Oak Hill School

I can't think of a safer, more wholesome environment for my son. The teachers are happy, inspired, and creative. The 72 acre grounds are majestic. This is a school that offers the best college preparatory education outside of Portland. Foreign language begins in kindergarten with French, Spanish and Mandarin - not to mention sign language! They begin public speaking class in kindergarten and have art class where they create wonderful projects that complement what they are learning in class (clay endangered species) or where they are developmentally (little tooth fairies). They have PE everyday and LCC caters their hot lunch with food that is as organic and local as possible. I cannot sing the praises of Oak Hill more - I love this school! They do have a wonderful scholarship and financial aid program which is fed by annual fundraising programs which allows the school to attract the towns "best and brightest." The upper school children are a great reflection of the magic that happens at Oak Hill, they are confident, kind, intelligent and look you directly in the eye when you speak to them. Be careful, once you set foot on campus, you won't have eyes for anywhere else.
—Submitted by a parent

Phenomenal school that surrounds your children with other students that attend this school for the purpose of a higher education. Each day, students are challenged at their abilities; classes are taught to each student s level, not as a group. Some students will skip ahead one or two grades in certain subjects and remain in their grade/classroom for other subjects. If you want the best education possible for your child, this is it!
—Submitted by a parent

Our kids are so fortunate to attend such a wonderful school. They are excited to attend and constantly challenged. When asked what their favorite part of the school day...EVERYTHING! Fabulous and dedicated teachers. Amazing specialists who keep the kids yearning for more in PE, Art, Music, Public Speaking (we all could have used this!), Mandarin, French and Spanish. Friendship, respect for each other and the Earth and doing your best are all the norm. A community of lovely families. A safe and nurturing environment where our kids can be kids.
—Submitted by a parent

We knew after the very first day we transfered our daughter to Oak Hill that we had made the right choice. The smaller class size and direct attention from an experienced teacher made a huge difference in her confidence and learning pace right from the start. Within a week she was coming home singing mandarin songs and working on polishing her script handwriting. She has excelled in every subject but her favorite is the daily P.E. This year our son entered kindergarten at Oak Hill. The first day I picked him up singing "I love school!". Since then he has closely bonded with his classmates and learned an astonishing amount in both academically and socially. We are thrilled that he is getting such a wonderful full day Kindergarten experience right here in Eugene. I see that another parent mentioned the one weak spot as being the antiquated computer lab (I had concerns about that too when we visited) -- but as of this month all of the computer lab machines will be replaced with brand new Macs running the latest versions of MS Windows and MS Office! We feel very lucky to be part of the Oak Hill community.
—Submitted by a parent

My kids get a better education at Oak Hill than they would in the public school. Because class sizes are small, teachers can spend more time with students. In addition, my kids get Mandarin, French, Spanish, music , art, PE EVERY DAY, and public speaking. On the negative side,the computer lab is antiquated and I feel that I am being hit up for money all the time (in addition to the expensive tuition). But my KIDS' experiences are fabulous. And that is what it is all about!
—Submitted by a parent

I am a student here who just graduated from 5th grade. This school's teachers are so nice and the work is at your pace. This is the only school that I know of that has a Mandarin program. Ms.Sophie is our Mandarin teacher who taught me so much and helped me catch up since this was my first year. Thank you teachers for all you have done to make this such a great place. See you next fall!

I have a soon to be 4th grade daughter and a 8th grade son. Both are growing academically strong. The teachers are very competent in their subject. My daughter has fun learning Mandarin. My son enjoys Math. My husband lost his job and we could not pay our tuition. The principal called my home and found ways for us to keep the children at their school. He cares a lot about children's education. My children do not want to leave this school. They love it.
—Submitted by a parent

Our family has been part of Oak Hill's growth into a wonderful school for six years now. As a parent, I am always impressed with the enery and dedication of our teachers, and of course, with the broad range of skills my children benefit from. Our Spanish program is the best, and the Mandarin is so incredible, I feel fortunate that my child will be at ease in that language quite soon. Our music and theatre program are so much fun for my kids. And we have a terrific PE teacher, plus art and an integrated computer program. It is the most comprehensive, full educational experience in Eugene and a lot of bang for your buck. I read the previous review, and fully disagree. The school is growing and building an endowment that will, eventually, help more families financially. Every private school in this country runs a funding drive every year.
—Submitted by a parent

