During his first two years of high school Oaks attended Uintah High School in Vernal, where he was on the football team, involved in debate, and played the oboe in the school band. At the start of his 11th-grade year, the Oaks family moved to Provo, where he choose to attend Brigham Young High School (B Y High) because it was smaller than Provo High School. At B Y High, he was again involved in football, track, playing the oboe in the band, and dramatic productions. Oaks graduated from B Y High in 1950.