Come visit Ojai Valley School in a spectacular location 40 miles from Santa Barbara, California, at the foot of the beautiful Los Padres National Forest. The city of Ojai (population 8,000) is a quiet rural resort community.

Ojai Valley School welcomes motivated students seeking a challenging, well-balanced academic program. Through the development of a strong academic curriculum and with emphasis on study skills, confidence and leadership, students earn placement at select universities worldwide. The academic program is complemented by extracurricular activities including interscholastic sports, outdoor education, fine and performing arts, and an equestrian program.

Ojai Valley School was one of the first boarding schools in the Western United States to establish English as a Second Language (ESL) programs for all ability levels. Recognized worldwide, Ojai Valley School offers the premier ESL program for international students as young as eight years of age.

Currently, 13 countries are represented. International students comprise 30% of the student body at OVS, bringing diversity and world perspective to daily life.

English as a Second Language: there are several options at Ojai Valley School. The academic year program offers ESL classes to students (ages 8-14) of any proficiency level. At the high school level (ages 14-18) entry to the ESL program is designed for intermediate and advanced level students only. Students should submit a TOEFL test score as part of their admission application. A SLEP test score is acceptable only when a TOEFL score is unavailable. ESL students take classes in grammar, writing, reading, conversation and oral presentation. To monitor progress, TOEFL testing is provided during the school year. Students are encouraged to take mainstream courses as their English level improves.

Ojai Valley Summer School and Camp: this 2,4, or 6 week instruction program offers recreational and camping activities as well as ESL and academic enrichment courses (June-July.)

College counseling (university placement) begins in the sophomore year and continues through the student's senior year.

All students go to university. Recent graduates have been accepted to Barnard, Brown, Boston University, Carnegie-Mellon University, Johns Hopkins, Purdue, Stanford, UC Berkeley, UCLA and University of Southern California.

Is Ojai Valley School right for you? Many students who are interested in the academic program or who want to improve their English skills prior to the academic fall program, may attend one or several sessions of our summer programs. Our summer programs welcome students who want a traditional summer resident camp experience, with options for academic enrichment as well as traditional camp activities such as tennis, horseback riding, swimming, archery, arts and crafts and photography.