AN ‘AUDACIOUS’ DREAM REALIZED

Cristo Rey Orange County High officially opened its permanent 60,000-square-foot school building on Monday, Sept. 21. The new facility replaces the school’s home at the former elementary school at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Santa Ana.

The school serves students from low-income working-class families and has grown from an initial 69 students to more than 200. For the 2026-27 academic year, four entire classes of students will study together under one roof, and the school expects to graduate a senior class of 52.

Founding president Steve Holte said the new campus fulfills a promise made to the school's first freshmen who enrolled in 2023. Holte credited the achievement to the cooperation of students, families, and donors.