Anonymous
06/12/2026 06:05
Subject: Heights vs. Bishop O’Connell academics
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:If I remember correctly, this year, the Heights had some very impressive matriculations. Not sure that would ever be the case for O'Connell.
LOL, that's incredibly inaccurate
Welp looking at the Instagram posts, at O'Connell, only 4 out of 180 students matriculate to T20 school (2%), and at The Heights, 5 out of 31 students are going to T20 (16%). I'd say statistically The Heights has the edge here.
DJO had 307 seniors this year.
https://www.instagram.com/heights26_seniors_destinations/
https://www.instagram.com/djodecisions2026/
These stats are just wrong (mostly by being incomplete)
Anonymous
06/08/2026 14:13
Subject: Heights vs. Bishop O’Connell academics
Anonymous wrote:I don't think this is really accurate. Yes, there is a sense of service that Opus Dei gives and the focus is strong. There is also a focus on celebrating manliness in boys and femininity in girls.
But truth be told, the environments in Opus Dei are not pious and poor and your mention of "not focused on material wealth" makes me raise an eyebrow.
I have been involved in Opus Dei activties since childhood and I attended a non-catholic private school. The environment is, frankly, upper middle class and above and this has been the case since Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer y Albás began sharing his ideas on everyday holiness. I don't see anything wrong with this and actually was humbled and appreciated the way you could live this way even if your background didn't have economic struggles.
So, what I would say is that in The Heights you will find people who seek this aspiration and faith in everyday holiness alongside economic comfort and kindness. There will also be middle class and families with financial need, and the Opus Dei ideas brings all together in this community.
A bit of clarification, as honestly that part of "not focused on material wealth" is not quite accurate. And while not flashy or showy, you will feel it in the cultural capital and etiquette that simply follows these circles because it's just the way they live.
Both The Heights and Bishop O'Connell are fine schools. The Heights/Oakcrest students will have that piece of Opus Dei and St. Josemaria's The Way, Bishop O'Connell students will have a traditional co-ed catholic school experience that tends to be more American mainstream.
Anonymous wrote:If we are talking only about academics and school culture (not family wealth), O’Connell is a smaller version of a public school and similar to other diocese High Schools.
The Heights is an intentional choice to choose a different path for your son. For better or worse, their culture will teach your son that he can either be a good man/husband/father or become a priest. Those are the only paths. The Heights does not teach self interested ambition. They are not focused on material wealth. They don’t allow narcissistic tendencies and they teach boys that the purpose of life is suffering and salvation. The Opus Dei culture is front and center. There is a lot charity work, though always Catholic based, a lot of helping others and making real sacrifices.
The Heights does have objectively good college placement because the graduates are living the path many Universities claim to want for graduates. A life of charity and service and greater purpose. Even if the graduates come at it from a Catholic perceptive regarding who they help and how, they are doing a lot of charity work.
The Heights is different from the typical Catholic high schools which exist all over the country graduating 100,000 kids a year. Kids from O’Connell aren’t that different from all the other Catholic High Schools in the country. The Heights is different and Universities do they like different.
So if you’re trying to stack the deck on your chances of getting into certain schools, go with The Heights. But the culture may be too weird for a regular Catholic.
I went to Oakcrest, don’t recommend. My brother went to the Heights, would recommend under certain circumstances. It’s very religious. Ask how many of their recent graduates entered the Priesthood.
There are of course some well to do families and some upper middle class families. But many families are barely scarping by, 10 kids on one income will stretch any family.
The wealthier families may be the more public facing ones. So maybe you got a selective perspective. But these are not the wealthy families of Georgetown Prep. Much more modest means, 49% of students receive financial aid at the Heights. Georgetown prep is 29%.
Anonymous
06/08/2026 11:03
Subject: Heights vs. Bishop O’Connell academics
I don't think this is really accurate. Yes, there is a sense of service that Opus Dei gives and the focus is strong. There is also a focus on celebrating manliness in boys and femininity in girls.
But truth be told, the environments in Opus Dei are not pious and poor and your mention of "not focused on material wealth" makes me raise an eyebrow.
I have been involved in Opus Dei activties since childhood and I attended a non-catholic private school. The environment is, frankly, upper middle class and above and this has been the case since Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer y Albás began sharing his ideas on everyday holiness. I don't see anything wrong with this and actually was humbled and appreciated the way you could live this way even if your background didn't have economic struggles.
So, what I would say is that in The Heights you will find people who seek this aspiration and faith in everyday holiness alongside economic comfort and kindness. There will also be middle class and families with financial need, and the Opus Dei ideas brings all together in this community.
A bit of clarification, as honestly that part of "not focused on material wealth" is not quite accurate. And while not flashy or showy, you will feel it in the cultural capital and etiquette that simply follows these circles because it's just the way they live.
Both The Heights and Bishop O'Connell are fine schools. The Heights/Oakcrest students will have that piece of Opus Dei and St. Josemaria's The Way, Bishop O'Connell students will have a traditional co-ed catholic school experience that tends to be more American mainstream.
But truth be told, the environments in Opus Dei are not pious and poor and your mention of "not focused on material wealth" makes me raise an eyebrow.
I have been involved in Opus Dei activties since childhood and I attended a non-catholic private school. The environment is, frankly, upper middle class and above and this has been the case since Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer y Albás began sharing his ideas on everyday holiness. I don't see anything wrong with this and actually was humbled and appreciated the way you could live this way even if your background didn't have economic struggles.
