Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, California)

Mater Dei High School is a private, Catholic, co-educational secondary school in Santa Ana, California, located in and administered by the Diocese of Orange.

Mater Dei High School
Mater Dei High School, Santa Ana, California
Address
1202 West Edinger Avenue

Santa Ana
,
California
92707

United States
Coordinates33°43′36″N 117°52′59″W
Information
TypePrivate, College-prep
MottoHonor, Glory, Love
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
Established1950
SuperintendentErin Barisano
CEEB code053-240
PrincipalFrances Clare
Teaching staff105.1 (on an FTE basis)[1]
Grades9–12
GenderCoeducational
Enrollment2,152[1] (2015–2016)
Student to teacher ratio20.5[1]
Color(s)Red and grey
Athletics conferenceTrinity League;
CIF Southern Section
NicknameMonarchs
RivalServite[2]
AccreditationWASC,[3] WCEA[4]
NewspaperThe Scarlet Scroll
YearbookCrown
TuitionCatholic: $18,200
Non Catholic: $19,650[5]
Websitematerdei.org

Mater Dei is nationally known for its strong sports programs, especially in football.[6] It is ranked first in the United States for "best high schools for athletes" by school review company Niche,[7] and in 2014, Bleacher Report ranked it in the top five high schools in the U.S. for producing professional athletes.[8] Over 68 percent of the student body participates in some role with a team in one of the 25 different sports sponsored, which together have won 90 CIF, state, and national championships.[9]

History

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles opened Mater Dei in 1950, the first Catholic high school in Orange County. The school had 111 students and a faculty of seven, including Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, plus principal Fr. Joseph Eyraud.[10] In 1953 they were joined by the Patrician Brothers, who taught until 2005.[11]

Enrollment grew rapidly. The school was originally designed for 800 students, but by 1964, it was serving 1,800.[12] In the 1970s it became the largest Catholic high school west of Chicago, and overcrowding persisted until 1987, when Santa Margarita Catholic High School, opened in South Orange County.

In 2000, Mater Dei embarked on a major capital campaign to fund a new parking lot, chapel, library, and service buildings, as well as a spate of athletic facilities and in 2019, a much-needed parking garage.[10]

Controversy

The school has received mixed attention in local media due in part to their method of scouting athletes from public high schools in due process of offering scholarships as a part of recruitment for their acclaimed football program.[13][14][15]

In 2021, a lawsuit was filed alleging that systemic hazing pervaded the football program resulting in a "brutal locker room altercation."[6][16] Another 2021 lawsuit alleged that two Mater Dei football players severely injured a classmate in an orchestrated attack.[17] Orange County bishop Kevin Vann responded with a public statement supporting the school's leadership and criticizing the "media frenzy".[18] The school announced it would commission an independent investigation into the allegations.[19]

In January 2022, a female alumna of Mater Dei filed a lawsuit following the surfacing accusations of hazing, alleging that she was sexually assaulted by a former football coach during the late 1980s.[20]

Athletics

Mater Dei High School's teams named the Monarchs, and their colors are red and grey. As of 2023, the school sponsors boys' and girls' teams at multiple levels in 25 sports in the Trinity League, part of CIF Southern Section:

  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Beach Volleyball
  • Cheerleading
  • Cross-Country
  • Football
  • Golf
  • Lacrosse
  • Soccer
  • Sailing
  • Softball
  • Swimming & Diving
  • Tennis
  • Track & Field
  • Volleyball
  • Water Polo
  • Wrestling

In addition, boys' beach volleyball, e-sports, equestrian, ice hockey, and surfing are offered on a club level.[21]

Known for their football and basketball programs, Mater Dei has also graduated professional athletes Robbie Rogers (soccer), Tiki Ghosn (mixed martial arts), and Greg Woepse (pole vault), as well as ten Olympians.[22] A total of 15 players have been named Gatorade California State Players of the Year.[23]

Football

The Mater Dei football team plays in CIF Southern Section Division 1. They most recently won the CIF State Championship during the 2021 season, and won national championships in 1994, 1996, 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2021.[24] As of 2022, three graduates have won the Heisman Trophy, John Huarte, Matt Leinart, and Bryce Young.[16] T

