Servite High School

Horrible environment for learning. Bulling is common place with other students along with the teachers! Teachers are so bad, that some classes all the students are failing and the teacher is not to blame??? Went to the graduation last year and the boys could only talk about how wonderful they were, there was not brotherhood or family it was all ME ME ME! DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILD HERE! Bottom line… teachers and admin are the worst and only care about getting your money!

Horrible environment for learning. Big cheating culture and everybody wants to rebel so badly due to how they treat you like you’re in the military.

Love this school. Structured environment. My kid has no choice but to succeed. I love the religious aspect… education. structure. Comradery. And deep friendships my son is making. Not to mention the sports programs are awesome. I really give Servite a 10++++…whipped my son into tip top shape. Hes geared to success now!!! Thank you Servite.

Where to begin? Let’s start with the negatives.
If your son is not white, appears to look white, or has lots of white friends who are going to attend Servite High School, he automatically is going to be a target. You’ve been forewarned. Unless he happens to be an exceptional athlete, of course, then he’ll be pretty popular. For his sake I hope he doesn’t have an accent.
The majority of students here come from well to do families from Orange County (which shouldn’t really surprise you). Many (not all) boys know that mommy and daddy have plenty of money, and their behaviors show it. Some abuse drugs, drink drive nice cars, distract the class, do poorly in school because they know ultimately, no matter what they do, there is no true consequence in their actions. Its very difficult for them to be permanently expelled, especially when the checks keep cashing. They bring a negative energy to the campus which is hard to avoid.
If your son comes from a working class neighborhood, this will arouse suspicion about your family, which could quite possibly subject him to some harassment, especially if he doesn’t wear certain brands the other students wear. Individuality and diverseness are generally discouraged at Servite High School.
Lastly, to piggyback what Bob E has stated, this school doesn’t exactly foster social development. There are a handful of dances and sporting events, but that’s about it. If your son is already having difficulties fitting in during normal school activities, the problems are likely only to be compounded when dealing with the opposite sex, especially if he has a bad reputation from the «cool» kids. For his sake I hope he has friends attending one of the sister schools who will introduce him to some of their new (female) friends.
Religion: This is neither a negative or positive fact, but Catholic Doctrine is taught here (again, this shouldn’t come as a surprise). The professors I had made it clear that Catholicism is correct, and other religions, including other Christian denominations, are inferior and incorrect. None of my religious instructors ever could properly explain on how God knows all but men still having free will. I can go into more details but I’ll choose not to.
Costs: You’re better off purchasing an investment property out of state.
Positives:
The campus is safe, and unlike public schools, doesn’t need many upgrades. I recently came back to the campus to get some copies of my transcripts so I can vouch firsthand. Classrooms and equipment are in good shape. Restrooms are not, mostly due to trolls defacing them for comedic purposes.
The education is great and really does prepare you for college, especially in the English departments. Your son should be able to write decent papers if he graduates from Servite. Assuming there isn’t too many class clowns in your son’s class, the small class sizes should prevent him from falling behind if he puts in minimal effort. Teachers are easy to get a hold of if need be, and most of them genuinely want to help. There are a number of sporting programs and social clubs as well.
Despite all the negativity I’ve posted, I’m sure attending Servite was a better alternative than attending the gang infested local public school. Bishop Amat, which is essentially a slightly better public school that happens to teach Catholicism, may or may not have been a better choice, as would have Don Bosco.

I am a Servite Student. I love Servite’s goals and how they really prepare me for the future. The brotherhood here is very unique. The diversity here is what makes the Servite body so strong. Great sports programs.

