This system was retired in the early 1970s when Fairfax County installed an IBM 360 mainframe at the Annandale campus of Northern Virginia Community College.

[8] The incident was referenced during the August 3, 2009, episode of The Colbert Report, with the show satirically portraying the student as a "druggie".

Oakton offers an Advanced Placement (AP) program and a large variety of AP classes in major subject areas, including English, Social Studies, Science, Foreign Languages, Math, Performing Arts, and Fine Arts.

[12] Post-AP courses, including multivariable calculus and linear algebra, are available to sufficiently advanced students.

[3] The average SAT score in 2006 for Oakton High School was 1,703 (568 in Critical Reading, 578 in Math, and 557 in Writing).

[27] In 2008, the performing arts department won the Blue Ribbon Award, a result of Superior ratings for all Band, Choral, and Orchestra groups in state festivals.

The marching band has won other awards at competitions throughout the country and has been featured in parades and professional football games.

[citation needed] The concert bands have made many appearances at Fiesta-val competitions in Chicago, Myrtle Beach, Orlando, and Toronto.

The school's drama program has put on Arsenic and Old Lace, The Wizard of Oz, and other plays and musicals.

[citation needed] In 2017-2018, the school produced Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare, Almost, Maine by John Cariani, and Orphie and the Book of Heroes by Kooman and Dimond, and Lin-Manuel Miranda's 21 Chump Street.

[32] Later that year, the Chamber Orchestra was accepted to perform at the American String Teachers Association National Conference, which took place in March 2009 in Atlanta.

[citation needed] Oakton's Publications Department produces a newspaper, The Outlook, a yearbook called Paragon, and a literary magazine, Opus.

In October 2006, both The Outlook and Paragon received Trophy-Class honors at the Virginia High School League, with a rating of Superior.

In April 2008, Paragon received a Pacemaker award, one of the highest honors in high school journalism, as well as 8th in best of show.

Oakton is a member of the AAA Concorde District and the Northern Region of the Virginia High School League.

Its cross country, football, baseball, lacrosse, and men's swimming teams won Virginia state titles.

The boys' lacrosse team, with its loss to Robinson Secondary School, ended its three-year streak as state champions.

The girls' cross country team also won the district title, was 4th in the region and returned to take 2nd in the state meet.

The men's swim team placed 2nd in districts, regionals, and finals to Robinson Secondary School.

With a perfect 10–0 season, the football team won the district and regional titles, finishing with a 13–1 record and losing 10–7 to Oscar Smith High School in the state semi-finals.

The girls' basketball team finished with a perfect season, won the district and regional titles, and was runner-up in the state.

The girls' indoor track and field team won the district title for the second straight year.

[34][35] Like most Fairfax County schools, the building is of considerable size, consisting of two stories to accommodate its large population of students.