Catholic Education

One of the most important choices parents make about their children is in regards to their education. A good education maximizes a child's chances for a fulfilling life, and the most impressionable and formative years are the elementary school years. In a Catholic School, Christian values are practiced and learned each and every day. Catholic schools teach to love God and neighbor without the roadblocks found in public schools. Students are courteous and respectful to adults and to each other. Community service is an integral component of a Catholic education.

A Catholic elementary education provides a solid foundation for continued success in high school, life and beyond. 

• In grades K-8, O'Hara students receive an average of 219 more instructional hours than is required for public schools. (Source: Oregon Department of Education)
• O'Hara has 179 school days, the minimum number required by the Archiocese of Portland, Oregon.
• Catholic school students have higher proficient and advanced scores than public school students in two grade levels of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test of the federal government. Eighth grade Catholic school students scored 22% better in reading, 21% better in math, 14% better in science, and 17% better in U.S. History.
• The national student/teacher ratio for Catholic schools is 13.6:1 while that of public schools is 15.6:1. (Sources: NCEA, National Center for Education Statistics)
• Ninety-nine percent of students from Catholic high schools graduate, compared to 73% from public schools. (Source: NCEA)
• Catholic high school students are twice as likely to attend a four-year college as public school graduates (44%). (Source: NCEA)

O'Hara's strong academic program prepares our students exceptionally well for a higher education. O'Hara students learn study skills, analytical problem-solving skills, and responsibility for academic success at all grade levels.

• More than 50% of O'Hara students in grades 5-8 achieve Honor Roll (GPA 3.5 to 4.0).
• One-hundred percent of O'Hara graduates who apply to Marist Catholic High School are accepted. Marist is an academically challenging, college prep high school.
• Sixty-one percent of O'Hara's 2010 graduates qualified for and were placed in 9th grade Honors classes at Marist Catholic High School. One-hundred percent (four year average) of the students who started in the Marist Honors Program (History, Math, Foreign Language, Science, and English) continued with it until graduation.
• Seventy-one percent of O'Hara graduates achieve Honor Roll at Marist. The average GPAs (weighted for Honors classes) for O'Hara graduates at Marist are 3.7 and higher.
• One-hundred percent of O'Hara graduates who graduate from Marist go on to attend a college or university; many of them awarded a merit-based scholarship. More than 90% attend a 4-year college or university.
• The O'Hara students who graduated from Marist in 2011 scored well above the national average on their SAT scores for college: 
                                            O'Hara                                            National Average
             Verbal                      548                                                           501
             Math                         541                                                           516