Prepare for a constant "donation" drive from Oak Hill, as the dollar is of most importance here. This is obvious by the growing number of troubled children being admitted to the school who are allowed to torture other children and faculty since they pay full tuition. The faculty are unhappy and mistreated by administration. This affects the moral of the entire campus and is progressively getting worse with each passing year. We will be leaving Oak Hill with heavy hearts.
—Submitted by a parent

Thrilled that my child has such an excellent school to attend. The teachers are dedicated, classes challenging, and community engaged. Located in an idyllic setting -- peaceful and perfect for learning. PE, Art, Public Speaking, Mandarin, Music in addition to regular subjects. My child always wants to go to school!
—Submitted by a parent

Oak Hill is one of the most unique schools I've ever heard of. Unique is not necessarily good, however. I attended Oak Hill from 8th grade until graduation to escape bullying and lack of academic challenge in the public schools. Bullying is less of a problem, although it is not absent at OHS. I appreciate what OHS did for me. There were times that I wanted to leave for a larger school as the smallness sometimes led to a feeling that the faculty, parents, and staff were oppressive and overbearing because there were so few of us students to keep an eye on. The school did genuinely challenge me. The Spanish department is amazing. I am fluent and have yet to find a college class up to the standard set by Armando. The Mexico program is also incredible, and Kitsann is a fantastic head to the drama department.
—Submitted by a student

I love this school I have gone here since I was in kindergarten, and it's the best school ever! people always say it's too small, it doesn't have enough after school activities but I think it's perfect! All my teachers are great and they are all really helpful you just have to ask! It is expensive but it's worth it! everyone gets accepted to college and it has a great environment!
—Submitted by a student

My child has been going to Oak Hill for 10 years. I can honestly say that they have never said, I don't want to go to school. The program is rich, it's deep and it has high expectations. Sometimes I've thought the homework level is a bit much, when you look at what is covered in a year, there is no other way to get through it. My child succeeds. They are fluent in Spanish, ahead in math, taken art, music, PE every year, team sports, stage productions. By graduation math through calculus, 4 AP Literature and AP Composition, two years Spanish AP. Small classes, teachers attentive to the individual student, frequent communication with me. The faculty dos not tolerate problem behaviors, drugs, smoking, fighting, skipping school. SAT and PSAT test scores some of the highest in the county, all of Oak Hill's graduates are accepted to four year colleges.
—Submitted by a parent

We did not have a positive experience at Oak Hill School. Because resources are minimal, the major focus seems to be pushing excessive homework with the hopes that this will make parents feel that their child is getting a quality education. Oak Hill has potential, but hasn't begun to tap what it could be.
—Submitted by a parent

You would think that a school charging $15,000 a year would offer a safe haven for a child to nurture his or her academic interests to their full potential. But I must say, this school has little to offer in nearly all of its programs, and the environment is one that neither fosters nor demands any apparent forms of discipline, safety, or leadership.
—Submitted by a parent

As a student at Oak Hill, I am very happy. When I was in 8th grade I did want to leave to attend a larger highschool, but now I realized how much better off I am. I have friends from outside schools and when we compare what we have learned, they always seem impressed. For people who are into sports and are very competeitive, Oak Hill most likely won't benift them; for those who enjoy sports as more of a fun activity it a wonderful experience. And you can't forget the drama productions.
—Submitted by a student

I would recommend Oak Hill to any student who enjoys learning and have fun doing so. Middle school was a wonderful experiance for me. And High school too. Many people leave Oak Hill in search for a larger social scene. Some who go do come back realizing how special this school is, and others wish they could come back. I feel my knowledge skills are above average when I talk to people the same age as myself. As small as Oak Hill is (150 students k-12) it has some very gifted kids; and on ratio to public schools, the extracurricular activities are much stronger. You really get the chance to be apart of this school and not get lost.
—Submitted by a parent

Preparation for testing has become increasingly poor, classroom resources are scarce.
—Submitted by a parent

I attended Oak Hill School for 8th and 9th grade, and disliked my experience so much that I dropped out of high school and began college at the age of 15. I am now a junior in college, and I maintain a 3.97, compete and do well in the national debate circuit, and am politically active with local and national organizations. I had some very good teachers at Oak Hill, including Joel Narva (math), Linda DeSpain (social studies), Steve * (science), and Rob Cohler. I also had some extremely bad teachers.
—Submitted by Julian Michels, a former student