Orion Academy

My son will be successfully graduating from Orion Academy this May after attending this high school for five years. Orion is touted as a school for kids with Non-​verbal Learning Disorders, Aspergers. and other neurocognitive disorders. However, it has been a good fit for my son whose diagnosis is OCD, ADHD, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
My son spent many years in Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Social Skills groups, and saw a Psychologist and Psychiatrist beginning at 3 years old. He attended our local public school K — 2, was home-​schooled for a brief time, then he was placed in a special day class 3 –5, and attended a private school 6 – 7. We were VERY fortunate to find Orion Academy, and he began in 8^th grade. His academic and social life were hell, until he entered Orion.
Orion provides a very structured environment for students, with a focus on developing life skills for students to be independent following their high school years. Most of the 65+ students go on to college, and find jobs. Class offerings allow students to meet requirements for any university. Latin is the foreign language offered. Science electives have included Biology, Physics, and Forensics. Unfortunately Chemistry is not offered as the school is small and space limited for a lab. The English and Literature program is fabulous and the students learn to read and write essays. Computers are required and used in every class. And computers are monitored by a technology staff member for any non-​school related sites. There are after school study groups, and enrichment classes offered such as Digital Arts and Cross Country.
Starting in 8^th grade, students participate in Personal Projects. This is a class in which students chose a topic and report to the Orion community of parents, staff and teachers. The report is a power point presentation. I was amazed when my 13 year old student got up in front of students, parents and faculty and successfully gave his first of many Personal Project power point presentations.
The curriculum includes small «group» meetings, led by school psychologists, that focus on social skills, self-​regulation, and conflict management. Classes are between 4 — 8 kids and allow students to discuss issues and learn in a controlled environment.
Bullying is not tolerated at this school, and for the first time for many kids, students make friendships at school. Clubs are encouraged, and students can petition to create a club. My son has been in a Movie Club and began a Pathfinder Club. Other clubs have included Chess, Cartoon Drawing, and Animae. The PTO is very active and puts on parent education/​speaker nights, off-​site staff-​chaperoned school dances, Bowling Night, Prom, a party/​auction in the fall for families and students, and a beautiful graduation dinner ceremony and celebration for the entire school community.
There is a «transitions» psychologist on staff to work with students on resume building, job interviews, SAT prep and accommodations, college essay writing, and applications. Summer job internships between Jr and Sr year are mandatory and arranged and monitored in conjunction with the school, parents, students, and job site.
Students have grade level requirements such as preparing family meals, initiating social engagements with friends, getting to and from school on their own via public transportation, and going through the process of getting a driving permit.
As a parent, finding a community like Orion has been a lifesaving experience. Parents have many opportunities to meet each other, share stories, resources, and provide support for each other, and I have made contacts and friendships that are lifelong. While Orion isn’t perfect, it was the best high school anywhere for my son, and we are so very fortunate to have been part of this amazing community.

My son has attended Orion for 4 years, starting as an 8^th grader and I have been so impressed with how the school has been able to help him mature into a nearly college-​ready young man.
There are some truly amazing teachers who take a very personal interest in each student. You have an opportunity to meet with a selection of teachers every 6 weeks during the school year and I feel that many have acting as my ally to get the best performance out of my son. I know that the teachers and staff collaborate about students weekly and for us, they have come up with really creative solutions to requests or problems.
I have also had really positive experiences with the psychologists, who, like the teachers, are very responsive and creative when I have asked them how to encourage my son to engage more socially.
The transitions staff is truly phenomenal, making suggestions for summer programs, coming up with custom-​tailored internships, and being a great resource about college and post-​Orion preparation.
We are also very excited to be part of the debut of the very innovative and custom-​developed Bridge to College program, where my son will have access to DVC community college courses in high school while still at Orion. Part of the appeal for me is that DVC professors will be trained in how to teach to our students in particular. I think it might be hard for my son to deal with the pressures of adjusting to college-​level work expectations at the same time he is adjusting to all of the other pressures of college so I appreciate this more gradual introduction in a supportive environment.
And, from a parent point of view, I cannot imagine a more supportive parent group. I have some parent friends that I think I will have for the rest of my life.
The school is not perfect but it has been a nearly perfect environment for my son to grow and develop.

