baseball, lacrosse, and men's swimming teams have won Virginia state titles. Oakton has teams for club sports, such as crew and ice hockey. The Oakton Ice Hockey Club plays in the Northern Virginia Scholastic Hockey League (NVSHL). State champions and recognitions Bands The Oakton Band program consists of a marching band, two concert bands, two jazz bands, a winter color guard, a drumline program, and several guitar classes and ensembles. Oakton has been recognized as a Virginia Honor Band, the highest award for high school band programs, 23 times, including 11 consecutive years from 1995 to 2005. The award is given to bands that receive superior marks for marching and concert performances of the top band. The marching band has won other awards at competitions throughout the country and has been featured in parades and professional football games. The concert bands have made many appearances at Fiesta-val competitions in Chicago, Myrtle Beach, Orlando, and Toronto. Oakton High School hosts the Oakton Classic marching band competition, a fundraiser. The Classic has been held annually, usually in October, since 1986, with a gap year in 2012. Chorus Oakton High School has four regular in-school choruses; Oakton Singers, Soprano Alto Chorale, Treble Chorus, and Tenor Bass Chorus. The department also has three after-school specialty groups: jazz choir, men's a cappella (the Accents), and women's a cappella (The Actaves). Both a cappella groups are student-run. Honor Council Oakton High School has a student-led Honor Council. The role of the Honor Council is to promote honesty and integrity throughout Oakton High School while enforcing the Oakton academic honor code. The Oakton HS Honor Council has two processes for students suspected of breaking the honor code: the Punitive Council or Restorative Justice. Orchestra The Oakton High School strings program consists of four orchestras, ordered in decreasing difficulty level: the Chamber Orchestra, the Philharmonic Orchestra, the Symphonic Orchestra, and the Concert Orchestra. The Chamber Orchestra participated in the Orchestra America National Festival in Indianapolis, part of the Music for All National Festival, in 2008. The orchestra applied and was accepted in 2007 and prepared an approximately 45-minute concert consisting of three pieces. On March 1, 2008, the Chamber Orchestra performed its selections at the Hilbert Circle Theatre, home of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Later that year, the Chamber Orchestra was accepted to perform at the American String Teachers Association National Conference, which took place in March 2009 in Atlanta. The group placed fourth, the highest ranking of a non-magnet, non-music school. In 2022, the Oakton Theatre Department performed Peter Pan. Performing arts Oakton's Performing Arts Department, which includes band, choral, orchestral, and theatre arts departments, regularly earns distinction as one of the premier performing arts programs in the area. In 2008, the performing arts department won the Blue Ribbon Award, a result of Superior ratings for all Band, Choral, and Orchestra groups in state festivals. Publications Oakton's Publications Department produces a newspaper, The Outlook, a yearbook called Paragon, and a literary magazine, Opus. In October 2006, both The Outlook and Paragon received Trophy-Class honors at the Virginia High School League, with a rating of Superior. In April 2008, Paragon received a Pacemaker award, one of the highest honors in high school journalism, as well as 8th in best of show. The Outlook placed 6th in best of show. The school used to have a radio club, Fat Cat Radio, and a daily television show, Cougar News. Every Friday, Oakton on Air, Oakton's student-led news show, is broadcast by teachers during the day's first period. Theatre The school's drama program has put on Arsenic and Old Lace, The Wizard of Oz, and other plays and musicals. The 2007–08 season included The Importance of Being Earnest, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown and Into the Woods. The 2008–09 season included The Foreigner. Performances usually occur in the Robert "Skip" Bromley Auditorium, dedicated in 2008. Campus Like most Fairfax County schools, the building is of considerable size, consisting of two stories to accommodate its large population of students. The school has separate hallways for individual subjects. English classes are predominantly on the second floor; History, Math, and Science classes are on both floors. Oakton High school is within walking distance of the Vienna Metro Station. Oakton High School began renovations in June 2018, which were completed in May 2023. The renovation modernized classrooms and science laboratories and expanded student common areas. Outdoor improvements included updated athletic facilities and improved parking and traffic circulation around the campus. Notable alumni Footnotes References External links Official website