Orono Senior High School

I believe I am a very well-rounded person thanks to my education at Orono. It is not a private school, but the curriculum helped prepare me for college. Other students at my university often ask me how I do so well even after missing lectures. I know I gained an excellent education at Orono, but I would never send my children there. In all honesty, attending Orono was a miserable experience. The student body is predominantly white, wealthy republicans, and anybody who does not fit that mold is ostracized. I feel that the students at Orono are exceptionally rude. Coming from a family with a slight ethnic background, my siblings and I dealt with many racial slurs from both students and mainly older members on staff at Orono. I know I am a very well-educated person because of Orono High School, but be cautious in choosing this school district.
--Submitted by a student

Great School Good programs for those with learning disabilities and gifted students. Poor facilities (old school) motivated kids (middle to high socioeconomic class) Involved Parents Lots of Extracurricular Options (Sports, Theatre, Math Club, etc) Safe (very little to no violence) Nice area. All the other Orono Schools are on the same street. Great Test Scores The main downside in my experience were there administrators. They liked having things their way and were not open to much creativity in learning or student-led opportunities. In reality, Orono is a great school because of the caliber of the students and the high level of parental involvement.

Orono is an amaing school. People have said that it's really clique-y, but it really depends on the grade. The group of people that go to orono high school are creative and for the most part, very friendly. Orono has one of the best student leadership programs in the state, and the character program is exemplary. The community is very tight-knit, and although the upper class is dominant, there is not a lack of middle class. The segregations for money may have existed in the past, but there is little to no segregation for this reason now. The faculty is great, and almost all of the students get involved in the extra curriculars.
--Submitted by a student

Those born and raised in the Orono area have found a panacea where wealthy is the norm, and the families have known each other forever. For a newcomer, this school is overwhelmingly difficult. The staff expects everyone to know how things operate, since nearly everyone has lived here their whole lives. things are not explained, and the office staff is quite unfriendly, rude and impatient when you ask questions. Cliques are rampant and it is very difficult to fit in to the many already established groups. So called 'middle class' is considered the lower class here, as most of the student body is very wealthy. ie: my child's friends have private theaters, pools, housekeepers & drive fancy cars. Academically, the school is fine..socially, a major challenge. Safety is also a concern, since in our case, the principal was apathetic at best to our concerns.
--Submitted by a parent

Orono is a wonderful school in a tight-knit community that cares about our kids and our neighbors.
--Submitted by a parent

I am the parent of a recently graduated student and a current junior at Orono HS. I am most impressed by the quality of the teaching staff (overall, there is always an exception or two) and most of all, the interaction between the students and the faculty. I have been extremely pleased with the education my children have received. If there is one drawback, it is that the small size of the school limits the number of courses that can be offered. The band program, though, is one of the finest I've ever seen...bravissimo!
--Submitted by a parent

I am a former student of OHS, and have been in the Orono education system k-12. Although I believe that I have gotten a sound education at Orono, I wish that I had switched schools. Orono does much bragging about its size and how that is indicative of smaller classes and more teacher-pupil interaction. This is not the case. Most of my classes had around 30 students because of the lack of teachers (some are excellent, but not enough AP/IB).My grade did not retain any transfer students because they all hated it here. The reason for this is that Orono, with its small size, is very narrow minded and organized into cliques. The rich kids hang out exclusively with the other rich kids, and all of their parents are on PTO. The first time I ever saw our principal was during graduation rehersal.
--Submitted by a former student