Orinda Academy has been a great fit for our family. The teachers and staff really get to know each kid, and the students are kind and supportive of each other. It is college prep and the work is tailored to each students academic ability, so they are always being challenged to learn. It's a calm environment with great staff. read more

We moved to the East Bay from NYC during the pandemic to be close to grandparents. It was challenging for everyone, particularly our children, 16 and 12. We found Orinda Academy, the lovely and healing environment we needed. Our 16-year-old entered in 11th grade, made friends, and excelled academically. OA's combination of nurture and rigor was just what we needed! The parent community is open and supportive. We also value an environment where teachers, administrators, and the entire school community know and care about our children. Our daughter is now 18 and in college and our younger one, now 14, just entered 9th grade at OA. So far so good! They are making friends and love their teachers. Our second time around and we could not be happier! read more

OA is a school for bright kids who need a smaller, quieter environment. In 9th grade, my daughter attended a small public charter HS in Oakland and found it overwhelming -- too loud and too chaotic. I reached out to OA mid-year and the head of school showed so much compassion; she helped us figure out the right move for her. Attending the school has continued to feel like a team effort. The teachers are so good with young people and spend a lot of time getting to know them. A student can't hide at OA, but at the same time, alone time and quiet spaces are absolutely respected. My daughter started off extremely shy and has absolutely blossomed. She finds the school incredibly social because all the grades know each other and so she can banter all day long with various people! It's an intentional community with shared experiences and a deep appreciation for everyone's individual learning styles and personal struggles. OA is not a special ed school but a place where kids can go at their own pace and won't fall between the cracks. Students with behavioral problems are not admitted. Its about a 50/50 split of students coming from each side of the tunnel. Classes are small and robust conversations, games and laughter are prevalent! When you ask my daughter what she thinks of school as a 10th grader, she says "It's so lovely; it's actually fun to go to school!" read more

This is a wonderful small school for smart kids with minor learning differences like ADHD. My grandson attended a large private high school in Oakland but had a tough time getting his teachers to help with homework problems, especially after he missed a week of class due to a cold and sports injuries. He transferred to OA at 11th grade and is thrilled to have teachers who actually care about how he is doing in class. They give detailed feedback on his work which helps him see how his learning is advancing. The teachers and administrative staff also encourage him to look beyond high school and start figuring out what kind of college experience he'd like to have. It is a great experience for him to see how successful he can be as a student. Take a look at Orinda Academy for a personalized approach to learning for high school students. read more

Our son transferred to Orinda Academy from a local public school in his Sophomore year because he was struggling staying organized, keeping up with assignments and overall having a positive view of his future. The incredible support, care and encouragement he has received at Orinda Academy from teachers and staff is remarkable. He also has been flourishing in the small classes. He excitedly explained to me this semester how much he relates to Holden Caufield from Catcher in the Rye. At his previous school, he never was excited about learning and often asked to miss school. He is now an active participant. We are very impressed by this awesome gem of a school. read more

My son has been at Orinda Academy since 9th grade and is now a Senior. We came to this school because my son has ADD and had difficulty in public schools with large classrooms. The public high school in our area is huge and feels more like a small college than a high school. Orinda Academy is a small school with a beautiful campus and small classes (most classes are 6-8 kids). The teachers are skillful not only in the subject areas, but also in dealing effectively and compassionately with kids who have learning differences. Our son has excelled academically, grown emotionally, and is enjoying a social life with a great group of kids. The parent community is also friendly and supportive. Overall, we have had a good experience. read more

Went here back when it was known as "Northbay" for a time. I had a really great experience here and the two people who were my geometry partners I still know and am still great friends with to this day! Thats almost 10 years later! This place was expensive back in my day and I expect it is still expensive now. However, for a highschool this place was awesome. Small class sizes, wonderful caring teachers, and great class topics. This place was run more like a college than a highschool during my time. While I cannot comment how it is currently run I certainly have fond memories of this place. This place gets 5 stars for the great time I had here! read more

