Bishop O’Dowd High School
Information for College Admissions Officers September 2014
The School:
Bishop O’Dowd High School (“O’Dowd”) is a fully accredited, coeducational college preparatory high school in the Catholic tradition with an extensive honors and Advanced Placement program. The school was founded in 1951 and is located in Oakland, California. Through its mission, O’Dowd is a unique and culturally rich community that develops healthy young people by providing them every opportunity to explore and deepen personal, academic, co-curricular and spiritual interests. The O’Dowd community represents the multi-cultural and socio-economically diverse population of the San Francisco Bay Area. The student population is comprised of 22% African American, 10% Asian, 42% Euro-American, 11% Latino and 15% other. More than 30% of O’Dowd students receive over $2,400,000 in financial aid annually.
The present enrollment is 1,186. Applicants for admission at the ninth and tenth grade levels are required to take an examination for entrance and placement.
The Faculty: O’Dowd is committed to the highest quality teaching by its 81 faculty members. More than 50 on staff hold advanced degrees. Subject area expertise and a dedication to implementation of effective pedagogy are hallmarks of O’Dowd educators.
The Curriculum: O’Dowd offers a four-year liberal arts college-preparatory education. The following required courses combine with electives for a total of 240 credits for graduation: Religion English Social Studies Mathematics
4 years 4 years 3 years 3 years
Science World Languages Physical Education Fine Arts
2.5 years 2 years 2 years 1 year
There are 11 honors courses offered in mathematics, English, world languages, chemistry, physics and geo-history, beginning in the ninth grade. 16 Advanced Placement courses are available. The full and diverse curriculum provides a variety of elective offerings. Student GPAs and rank are weighted.
Extra-Curricular:
Students participate in a full co-curricular program including 57 competitive teams across 15 interscholastic sports, more than 45 student-led clubs, two bands, an orchestra, a choir and a comprehensive theater arts program. In addition to the required 100 service learning hours, many students are active in community volunteer programs along with our Campus Ministry and retreat programs.
National High School
recognition: In 2014, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges awarded Bishop O’Dowd High School the maximum six-year accreditation. The United States Department of Education has selected O’Dowd as a Blue Ribbon School.
9500 Stearns Avenue, Oakland, California 94605
(510) 577-9100
www.bishopodowd.org
Profile of the Class of 2014
Number of Graduates: 244 Number attending college: 225 Gap Year: 8 Undecided: 11
SAT SCORES SAT SUBJECT MEAN SCORES Critical Reading Math Writing Biology 662 Math IIC 672 O’Dowd 690 684 697 Chemistry 599 Spanish 628 -Top 50 567 567 565 Literature 661 U.S. History 647 -Total California 498 510 496 Physics 639 Students Tested 214 214 214 ACT SCORES English Math Reading Science Composite O’Dowd 24.8 23.7 25.4 24 24.6 California 21.8 22.8 22.3 21.7 22.3 Students Tested 152 152 152 152 152 Advanced Placement Exams: Bishop O’Dowd High School students passed the AP exam at a rate of 73%. On the average 500 exams are written each year. AP tests are offered in the following subject areas: Environmental Science Macro Economics Studio Art Biology Chemistry French Language & Culture Government/Comparative Calculus BC Government and Politics/US Computer Science A English Literature and Comp Human Geography
Psychology Physics* AP Spanish Language & Culture Statistics
US History
*test only
College Placement: In 2014, of the 224 students who applied to 4-year colleges, 100% were accepted. In the past three years, students were admitted to the following schools:
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