About Us

Orangewood adventist Academy:

a brief history

Orangewood Adventist Academy traces its roots in Orange County to 1898 and a small, one-room classroom in Centralia.  The school grew and in time moved to a location adjacent to the Fullerton Seventh-day Adventist Church on Valencia Avenue.  In 1956 the present location was established to provide an elementary through secondary, Christ-centered education to Orange County.  It graduated its first high school class in 1962.  Since then is has remained a haven for young people of many faiths looking for a quality education anchored in Christian principles and an Adventist tradition. 

SCHOOL MISSION STATEMENT

“At Orangewood Adventist Academy we prepare students for a lifetime of service by Providing educational excellence in a Christian environment; by Motivating students to mature mentally, physically, spiritually, and socially; by Teaching students to discover their own abilities; and by Instilling in students the desire to develop their abilities to the greatest potential.”

Class Size

Orangewood Adventist Academy is committed to maintaining an optimum teacher-student ratio at all grade levels.  We have a school-wide ratio of 20:1.  This provides for more individualized attention while also requiring more accountability from students.

Teacher Education and Preparation

All Orangewood Academy teachers are required to have a minimum Bachelor of Arts and a fifth year teaching education as required by the State of California for credentialed teachers.  All our teachers are required to take and pass the California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST).  All our teachers are required to be credentialed in Christian education by our church conference office, requiring additional courses in religion and Christian education.  Additionally, many of our teachers hold advanced college degrees in education at a Master’s level or above.

Counseling and Student Support Services

Counseling services are provided free to all students to assist them with academic, career, and personal needs.  The counselors may help the student and his or her family in many ways.  They can assist in selecting appropriate subjects that meet the student’s career and educational goals, as well as completing the courses required for promotion and high school graduation.  They can provide a course schedule design for educational purposes. They can assist with personal and disciplinary problems. They can provide information about after-school plans for career, college, and special post-high school training programs.  In addition, the school provides annual TAP and ITBS surveys for all students.  The school completes an educational summary for all students by the end of the tenth grade, which identifies subjects taken and credits earned toward graduation.  The school monitors student attendance and academic performance to identify problems and find resolution to ensure success.  The school assesses student behavior problems that may result in disciplinary action.

Curriculum

Orangewood Adventist Academy is committed to excellence and has high academic expectations for all our students.   Standards, both state and conference, have been adopted for English, Reading, and Language Arts; Math and Science; History and Social Sciences.  Elementary and Academy curriculum, textbooks, resources and instruction methods all align to these standards.

Orangewood Adventist Academy offers Basic, College Preparatory, and Advanced diploma graduation tracks to its students.  Upon graduation from high school, all students will have met basic graduation requirements that meet or exceed California State basic standards for graduation.  The College Preparatory and Advanced diplomas offer enrichment classes and other courses that require higher academic rigors to ensure our students are competitive in meeting entrance requirements for private and state universities, including the UC a-g requirements.

Among the enrichment and advanced courses offered at Orangewood Adventist Academy are:

Honors English II                        AP Calculus

Honors English III                       Piano Instruction

Honors US History                     AP English-Literature

Honors Biology                          Varsity

Anatomy & Physiology               Pre-calculus

AP Biology                                Physics & Chemistry

Teacher Evaluation

Every teacher is formally evaluated regularly by the principal, who is fully trained in the process of effective teaching assessment, as well as having years of teaching experience in elementary and secondary levels.