My son attended Orion for five years, and the school provided exactly what he needed: a structured learning environment tuned to his needs, with the therapeutic support that was critical to his functioning.
Maybe Orion isn’t perfect, but it’s the best we could find, and far, far better than the Special Day Class that the Oakland school system offered. Other schools offered accommodations, but none had the approach that Orion took — minimizing homework, keeping everything on a computer, and the integrated social education.
Because Orion works with the local school systems to provide their education through the IEP system, teachers must have a special education credential as well as a subject matter credential — and teachers like this are few and far between. My son didn’t always get along with his teachers, and sometimes disagreed with them, but that’s part of school!
My son was often frustrated by the school rules, but saw the need for them, and his acceptance and appreciation grew over the years as he matured. He really flourished in the environment that Orion provided and very much misses the community that he found there.

Orion Academy has created an incredible environment for kids with Asperger’s, NLD and other neurocognitive challenges. Our daughter was fortunate enough to enter as an 8^th grader, after a very sad experience in middle school. The Orion Experience has helped to rebuild her confidence with the friends she has made and the amazing teachers that she gets to work with every day. She is now in 9^th grade and still loving it. I think that her favorite part, besides being academically challenged (which she really does enjoy), is being with other students who know what it’s like to be «different.» As the Executive Director of the school says, «These kids are a treasure.» The students at Orion know that they are valued for their unique traits, their inquisitive minds, and their opinions, which often need to learn to be managed. Social skills development and transitions classes starting in 10^th and going through 12^th grade are meant to help our students learn how to be themselves and how to express opinions in ways that are polite and acceptable. Self-​advocacy is also an important component of this educational experience. It’s a one-​of-​a-​kind high school that we are so fortunate to have in the Bay area. If you have a child with Asperger’s or know someone else who has, it’s definitely worth checking out!

I am so thankful for Orion Academy. Our child has thrived there the past three years. The school offers such a unique and powerful program for high-​school students with Asperger’s Syndrome. It has no equal, and has set the standard for other schools to follow. The small classrooms, the near paperless environment, and the personal projects help these young people succeed in school when they have often struggled elsewhere. They learn life skills that prepare them for adulthood. I would recommend Orion Academy to anyone who has a child with Asperger’s or NLD.

2010 – 2012 experience
Like my other reviews, I will start with the positives. The school helped me socially. The teachers and counselors explained to me what I was doing that could have insulted someone. It also helped my writing to an extent. I frequently went on tangents, but the teachers were able to help me pinpoint where I was making tangents, and how they were tangents. Overall, I was able to meet 3 very kind teachers here, and they helped me through my time here. Now, this is where the long list of negatives come into the review. Where do I start?
The school’s main issue, which seems to be unanimous, is its excessive amount of rules. Most of which, are not written down. The teachers claim that, «Students must obey authority». While I agree to this up to a certain extent, it becomes aggravating and confusing when one teacher will let a student do something, and another teacher won’t. Then, if the student just wants to make sure and ask another teacher if the first teacher was wrong, the counselor’s will give the student a detention because they think they’re trying to sneak around the rules. Nobody is perfect, and it’s possible to make mistakes. Not every student is trying to be rebellious. If they wrote down their extensive list of rules, there would be no problem now would there? If they can’t write them all down, that shows there are too many!
Another issue is the unwritten «No-​touch policy». There is no touching allowed on campus, but the principal has allowed handshakes when you introduce yourself. There have been cases where students have been given detention, over HIGH FIVES! The school claims that they want students to be social, and one of the most social signs in America was considered punishable because of a 0.5 second of physical contact between two students. In addition, the school forces students to join clubs and other activities they do not want to join. They also lie about how long the student has to stay in the club. I was forced to work in the student store for one semester during my senior year in 2012. I did nothing wrong, and my time was extended to an additional semester for no reason! They knew I didn’t like it to!
Next, the guidance counselors. When I was a Senior, there were 2. A woman for the 8^th, 9^th, and 12^th graders. For the 10^th and 11^th graders, and man. The man will leave you alone as long as you stay out of his way, but will help with issues like bullying if he feels it’s necessary. I acknowledge that he taught me not to act like a victim, and to look at how my actions affected a situation before I complained. However, he rejects anything fun for the students. If it appears that the student is enjoying something, he will force them to put it away. He claims, «School should not be fun». If every second of school is miserable, the students will surely become depressed, and rebel. The female counselor left, but there is one story I need to mention, because I know it will happen again.
I never asked to go home early. It was February, and I had a nasty sinus infection. I was queasy, my throat hurt, and I felt faint. I went to my counselor, and asked her to let me get my temperature taken so I could go home early. She did not let me do that. She forced me to go to class. I begged her again in two hours because I could barely stand, she still said no. For the first time of the year, after 6 months of school being in session, I asked to go home early. She didn’t let me. I didn’t go to school the next day and went to the doctor. My pediatrician said in these exact words, «Why didn’t they send you home? You were in no condition to be up that day»!
The next day, I had to go to school in the evening because I was in a play for drama, and had I not gone, I would have lost 20% of my grade. When my drama teacher saw me, she literally gasped and asked me if I was okay to perform. While the other students had to prepare the stage for the play, I was allowed to rest because I was ill. This shows that the teachers don’t understand that not every student is trying to get out of going to school. After 3 days of rest, I went back and confronted my counselor. Instead of having the decency to apologize to me, she just said, «I’m glad you’re feeling better». Unacceptable.
I want to say more, but Unilocal has a character limit. The principal clearly has a power complex, and playes favorites. When I was sick that day and not allowed to go home, she let certain students go home early because they’re «having a bad day».

