Oliverian School
- Private, Boarding
- PIKE, NH
Private School
Oliverian School Reviews
Rating 3.86 out of 5 14 reviews
My daughter had severe social anxiety and dropped out of school in 10th grade. After trying online schooling and other interventions with no real success, she did some research and found Oliverian and went to summer session as a trial run. From the first day I could see what a very different type of school it was. The staff were so caring and compassionate, and the sustained effort to help her was clear. There were many days when she couldn't make it to all her classes but would gravitate towards the staff. They ensured that she stayed involved in the ways that she found possible. She had a bumpy ride but felt safe and accepted. No one could work at a school like this and not give their best. There is no one size fits all here. It's also not a school for all kids but if it fits your child, it’s a place for them to get help in finding acceptance of who they are, what they want, and to start working on their place in the world.
our daughter found Oliverian herself and worked very hard to put all the elements in place to allow her to become a student - we do not live in the USA so was difficult for us. She spent two years at the school, was not easy but the school and the staff worked tirelessly and way beyond call of duty to help her graduate - and graduate she did and went on to university where she continues to do well
Oliverian was the "place" that helped our son discover his "place" both in educational terms and on a personal level. Oliverian provided a safe, nurturing, harmonious, caring, authentic environment for our son to re-discover goals and self-interests like pursuing a college education, that had been on-hold to deal with Depression/Anxiety/OCD. Our son graduated Oliverian in 2020 and is now a USC freshman. The loving staff and teachers helped our son to learn coping skills, manage his mental well-being and regain confidence to pursue his academic goals and many life interests, even whilst navigating during his senior year at Oliverian in 2020, during the pandemic. Our son had fun times and new adventures at Oliverian. Our son was able to find his authentic and genuine "place" within himself, discovering inner peace; a true sense of comfort with who he is. Our son and family made special friendships and important connections and we consider ourselves lucky to be part of the Oli Family.
We sent our son to Oliverian after pulling him out of an abusive residential boarding school, promised that it would provide rigorous academics and ample therapeutic support while honoring his autonomy. In fact, it was academically inadequate - zero rigorous assignments, no consequences for skipping class (which led to half of students missing class on a daily basis) - with no therapeutic planning or big picture view (we were told by the counselor that they just "help kids with problems they might face day to day", and were reluctant to do any deep work). They take "autonomy" to a new level, letting the kids do anything they want and hoping to "encourage" them to step up over the course of 4 years. Lots of drugs! Our son spent 6 weeks in his room, leaving only to attend classes, otherwise playing video games non-stop. The administrators are totally uninvolved or worse. Our pleas for more support were ignored. After pulling him out, they refused to refund any of our tuition.
Truly a place to find your place. A wonderfully supportive school with some of the kindest staff I have ever met. Engaging and fun curriculum with teachers ready to work with students to overcome academic challenges and prepare for next steps. I graduated ready to keep moving forward, having accomplished huge personal growth in all aspects of my life.
A caring, compassionate, patient place. My son has attended this year (his first year there) and he had some bumps at first but in their caring hands he is blossoming!! Acclimating, skiing, lots of rigorous academics if they want and can handle it, skiing, forestry, and just the most caring bunch of staff members. A+ - Saved a life for sure.
My son went to Oliverian and had very little academic support and even less Therapeutic support. Although staff were nice they were inefficient. He had ample access to drugs an juul and consequences were minimal
And inefficient. Should have pulled him out sooner. He never even read a book. Very little supervision and even less communication with parents. Do not send your kid here especially if he has addiction issues.
And inefficient. Should have pulled him out sooner. He never even read a book. Very little supervision and even less communication with parents. Do not send your kid here especially if he has addiction issues.
The Oliverian provided me a school environment that supported me in ways that public school never could. They were understanding about the difficulties of being a teenager with major mental health issues but still challenged me to do my best. They wouldn't allow me to slip through the cracks, but they also wouldn't allow me to coast through school either. I was always challenged to do my best, and my limits were understood and respected.
Oliverian is a special school for a special kind of student: one who hasn't been able to fit into a "normal school" environment for whatever reason, but is ready to grow and be part of a community. If the fit is right, they can work wonders with a student. And there is no group of educators more dedicated to their students and willing to love them like family.
This school has kept me going through some hard times, but I would not call it perfect and it does not suit everyone. The administration is very close to the student body, and thus, has the power to micro-manage students' lives. The school has much to improve in terms of clubs, activities, and sports. It is very hard to come by resources at times - an Oliverian student needs to be self-sufficient. Students are punished with detention, withholding allowance, and "campus restriction" where students are not allowed to leave campus. Students without allowance and on campus restriction are unable to buy toiletries or snack food for at least a week. This is a relatively new school with a good-hearted mission, but it has yet to figure out many aspects.
The school was and is tailored towards sturggling students with all sorts of life problems that interfere with their aademics. Because of this, there were times where there was disruption and some amounts of chaos. However, in terms of safety, I never felt like I was in harms way and never felt threatened. There were also limited amounts of bullying like you witness inmost schools, but faculty took immediate action in almost all cases, and each case was taken very seriously.
There were not a lot of extra curricular ativities because the school was so small in terms of student numbers. Therefore we realy only had open art studio time, yearbook committee and also a mixed gender soccer team.
Oliverian accepted me for who I was and my unique struggles, right from day one. I owe a lot to the staff and teachers at this school, for the time they put into helping me achieve my goals of graduating high school and entering a good four-year college. I am still in contact with a few staff members who were key to my success, whch I think this really sums up and attests to how caring and special of a place this school was and still is.
I could not have made it through high school without the devotion of the teachers at this school. They consistently went above and beyond my expectations and were always there when I needed personal or academic help, especially since it is a boarding school. The teachers and staff showed genuine compassion for the students, unlike any others.