My son went to all 4 years of high school at Ojai Valley school , and it was a wonderful experience and a great decision for him. The small classes and the attentive teachers were wonderful and made all the difference compared to a public high school. He was able to excel academically with knowledgeable teachers and AP science, math, Spanish, and English classes, he participated in leadership activities, participated as a drummer in a band all 4 years, lead an archery club, played soccer, acted and sang in plays that were well directed but also did not overwhelm his academic schedule, and he made friends in lots of social settings. The visual art classes and the ceramics classes were also superb. Best of all , my son had a wonderful college counselor who led us through the whole college application process . My son applied to 14 universities and got into 12 with scholarships. All the high school graduates with my son went straight to 4 year universities, among them, UCSB- my sons choice - UC Berkeley, UCSD, UC Santa Cruz, Boston University, Whittier College, and other great private liberal colleges as well. Ojai Valley High School was also very strict and they even expelled a few of my sons classmates who were using marijuana. Children leave this high school as young men and women ready to take on the challenges of universities and the next phase of their lives. read more

School still sucks. I graduated but those experiences still stayed with me. It's horrible there. I especially wouldn't recommend anyone to attend boarding, it's just horrible. Education is tolerable for the most part that I could remember, sixth grade was a breeze for me. However the boarding aspect is horrid. read more

My son attended kindergarten last year and this year he is attending 1st grade. This school is amazing! Horseback riding, wood shop, art, music, and Spanish are just some of the classes that the 1st Graders do weekly besides the core subjects. Both his teachers are great! They work closely with all the students and are very enthusiast. I can't recommend this school enough. read more

OVS is an incredible school! The kids get to do all kinds of amazing things like build robots, ride horses on campus, and go on amazing camping trips several times a year. The class sizes are small. So even though the classes can be challenging, they get a lot of attention from their teachers. It's a good little community, As for Covid times.......Most schools have been online since March last year, but OVS started back in person for all students in the fall! The youngest up to the high school kids! Everyone wears masks, plus theres health screenings everyday and outdoor classrooms for all the classes. They even had covid testing at the school before everyone got back from Christmas break. I think that says alot, they are really dedicated to the kids. read more

I was a day student there who graduated upper campus 2009. I moved from Virginia to intimidating California and felt so isolated and left out. Ojai Valley School changed that. I felt immediately welcome and integrated into their family like environment. Amazing staff that actually care. Student to teacher ratio is fantastic and they have an amazing outdoor program. If you are looking for a place to have your child attend, give them a look. You will not be displeased. read more

I only attended a few years of lower campus at OVS. I have never experienced any of the things that others say, I did not dorm so I would have been unable to experience anything regarding that. But my experience as a normal student throughout 5th and 6th grade was amazing. In those two years I learned the most I have ever learned in my life. The teachers and staff are outstanding, the dining hall always provided the most delicious meals, their way of teaching is extremely efficient, and my overall experience was tremendous. I regret choosing to move across seas. read more

First of all you want to know that there is more than one school here. There is a K-8 and then there is a separate high school. This is really important to know because the two schools are so diametrically different. OVS has an upper school (high school) and a lower school (elementary). The Lower School is excellent!! Extremely well-respected and regularly feeds into Thatcher. Sending your child to the Lower School is an excellent choice, hard to beat, no complaints, and lots of accolades...but keep reading. The Upper School is up the hill although that has little to do with the term 'upper'. OVS High School is really a wreck and has been for many years. Much of that blame can be squarely leveled on the headmaster Carl Cooper. Why they ever hired him is beyond me. He was first fired as a teacher for dating one of the students...who he ended up marrying. So what do you do with a teacher who is fired for dating a student and then marries her? What else would you do? You make him headmaster. Carl had a number of other personality traits that I would not want to see in a head of school but suffice it to say that the school is an absolute mess. I'm not a fan of public schools but if given a choice of only OVS or a public school, I'd go with the public school. I can't believe that I'm writing that but the school is that bad. One year 45% of the staff quit at the end of the year. If you send your kid here, your nuts. read more

My granddaughter started at OVS last year as a 6th grade boarder. Prior to OVS, she attended school in a highly ranked CA school system where she carried a "C" average. After 1-1/2 years at OVS, she now has a B average. I have attended all of her parent-teacher evaluations. Trust me....they care about each young person entrusted to them. They focus on the total person (educationally, individuality, emotionally, socially, and healthy living. As to my granddaughter, faculty and staff put a lot into helping her get organized and a lot of effort to get her up to grade level. The faculty is outstanding and work hard to ensure each student is succeeding. Most importantly, my granddaughter loves the entire OVS experience including teachers, dorm parents, and staff. The dorm rooms are just fine. There is no air but they have fans. More importantly, the Dorm Moms are amazing. They have incredible patience, concerned about each child's personal and scholastic success. This is not a new glass and chrome school and that is part of the charm. It has a proven history and incredible reputation. OVS places emphasis on serving organic/fresh/healthy food. My granddaughter is now essentially a pescetarian but may occasionally eat meat if fish is not available. I recommend this school without any reservation whatsoever. The young people love it. The parents love it. AND, oh yes, the faculty loves it. read more

This school is incredible. The quality of the academics, woodshop, physical education, outdoor education, music department, fine arts, foreign language and more are beyond. Impressed with everyone from the cooks who prepare fresh healthy meals and the professional safe transportation staff to the faculty. read more

My daughter goes to OVS and we are VERY happy with the education she is receiving. Highly recommended!!