I truly want this school to improve, because I know it can do much better. I have written this review not out of spite, but because I want future students to have a better experience than I did. I admit that many of the students that go to this school do try to fake illness, find loopholes, and be rebellious. As a consequence, most of the teachers have made this schema that all students are like that, which is not true.

Orion Academy provided an excellent learning environment for our son. The program is structured and well organized. In addition to the academic experience, Orion goes above and beyond to prepare students for higher education and the work world with their innovative Transitions Program. Students social skills and life skills are increased by having them participate in many activities such as the «State of the School Day» and the Senior Challenge, just to name a few. They also learn to use public transportation, to shop, to cook, banking, and many other life skills to facilitate their independence. We were involved with our sons education through Community Meetings every six weeks. On these days we observed his personal project presentations and attend parent/​student meetings with his teachers, the psychologist and director to evaluate his progress. Our son thrived during his four years at Orion Academy which in turn changed our families lives for the better. He went from a struggling High School student to a confident young man and college student.

Orion Academy is a specialized school for kids with Aspergar’s Syndrome, NLD, and other disorders. I’ll admit that the concept of this type of school is a good idea because I have known many people that have gone to this school with me who have not done well at all in a regular public school.
The only really good part of this school is the community, which is, essentially, a group of kids who can relate to each other. In other schools, I felt like an outcast because the way I dealt with social situations was different from others and I can imagine other people on the Autism spectrum felt the same way. Well, that’s pretty much all this schools student body is – outcasts. People can relate to each other a LOT here. Going here, I was able to make friends more easily than at other schools. For many kids (including me), this can make all the difference since high school has a big social element.
This school’s low point, however, is their management. Their leadership is strong and strict, but strict to the point of controlling. Some students have found this beneficial, but most dislike it. The management also has obvious favorites – not a good sign in a school. They also are an expert in the Aspergars/​NLD/​Autism spectrum area, which is great, but they don’t know how to run a school. In fact, I’ll have to say that the management at this school is the worst school management I have encountered.
Their teachers are fine. I’ve had some really wonderful teachers here, but I’ve also had some not so great teachers. Again, this is a problem with the leadership, which is not very good at hiring good teachers. Classes are decent and class choice is what you would expect from a small school. There are some interesting classes (Digital Art, for example. Also, Latin is surprisingly useful).
So, it really boils down to what you want for you (if you’re a student interested in this school) or your kid (if you’re a parent). If what you really want is academics, I say look elsewhere since the academics here are mediocre. If what you really want is a good social environment, then I say definitely give this place a shot since, from personal experience, it is lovely. I don’t think I would have done so well socially at other high schools as I did here.
Oh, and don’t limit your research to Unilocal!Even though I got to experience this place my entire high school career, this is just one student’s opinion and though it is representative of my experience, it is not representative of the entire school.
I will say this. I have high hopes that his place will improve.