Resident Life

At Ojai Valley School, every effort is made to create a warm, supportive environment that is conducive to learning. Resident students benefit from a dedicated teaching faculty and supportive dorm parents who provide a wide variety of experiences through secondary-preparatory studies, camping and field trips, fine and performing arts, athletics, and character education.

A Place to Live and Learn

Ojai Valley School's dormitories are situated in the center of campus, providing easy access to classrooms, athletic fields and the dining hall. Boys and girls live in separate dorms. Students live with one roommate and enjoy a warm family atmosphere to live, study, and play with peers from around the world. Caring dorm parents offer support and guidance. They help students develop good study habits, and they play a pivotal role in shaping students' character development.

Dorm parents are selected for their strong role-modeling and mentoring abilities, as well as their communication and conflict-resolution skills. Our dorm parents share a common goal to instill responsibility, leadership, respect, cooperation and self-esteem for our resident students.

Seven-Day and Five-Day Boarding Options

Ojai Valley School offers seven-day and five-day boarding options for students.

During the week, all resident students keep busy participating in activities that include sports, music lessons, academic tutoring, outdoor education, and free time. On the weekends, seven-day boarding students benefit from an array of fun activities and excursions to destinations throughout Southern California. Most residents are seven-day residents. But, for families that live within a reasonable distance of the school, five-day boarding offers a unique opportunity for students to benefit from the structure of the dorm during the school week while spending time at home on the weekends.

Vacation Breaks

The school-year calendar is designed to provide resident students multi-day breaks so they can go home and spend time with their families. As a result, classes are in session on some nationally recognized holidays, and OVS takes longer week-long breaks in the fall, winter, and spring, as well as a three-week break in December-January. Between the vacations, parents are encouraged to visit their children on campus. Parents are asked to submit formal requests for weekend visitation to the office by Thursday at noon.