I attended Odenton Christian School (OCS) from fourth through eighth grade, and my sibling attended from second through eighth grade. I am writing this review specifically for parents who are considering sending their children here because they believe it offers both a quality education and strong biblical teaching.
Based on my experience, I strongly encourage you to thoroughly research this school before making that decision.
One thing many parents may not realize is that OCS is not simply a Christian school. It follows the teachings of the Independent Fundamental Baptist (IFB) movement. If you are unfamiliar with what that means, I encourage you to do your own research before enrolling your child. One documentary that helped me better understand many of the beliefs and cultural practices I experienced is Let Us Prey. While the documentary is not about OCS specifically, it discusses the broader IFB movement and helped put many of my experiences into perspective.
During my years at OCS, I learned very quickly that succeeding was often less about learning and more about avoiding punishment. I learned not to make facial expressions during class, never speak unless explicitly permitted, always answer adults with "Yes, ma'am" or "Yes, sir" rather than simply "yes," and generally avoid doing anything that might attract negative attention or earn demerits. Looking back, I believe this environment emphasized unquestioning obedience over curiosity, confidence, or independent thinking.
I also attended several camps through the school. During those camps, I spent extended periods being taught about female purity and that, as a future wife, obeying my husband was part of obeying God, regardless of wrongful acts. Because we did not have access to our phones, we regularly wrote letters home. I only recently learned that my parents never received any of the letters I wrote.
As an adult, I eventually went to therapy, where I had to learn that it is okay to say "no," establish healthy boundaries, and respectfully question authority figures. Those were skills I genuinely struggled with after leaving this environment.
Academically, OCS left me significantly behind. When I transferred to public school, I realized I had major gaps in subjects that my peers had already learned, including geometry and other foundational mathematics and science concepts. I spent years catching up by teaching myself material that many students had learned in middle school. I had been diagnosed with dyslexia before attending OCS and had previously received support for it. While attending OCS, however, my learning disability was never meaningfully recognized or accommodated. Because so much of the curriculum relied on memorization, I was still able to earn straight A's despite not actually mastering many of the concepts. Once I transferred to public school, where understanding and application mattered much more than memorization, my grades immediately dropped to B's and C's while I worked to catch up.
If OCS still uses the Abeka curriculum, I strongly encourage every parent to look through the textbooks and compare them to the quizzes and tests. In my experience, many assessments rewarded rote memorization of bolded terms rather than genuine comprehension. Abeka is also a homeschool curriculum produced by an IFB institution, which is something parents should know when evaluating whether it aligns with the type of education they want for their children.
I was considered one of the strongest students in my class while attending OCS. Yet after transferring schools, I discovered just how much I had not been taught. I spent countless hours outside of school teaching myself subjects simply to reach the level of my classmates.
The school also did very little to prepare students for standardized testing. Reading comprehension was not emphasized the way it is in most public schools, and OCS did not participate in any state-wide or national standardized assessments that many students across Maryland and the United States take throughout their education. As someone who is now preparing for graduate-level standardized exams, I still deal with the long-term effects of that lack of preparation, particularly because my dyslexia was never properly addressed during my years there.
Socially, I also believe students are at a disadvantage. Because the school is so small and isolated, many students have limited opportunities to develop the communication, collaboration, and critical thinking skills that become essential in college and professional careers.
Mental health is another reason I feel compelled to write this review. During my time at OCS and after leaving, I personally knew multiple students who struggled with severe mental health challenges, including suicide attempts or suicidal thoughts. For the rest of my review, copy and paste the link due to word limit: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ecd2euH_J_ciz1SAI6k9ww2Z0lDhS8ZbMRZpNSmgDIc/edit?usp=sharing read more