Brilliant education, student focused, and worth every dime. After reading the poor reviews, one can not help wondering if they were all written by a drunk toddler. read more

this school is just a bullshit because the school has a program deal with esl classes my son's english is fantastic but they still made him to go to the class which is a wasting of time. the lower school headmaster morse was a unscrupulous principal because since my son wanted to transfer to another school and she and the esl teacher send a letter to the another school says my son has a serious behavior problem just cuz my son speak to the teacher some problems about how the esl teacher mistreated him because we think my son dont need to go to the english as a second language class. please please dont go to this school!!! this school is like a hell for ur kid read more

I am a seventh grader student at Ojai Valley School, this is my second year and I've got to say, this has to be the greatest school in the county, I came from China two years ago and they helped me with the transition and within six months I felt completely at home. KINDLY DISREGARD ALL THE OTHER NEGATIVE REVIEWS, they are all from parents so they don't really know about what goes on around campus during and after school hours. The classes are pretty small, around 10 kids per class 20 per grade which means you get a lot of attention and help from the teachers. All these teachers are very nice and have a good sense of humor. The Dorms are not what these other people say, they might not have air conditioning but when it gets hot in the summer they have fans everywhere, the rooms are nice and ventilated, the dorms are so nice I sometimes stay after school just to hang out in the dorms because they also have a nice room where all the dormers can hang out and do homework or watch TV. The dorm parents are very nice but they are strict when they have to be. At this school you are also given many opportunities to help out around campus. The homework load each night is good, 20-40 minutes and the outdoor program is incredible, you have a base camping trip in the fall to get to know your classmates then you have a backpacking trip in the spring. There are weekend trips you can go on, anything from a one day mountain biking trip to a three day backpacking trip through Joshua tree national park. All I want to say is that this school is great and you should seriously consider sending your kid here because when I was looking for schools this one was the best one by a long shot and you should consider yourself lucky just because you found this wonderful school. read more

I went to OVS upper campus 50 years ago. That was the year "Are You Experienced" by Jimi Hendrix Experience" came out shortly before the term started. I attended while Carl Coolper was a senior and his father was headmanster. Carl and his senior cohort were a very impressive class. Needless to say, these were turbulent times which only got more turbulent as the 60's ended. I graduated in 1969. I started out hating OVS as I was told suddenly that I was being sent to boarding school after being farmed out to the East Coast all summer. Thus I would be away from home for an entire year. This angered me becuase I played in a very good LA blues band and had many friends (read girlfirends) whom I wanted to reunite with. I had only visited Ojai once before in my life to play golf. I knew nobody at OVS and had to "pay my dues" as it were. You know how cruel adolescent boys and girls can be. But I had an "ace in the hole" I was recruited to play drums in the school's "Fyve of A Kind" band. The Fyve were your basic Beatles/Stones cover band trying to integrate psychedelic sounds that were coming out in that era. They were a great bunch of guys Scott, the late Conrad, Jeff and myself on the kit. Our band was adored by the student body which like the soccer team, gave us some status. We played at all the dances and some highly respected functions off campus like the Ojai Tennis Tournament. At first my relationship with headmaster Mr. Cooper was strained as I was often a problem sneaking off to go surfing at Rincon when I was supposed to stay in Ojai township. But over time I developed a wonderful relationship with Mr. Cooper who seemed to take a special pastoral interest in me. Probably because I was a scientific nerdy type (I eventually retired as a public high school science teacher). And because, I think he liked our band's music and that we distinguished OVS in the greater Ojai community which cast a favorable impression of the school. And that I had adapted. I passed some difficult classes.I made some enduring friendships and still think very highly of the students and staff I met there. OVS was a life changing experience for me and from the instruction and college preparation I received there, I was able to graduate university in molecular biology and stay out of the Viet Nam war - which was a real hazard at that time. The scenery was magnifient at the foot of Topa Topa - a truly magical landmark. Thecamping trips to Sespe were wonderful. And I am sorry to read that the campus suffered much fire damage. God willing they'll be up and running again. Cheers From New Zealand -William Clarke read more

According to my child, their experience as a boarding student at upper school was like living in a police state. Teachers were unavailable when help was needed. Apparently there was a "homework club" where you spent your weekend morning doing any missed homework you had for the week. This was infuriating for a student that worked hard and turned in their work timely. The headmaster always seemed to assume the worst of any student and was constantly trying to "catch" students doing something wrong while real problems happened all over campus and were ignored. I regret letting my child attend this school and will never be able to give those years back to them. What should have been a wonderful experience turned out to be such a waste. We should have anticipated the problems earlier when nearly half the freshman boarders were expelled or left that first year. read more