Orinda Academy was a fantastic experience for our son. There is a mutual respect at the school between the students and the staff. The small class sizes allow the teachers to truly know their students as whole people. They acknowledge their strengths while helping them improve areas of weakness. Communication with parents is great and includes regular progress reports. In addition to the wonderful classroom experience and solid college prep curriculum provided, my son was given some fantastic opportunites, the highlight of which was his trip to Russia with last years critical issues forum (team). We enrolled our son at Orinda Academy after 8th grade in the public school system. My son's disorganization and poor study skills combined with the impersonal environment of overcrowded classrooms threatened not only his educational achievement, but emotional wellbeing. At Orinda Academy, he blossomed. He made fantastic friendships, and felt safe for the first time to try new things like the jazz band, improv class, and team sports. Our son applied to 15 Universities across the country and was accepted to 12, many of which he was offered merit scholarships. He will be attending his first choice college this fall, University of the Pacific, as a Computer Science Major. More importantly, the disorganized little boy with shattered self -esteem who we brought to Orinda Academy has grown into a compassionate and self-confident young man who is excited and ready to step out into the world on his own. read more

While attending Orinda Academy from 8th grade until I graduated high school in 2009, I thrived in the supportive, friendly, and educational environment. The teachers made sure that all my needs were met, and that I was always learning through my personal learning style. My peers were from all over the East Bay, and from a diverse array of backgrounds; I learned a lot from each and every one of them. I felt confident going to college, and then graduate school, based on my experiences at Orinda Academy. Most importantly, I learned how to be my own self-advocate, and that has brought me great success in communicating my educational, and now professional needs. read more

I have attended OA for 5 years since 8th grade. Do yourself and your kid a favor. Don't ever send your kid to Orinda Academy. The entire social structure is based off of prison tactics: Do your work, or we make you miserable. The punishment for not doing your work is a lot like solitary confinement, no joke. They say it prepares your kids for college. In truth, all it does is make your kid socially awkward amidst real life situations. Furthermore, it teaches students that there is always going to be someone holding their hand for work-loads. Finally, it gives kids the independence equal to that of a 5 year old. In short, if you want a daycare for the sole purpose of giving a boring and unproductive, yet safe place to your kid for the day, Orinda Academy is your best bet. However, if you are in search of a well rounded and efficient education for you child, go in the opposite direction. read more

Our son attends Orinda Academy and is in the 10th grade. He actually started there in 6th grade (although now the school is 8-12th grades). The small, inclusive environment ensures that no one slips through the cracks and all students are challenged at their specific level. A small high school social experience, relationships with teachers and staff and a culture of diversity created a safe environment for him to blossom academically and socially. Learning style differences are embraced and accepted as normal. I can't say enough about the investment of sending him here to change the trajectory of his life. He went from a reclusive dreamer, not meeting his potential, to a confident young man who is now engaged in learning and connecting with his peers. read more

My son attends Orinda Academy. The school has a mixture of kids with learning differences, regular kids who want a small school environment, and a few foreign students. My son falls in the first group. Up to this point, I can't say anything negative at all. From administrators to teachers, everyone has been very helpful, trying to meet special requests to personalize his education and pushing him to be the best student he can be. He was allowed to start his own school club. He has made some great friends. There is an atmosphere of tolerance for kids who are "different." As for the review below regarding an expulsion for fighting, that is a parent who should have given the school 5 stars for setting limits on that child's behavior. Apparently no one else has done it, and he will have a miserable life if no one steps up to do it. Schools this small can't have a kid disrupting the entire facility. read more

This is our second year as members of the OA community. We are beyond proud of who our son has become since he started at OA. His teachers are kind, compassionate and deeply knowledgeable. We are grateful to OA for providing our son a wonderful education. Excellence at OA starts with the people - both staff and students - as mutual respect is central to the culture. read more