So, what I would say is that in The Heights you will find people who seek this aspiration and faith in everyday holiness alongside economic comfort and kindness. There will also be middle class and families with financial need, and the Opus Dei ideas brings all together in this community.
A bit of clarification, as honestly that part of "not focused on material wealth" is not quite accurate. And while not flashy or showy, you will feel it in the cultural capital and etiquette that simply follows these circles because it's just the way they live.
Both The Heights and Bishop O'Connell are fine schools. The Heights/Oakcrest students will have that piece of Opus Dei and St. Josemaria's The Way, Bishop O'Connell students will have a traditional co-ed catholic school experience that tends to be more American mainstream.
Anonymous wrote:If we are talking only about academics and school culture (not family wealth), O’Connell is a smaller version of a public school and similar to other diocese High Schools.
The Heights is an intentional choice to choose a different path for your son. For better or worse, their culture will teach your son that he can either be a good man/husband/father or become a priest. Those are the only paths. The Heights does not teach self interested ambition. They are not focused on material wealth. They don’t allow narcissistic tendencies and they teach boys that the purpose of life is suffering and salvation. The Opus Dei culture is front and center. There is a lot charity work, though always Catholic based, a lot of helping others and making real sacrifices.
The Heights does have objectively good college placement because the graduates are living the path many Universities claim to want for graduates. A life of charity and service and greater purpose. Even if the graduates come at it from a Catholic perceptive regarding who they help and how, they are doing a lot of charity work.
The Heights is different from the typical Catholic high schools which exist all over the country graduating 100,000 kids a year. Kids from O’Connell aren’t that different from all the other Catholic High Schools in the country. The Heights is different and Universities do they like different.
So if you’re trying to stack the deck on your chances of getting into certain schools, go with The Heights. But the culture may be too weird for a regular Catholic.
Anonymous
06/08/2026 10:43
Subject: Heights vs. Bishop O’Connell academics
If we are talking only about academics and school culture (not family wealth), O’Connell is a smaller version of a public school and similar to other diocese High Schools.
The Heights is an intentional choice to choose a different path for your son. For better or worse, their culture will teach your son that he can either be a good man/husband/father or become a priest. Those are the only paths. The Heights does not teach self interested ambition. They are not focused on material wealth. They don’t allow narcissistic tendencies and they teach boys that the purpose of life is suffering and salvation. The Opus Dei culture is front and center. There is a lot charity work, though always Catholic based, a lot of helping others and making real sacrifices.
The Heights does have objectively good college placement because the graduates are living the path many Universities claim to want for graduates. A life of charity and service and greater purpose. Even if the graduates come at it from a Catholic perceptive regarding who they help and how, they are doing a lot of charity work.
The Heights is different from the typical Catholic high schools which exist all over the country graduating 100,000 kids a year. Kids from O’Connell aren’t that different from all the other Catholic High Schools in the country. The Heights is different and Universities do they like different.
So if you’re trying to stack the deck on your chances of getting into certain schools, go with The Heights. But the culture may be too weird for a regular Catholic.
The Heights is an intentional choice to choose a different path for your son. For better or worse, their culture will teach your son that he can either be a good man/husband/father or become a priest. Those are the only paths. The Heights does not teach self interested ambition. They are not focused on material wealth. They don’t allow narcissistic tendencies and they teach boys that the purpose of life is suffering and salvation. The Opus Dei culture is front and center. There is a lot charity work, though always Catholic based, a lot of helping others and making real sacrifices.
The Heights does have objectively good college placement because the graduates are living the path many Universities claim to want for graduates. A life of charity and service and greater purpose. Even if the graduates come at it from a Catholic perceptive regarding who they help and how, they are doing a lot of charity work.
The Heights is different from the typical Catholic high schools which exist all over the country graduating 100,000 kids a year. Kids from O’Connell aren’t that different from all the other Catholic High Schools in the country. The Heights is different and Universities do they like different.
So if you’re trying to stack the deck on your chances of getting into certain schools, go with The Heights. But the culture may be too weird for a regular Catholic.
Anonymous
06/08/2026 06:26
Subject: Heights vs. Bishop O’Connell academics
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:If I remember correctly, this year, the Heights had some very impressive matriculations. Not sure that would ever be the case for O'Connell.
LOL, that's incredibly inaccurate
Welp looking at the Instagram posts, at O'Connell, only 4 out of 180 students matriculate to T20 school (2%), and at The Heights, 5 out of 31 students are going to T20 (16%). I'd say statistically The Heights has the edge here.
https://www.instagram.com/heights26_seniors_destinations/
https://www.instagram.com/djodecisions2026/
We're quoting IG as a source now - lovely
The Heights costs twice as much. I can pretty much guarantee that some of those kids were able to afford to do early decision to get in, getting an advantage. Also more likely that Mom or Dad is a legacy somewhere.
DJO is for normal, upper middle class people. I’ll bet there are a lot of in state school selections. That doesn’t mean the school is subpar.
Anonymous
06/05/2026 16:19
Subject: Heights vs. Bishop O’Connell academics
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:If I remember correctly, this year, the Heights had some very impressive matriculations. Not sure that would ever be the case for O'Connell.
LOL, that's incredibly inaccurate
Welp looking at the Instagram posts, at O'Connell, only 4 out of 180 students matriculate to T20 school (2%), and at The Heights, 5 out of 31 students are going to T20 (16%). I'd say statistically The Heights has the edge here.
https://www.instagram.com/heights26_seniors_destinations/
https://www.instagram.com/djodecisions2026/
These stats are just wrong (mostly by being incomplete)
The trend is more in Heights favor though as having a higher percentage of students going to a T20.