My daughter is in her first year of high school at OVS this year as a boarder. She LOVES it! The faculty and students have exceeded our expectations. There is NOTHING negative to say- EVERYTHING is amazing- the campus is breathtaking, the teachers are amazing and supportive, the students are polite, worldly and kind, the parents are great...I cannot say enough. My daughter has NEVER been away from home, not to sleep away camp, nothing. I was SO scared leading up to her first day- the first few days were an adjustment and I cried non-stop...but after the second day, she was texting me that this was the best thing that has ever happened to her and how incredibly happy she was- she said she made friends that she thought would be "life long." She said the kids are amazing, they are in to their academics, social interacting... and not in to the things that teenagers were in to in her public middle school and the high school she was scheduled to go to...She has NO complaints. She is vegan, gluten free and sugar free and has many fresh food options, they have been so accommodating. She was worried that she would not be a "good enough" student, but given the tiny class sizes and the overwhelming amount of academic support, she says that she is confident with her ability (which she has never felt in public school) WE ARE BEYOND THRILLED! Any negative review should be seriously ignored. I am a psychologist and tend to be over analytic and have high expectations of others- I am blown away and I feel like I am providing my daughter with an opportunity of a lifetime!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO GRATEFUL! read more

AS a step parent to a student ,my experience with Ojai Valley School could not have been worse. the faculty and administration are an incestuous group of adults who are no more mature than the students they are teaching. They are quick to judge without understanding that there are two sides to all stories. After traveling half way across the United States to visit the campus, we were treated like an annoyance and dismissed to be on our own on the campus. Without any thought or sensitivity, the headmaster and school counselor made decisions that have driven a wedge in our family that may never be repaired. It is unbelievable that an organization that is supposed to be teaching our children and setting a good example can be so irresponsible and immature. I would strongly encourage anyone thinking about sending their child to this school to reconsider. read more

we took our kid there for summer camp. they seem well organized but the dorms don't look that good and there is no air conditioning. it was very hot. this was our first day there. we will see how it goes and review again later. they make it very difficult to talk to your kid. only on the weekend so we have to wait all week to talk to her. very difficult for us as parents. read more

I believe this school is not getting the credit it deserves, this is the single best school that I have ever seen/heard of/attended. This school is just a wonderful smorgasbord of everything thats right about modern and traditional education. This century old institution is small, yes, but that just makes it all the better, I came from a school who's students numbered in the thousands, it was just insane, then I come to this school of less than a hundred and fifty and I must admit I was more than pleasantly surprised. The atmosphere was so friendly, walking around campus during or after school, you would feel like you were in the very beginning or ends of a Disney movie, everywhere you went, there would be somebody there, and they would greet you in a very kind and calming manner. And it wasn't just the attitude of those around you, it was the location and layout of the school as well. This school is basically multiple buildings spread out over 13 acres of pathways, gardens, and lawns, it gives this school a very calming feeling, whether you're walking to a class or eating lunch outside on Fridays, this school doesn't give you an opportunity to be stressed. Now, the boarding situation, first of all I must say that I have never been a boarding student at this school, but on multiple occasions I have spent an extended period of time in the dorms, and I must say they are very welcoming, from the moment you step in the door after school or on weekends you're greeted by smiling faces doing homework, hanging out, or just playing around, it is a delight to be in there and I would honestly say if I were given the opportunity to stay in the dorms I would most definitely do so with no hesitation. To address the elephant in the room, these other negative reviews, I would like to point out a few things about them: First of all, the negative reviews are all written by parents who apparently don't understand this school very well, Secondly, most of these reviews sound as if they have been twisted and blown up way out of proportion because I have never experienced any of the things spoken about in these reviews, and finally, all these bad reviews focus primarily on a single subject, not one of those review rate either of the two schools completely, they just focus on one aspect of their experience that they did not enjoy. If you don't agree with the following points I have made, let me give you some numbers that may convince you otherwise. Yelp has been a website for 12 years, in those 12 years, 6 reviews have been written about these schools, 6 negative, and 2 positive. In those 12 years approximately 600-700 students have gone through these schools. That means in 12 years 0.09% of people had a negative experience that was bad enough to cause them to regret sending their children there, and these reviews, as I've said before, haven't ever covered the entire school, much less was from someone who actually spent time there, now in my opinion thats very few, few enough that it should not prevent anyone from attending this school, because this school, was a life saver for me, it not only aided me in my transition from a foreign, developing country. They took me in, gave me friends, gave me teachers, gave me advisors, gave me a whole other family that made me into the young adult I am today, and Im proud to say I've gone to OVS, that I'm going to continue attending OVS, and that I will always be a part of OVS, because I really love this tiny, incredible little school in the hills. read more