Went to this school second semester freshmen year. Made some good friends. Some of my teachers were great and amazing especially my heath and geography teacher Kathy. While others not so much. The few teachers that I was really not so fond of I felt definitely had their favorites in class and it was WELL known. I also really loved the lunch lady that made delicious food and then found out she was "FIRED" for serving "too much candy" or something. She was a great person. Also the lunch room supervisor Dianne was wonderful. Very pleasant and friendly and showed a lot of love and care for the students. They have this assistant principal Norm who I was not so fond of. They also had a computer teacher for a short while that literally went off on me for saying that I believed what she was saying was not right and I spoke up and voiced my opinion and she literally called me a vulgar name and went off on me. She was later fired. They have a funky "sign out sign in " book every Student has and the teacher needs to initial it after each class. This school had many cliques and they would gang up on others and make fun of other students and the principal really didn't take necessary steps in preventing this. They also tend to kick students out for odd reasons such as "making a FAKE my-space page for a dance teacher" which later they found out wasn't the student who they had already kicked out. And trying to apologize to them by saying they could come back and sending a diploma etc. Why would anyone want to come back to someplace that is so unprofessional, and can't deal with issues well. My brother was also in this school for a VERY short time, due to the school not accommodating him for his hearing loss and Legally are required by law to provide services such as note taker interpreter which they refused. Very small classes were nice. Not that many extra activities. Also found out one of the teachers used to smoke pot with the students on the weekends and she now lives in Hawaii. read more

My son attends Orinda Academy as a 9th grader. He is fitting in and is supported by the community. There is a great group of caring teachers and administrators and very nice group of kids. The small classes and close counseling relationships have enabled him to be a great student, and he is getting a great education. He enjoys going to school, and comes home and does his homework. It has been a super positive experience so far. Highly recommended! read more

My son had history of fighting in public school. Thought the small class size and school size would have an impact on that. The school did not provide any services to deal with the anger issues and he got into another fight for which he was expelled. Not a good school for kids with anger issues. Better for kids with learning issues read more

Our son is fortunate to have been at OA since 2012. He is now in 11th grade, getting ready for his senior year. He has thrived in this environment: teachers and staff are attentive and supportive, the kids are remarkably sweet. We are grateful for the excellent education he has received and acceptance of independent learning style that facilitates differentiated learning. read more

Fantastic small school with wonderful people.

Going to Orinda Academy was the best decision I ever made. I've always been a motivated student, but after having attended public school in a poor area for years I was starting to slip through the cracks a little. I had a 3.5 GPA, but I was frequently skipping school and didn't really feel like I was learning anything. It seemed my teachers only cared enough about me to yell at me to pay attention when I started reading ahead due to sheer boredom. Because of my spotty attendance record OA was the only school to accept me. Since going to OA, I have completely turned my life around. The small environment allowed me to blossom both socially and academically. I was one of those kids who would sit in a corner reading due to my fear of social interactions, but since the school is small enough that you eventually know everyone, it wasn't long before I began to come out of my shell. I began to get involved in sports, an opportunity which I likely wouldn't have had at a larger school. I started making friends who I talked to outside of school instead of just saying "hi" to in the hall, and I began to learn to speak up for and advocate for myself. I am now actively involved in the student government and the cheer squad (only one in the division!), and I have almost completely overcome my social anxiety (I look at people's faces now when I speak to them, instead of looking at the floor!). I also have a near-perfect GPA, and since my sophomore year I haven't skipped a single day of school. Academically, the school is about average in terms of rigor. Its main advantage is that due to the small number of students in the classes, the teachers can accommodate you. For example, a classmate of mine has dysgraphia and is allowed to use a computer to type. Teachers let you listen to music while working on in-class assignments. The small class sizes also makes discussion a lot easier, and this is especially useful in foreign language classes. I took Spanish for 2 years in middle school, but I couldn't speak at all. After 3 years with the Spanish teacher at OA, I can speak nearly fluently. The social science teacher, Jeff, and the AP English teacher, Peter also utilize a lot of discussion in their classes. These have been some of the most fulfilling classes I have taken in my life, so the academics are definitely not lacking. You can also make the curriculum "harder" by choosing to self-study AP tests. I have personally taken 8 AP tests in the last 2 years, and my teachers were always accommodating about giving me access to advanced materials to aid me in my studies. The administration makes all of the arrangements for you as well, and lets you take them on campus. There aren't a lot of schools who will proctor an AP test for just one person. That said, there is a reason my review is 4/5 stars. First, there is an astounding amount of teacher turnover. Since I enrolled in the 9th grade (I'm a senior now), there have been 9 lower-level science teachers. 9. And about 5 of those were in a single year. Note this is absolutely not the fault of the administration, and they are just as baffled as the students are about why this keeps happening. And there are some teachers who have been there 20+ years. While this didn't affect everyone's learning too much, it was honestly disconcerting and I have no idea if this is common at this school or if they've just had a string of bad luck in the last few years. In addition, the school has recently instituted new disciplinary policies that many of the students find a bit excessive. If you miss one homework assignment, you have to sit in the study hall for all of your free periods the next day, even if you finish your work. You have to turn in your cell phone for all of that time as well, so if you're someone like me who uses their phone for school-related activities that can be annoying. In addition, the administration has recently blocked a lot of websites on their wifi and banned all mobile devices from accessing it. I understand why they have taken these actions, as there are definitely certain students who need this type of structure, but as someone who can handle my own affairs I find it a bit patronizing. All of that said, OA is still an amazing school. To quote my dad, "I have never seen a school that [cares] this much about its students." If you are in danger of falling through the cracks, they will do absolutely everything possible to help you. If you need testing accommodations for the SAT, they will get them for you. If you need a therapist, there are two therapists to accommodate the student body of 80, so they will always have time to help you. And if you need help getting organized, they have staff on-site to help you with that too. If you need a ton of people around you all of the time, this is not the school for you. But if you like knowing all your schoolmates and if you need a little extra help sometimes, then OA just might be the perfect environment. read more