The school itself is safe, some of the teachers are great, and they have good sports programs. If you want your kid raised Catholic then go here I guess. If you want your kid to learn about the real world, how to be sociable, and a functional adult, I think other schools would be better for them.
For me, it was a miserable 4 years of my life. Christianity was pounded into my head my whole childhood. I was too ignorant to counter the programming being force fed to me by the old and wise adults around me. After lengthy study of Church history and seeing/​hearing all of the past and present corruption of the Church, I started to doubt the Clergy. After doubting the Clergy, the doubt started going towards the Bible itself — a book that’s a compilation of translated writings early Church leaders decided to allow into this compilation. I started doubting that they had any real inspiration other than to pick writings that promoted the Church rather than on any truly divine inspiration.
I became doubtful of the corrupt men that dictate their teachings to me and of the men before them. I decided that no one really had faith in God, everyone’s faith is in the words of old men, in denial about the blatant corruption of the whole institution. I found humor in the televised images of the gold clad man commanding charity from me and claiming to be an infallible embodyment of a poor carpenter who once shown his wrath at people with similar disposition parading around in the temple in Jerusalem around 2000 years ago.
All that being said above, that is the the biggest positive that I took from Servite — I learned to think outside of my programming. Many people never break out of that bubble of delusion that parents program into them from birth — Christians, Hindus, Muslims, whatever.
The Single Sex set up of the institution was a negative for me. I missed out on a lot of life experience, I never went to any dances, I never really learned how to socialize with women and the ramifications of that continued well into my 20s.
Drugs were prevalent. If kids want to get into something, they will and they do. I knew students who smoked weed off campus, drinking parties were thrown off campus, and, while the worst of them weren’t as bad as the ones at public school, that has more to do with the affluence of the families that send their kids here rather than the school itself.
I don’t believe my studies were made any better by being a student here. I did not feel like I was given a voice or respect as a human being by my parents or the institution. I was a straight A student the 1^st year and slipped into straight Cs for the next 3 years. Everyone simply thought of me as lazy, but no one understood how powerless and depressed I was — nor did they care.
I felt miserable and angry for most of the years that I was at this school, and for years after. If I ever have children, I will definitely not do this to them.

Top school, because it’s Catholic as much for quality of education.
I am an alumnus and I’ve seen the school get better and better in the thirty plus years since I first became a Friar.
The discipline is effective, the teachers are like a family, and the young men conduct themselves better than any school’s population that I have encountered. They feed the homeless, attend funeral masses in large groups in proper attire, and maintain enrollment in college after graduation when 20% of male college freshmen drop out in year one.
If you want a well-​formed young man in Orange County, Servite is where you send him. Mater Dei? Orange Lutheran? Santa Margarita? Not bad schools, but the standards there — and the watered down Christianity there — are far below Servite’s levels.
Yeah. I said it. I meant it, too. And it’s true, which is the best part.

I’m not trying to justify Nat’s review below, but I do understand that a Catholic school mostly denuded of Catholic belief can «turn someone atheist.» The Catholic Church since the Second Vatican Council has seemed to most to be a shadow of its former self, and in many situations, in a desire to show itself the most accommodating and most tolerant, it has itself failed to stand for something.
I played sports every season, took all the AP and honors classes I could, and was surrounded with excellent young men in the single-​sex environment that I have come to prefer, despite having attended coed schools throughout my schooling career. But, was I shown the role of Christ and His Church in the everyday workings of everyday life? Somewhat. More than likely, the term and religion of «service» took the place of that message. While service has its place, it can only have a place as the footman of an intellectual and religious outlook.
And I think that was part of the problem for Nat. I was only at Servite for one year, 1995 – 1996, so I was there around when Nat was there, and while I do not excuse what happened to his Faith, I can understand, and apologize.

Elite Schooling for Everyday People
I graduated in the Class of 2000. What I remember the most are the strong values from Servite that have helped shape my life. After graduating I went to UC Berkeley. I spent worked in the software industry and international public affairs, and now I am getting two master degrees at Harvard University and University of Pennsylvania.
Looking back at my education, my years at Servite HS were the most challenging — even compared to Berkeley and Harvard. The academics were strong, and the multitude of activities were amazing. I took something like 6 AP classes (but was not the top of my class). I was actively involved in community service clubs and sports on the side.
Given what my parents were paying to send me here, Servite was true value. It’s a place that builds intellectual curiosity, work ethic, and a sense of service. All of my friends from the class have gone on to be good men. My brother, who graduated before me, attended Stanford and went on to Harvard Business School. Today he manages a hedge fund in Southeast Asia.
Other schools around may boast better academics. But none will teach language and the arts — especially history, philosophy, and ethics as Servite does. I am proud to be a graduate of Servite HS.