JUST THREE YEARS AFTER laying out what was called a “bold and audacious” plan to build from the ground up a high school dedicated exclusively to area students from low-income working-class families saw the dream come true.
PHOTOS BY IAN TRAN/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
On Monday, Sept. 21, Cristo Rey Orange County High officially opened the doors to its permanent home. The gleaming new 60,000-square-foot school building replaces the school’s home at the 23,00-square-foot former elementary school at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Santa Ana.
The building opens for the 2026-27 academic year just in time for the inaugural class of students who enrolled at Cristo Rey as freshmen in 2023 to enjoy a senior year in spacious new digs. The school opened with just 69 students and a promise. It has grown to more than 200 and expects to graduate a senior class of 52. This year, for the first time, four entire classes of students will be studying and learning together under one roof.
“Three years ago, I stood in front of a group of nervous, hopeful freshmen in a building that was too small for our students and their dreams,” said founding president Steve Holte. “I told them to work hard and trust us, and they would have a campus before their senior year.”
He added, “Today, by working together, we have delivered on that promise, and I couldn’t be happier for the students, their hard-working families, our supporters and donors who believed from day one in our students’ God-given potential. This is truly a moment to celebrate.”
And celebrate they did, accompanied by proud families, staff, officials and well-wishers.
A FIRST IN OC
Cristo Rey is Orange County’s inaugural private, Catholic, college-preparatory high school that features a corporate work study program, offering real-world work experience from among more than 80 OC businesses, with wages used to help pay for the education. The school purchased the commercial office campus with four office buildings for about $20 million and was able to have it rezoned to include education through a unanimous vote by the Santa Ana City Council.
At the time of the purchase, school President Steve Holte said, “this property is unique with possibilities,” noting the surrounding campus would be able to provide plenty of potential school partners for the student workforce.
Through work study, students are exposed to a wide range of part-time jobs where they work about five shifts per month. Employers include companies in technology, law, finance and the health industry.
The school also provides a demanding four-year college preparatory curriculum. Cristo Rey is part of a national network of 42 campuses in the Catholic tradition known as the Cristo Rey Network. It works closely with the Diocese of Orange but is overseen by an independent board under the authority of the pope. The school includes one-entire building and the top floor of an adjacent structure.
The rest of the buildings on the nine-acre campus are leased out to a variety of businesses.
The new school will be able to accommodate about double the current population and features state-of-the-art classrooms and educational technology, as well as life science and robotics labs. There are also administrative offices, including space for visiting professionals, and outdoor space, including basketball courts and a covered lunch area. Now, with the school year officially underway, Cristo Rey can get to fulfilling its motto as “The School That Works.”
“Our students and school have been entrepreneurial since day one – making the most of what we had,” said Karelyn Roberts, Cristo Rey’s founding principal. “This campus is built for our students and built for the size of their ambitions – it changes how they see themselves and will empower them to succeed. You can see it on their faces and hear it in their voices. Today is why I love my work.”