Our daughter will be attending Orinda Academy (OA) fall of 2017. We chose the school because of its ability to provide a solid college prep education without the excessive stress that accompanies so many other independent school programs in the area. Because of its small class size, teachers can work with students' strengths and help them to stretch in areas where they may need more assistance. Our daughter is a straight A student but sometimes needs help organizing extended projects. She's motivated in classes where the level of discourse is engaging and teachers encourage independent thinkers. OA can meet both of those needs/desires. In addition to the small community and strength of the academics, we were drawn to the school's special programs such as elective offerings and Educational Adventure Week. Like many kids attending the school, our daughter will hop on BART, which is located just down the hill from the school--and the short walk is safe. That's a relief after the harassment she faced daily at our local public school. Full disclosure: I taught at the school for several years (recently) and remained a fan of their caring brand of education and community. read more

We highly recommend Orinda Academy. When our son entered the school as a freshman, he faced learning and social challenges. Through the extraordinary dedication of the founder and the staff, as well as the wonderful supportive yet academically challenging environment, our son progressed to the point where he is thriving in college. We are eternally grateful for the school for all that it has done. In addition, the staff is engaging, likeable, responsive and community oriented. A must for your child!! read more

Orinda Academy is an outstanding independent high school. The head of the school, Ron Graydon, is dedicated, caring, and very committed to bringing out the best in each of the students. The teaching and auxiliary staffs are among the incredible you can find anywhere. Our son attended for four years, and he thrived. Among the many outstanding teachers, including Jeff, Katherine, Chris and Mitch, I would particularly like to mention Elizabeth, the Spanish teacher. A previous post by someone else contained some disparaging comments about her. These comments are inaccurate. I assure you that she is simply an amazing teacher with very high standards as well as a kind and pleasing demeanor. read more

The Orinda Academy middle school program did exactly what we as parents of a sixth-grader last year expected: it fostered the growth and maturity of our son in a nurturing and intimate environment. Orinda Academy serves a unique spectrum of students that are not served at all well in current public, and some private and independent, school environments. And, it serves them well! Our son made tremendous advances in all areas of social and academic performance thanks to the dedicated teaching staff and administration. Yes, one of the middle school staff left the program mid-year, but the school did a commendable job in quickly finding a replacement instructor that kept the focus and efficacy of the program intact. We loved their investment in current classroom technologies. We loved that they have an Educational Adventures week that allows students to explore both local and global communities. The elective system took our son into new cultures through the African drumming and dance program, and allowed him to create and realize a vision through digital filmmaking. Our son was challenged in ways we never expected and he flourished. The program also offered us, as parents, the opportunity to be educational partners in our son's education, and to grow along with him. Middle school is a critical period in a student's emotional, intellectual, and social development. It is a challenging stage of life for both parents and students, and Orinda Academy has done a fine job in providing just the right tools in helping both students and parents succeed! read more