In 2021 The New York Times cited Mater Dei's football program and that of rival St. John Bosco for making high school football look like NCAA Division I competition in terms of recruiting, training, and facilities.[25]

Notable alumni

Athletics

Other

References
  1. "Search for Private Schools – School Detail for Mater Dei High School". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  2. Terry, Mike (October 11, 1996). "Live and Learn; Servite's Volelrs Hopes to Teach Mater Dei a Lesson This Time". Los Angeles Times. p. 8.
  3. WASC-ACS. "WASC-Accrediting Commission for Schools". Retrieved June 5, 2009.
  4. "WCEA/WASC Accreditation". materdei.org.
  5. "Tuition and Fees". Mater Dei High School. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  6. Sondheimer, Eric (November 26, 2021). "Mater Dei wins Division 1 football title as controversy engulfs program". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  7. 2023 Best High Schools for Athletes in America, Niche, retrieved September 5, 2023
  8. Janovitz, Scott (September 29, 2014), Powerhouse High Schools That Keep Making Pros, retrieved September 5, 2023
  9. "Welcome", Mater Dei High School Athletics, Mater Dei High School, retrieved September 5, 2023
  10. "History of Mater Dei High School", MaterDei.org, Mater Dei High School, retrieved September 5, 2023
  11. "Mater Dei High School", BrothersofStPatrick.com, Brothers of St. Patrick, retrieved September 5, 2023
  12. Emmons, Steve; Marcano, Tony (March 17, 1990), "O.C.'s Mater Dei High Has Big Reputation, Even Bigger Ambition", The Los Angeles Times, retrieved September 5, 2023
  13. "Ranking Top 10 high school recruits of all time".
  14. "Why are Catholic Schools so good at Sports?". August 10, 2011.
  15. "Fine Legal Line for HS athletes who transfer and get recruited".
  16. Fry, Hannah; Sheets, Connor; Nelson, Laura J. (December 22, 2021). "Football powerhouse Mater Dei confronts hazing scandal with a wall of silence". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  17. Nelson, Laura J.; Fry, Hannah (December 6, 2021). "Mater Dei football players broke a student athlete's jaw in a planned attack, lawsuit says". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  18. Nelson, Laura J. (December 8, 2021). "O.C. bishop decries 'media frenzy' over alleged hazing at Mater Dei High School". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  19. Reid, Scott (November 30, 2021). "Mater Dei to commission independent probe of its sports programs". Orange County Register. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  20. "Mater Dei sex abuse accusation comes to light following Hazing lawsuit". Los Angeles Times. January 20, 2022.
  21. "Mater Dei Athletics", MaterDeiAthletics.org, Mater Dei High School, retrieved September 5, 2023
  22. "Olympians", MaterDeiAthletics.org, Mater Dei High School, retrieved September 5, 2023
  23. "Gatorade California State Players of the Year", MaterDeiAthletics.org, Mater Dei High School, retrieved September 5, 2023
  24. Peter, Josh. "Mater Dei High School caps championship season in shadow of serious hazing allegations". USA TODAY. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  25. Witz, Billy (November 14, 2021), "California's High School Football Powerhouses Feed the College Game", The New York Times, retrieved September 5, 2023
  26. "Schea Cotton" (PDF). NBA.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 24, 2012.
  27. Fryer, Steve (December 18, 2012). "Mater Dei's Duarte is offensive player of the year". OCVarsity.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2016.
  28. Shaikin, Bill (October 8, 2016). "Nationals stick with Danny Espinosa, for a simple reason". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  29. "Tiki Ghosn UFC Bio". Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  30. Henson, Joaquin M. (August 19, 2017). "Thais a different team with Lamb". The Philippine Star. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  31. Ben Bolch, Leinart Chosen State Player of Year, Los Angeles Times, December 5, 2000. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
  32. "Bob Meacham Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
  33. "Michael Gallagher '02". Mater Dei High School. 2016.
  34. "Juan Zarate". White House. 2005.
  35. "Juan C. Zarate". Center for Strategic and International Studies. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
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