Oyster River High School

10
7 reviews
Grades
9-12
Students
835
Type
Public

Community Reviews

Read what parents are saying about Oyster River High School
Regardless of how many times parents and students have complained to the school about bullying, no progress is ever made. It’s very disappointing that the school claims to stand against bullying but never lives up to the ideals they teach. The bullying in Oyster River has only been exacerbating, especially since the now-Assistant Superintendent came to the ORHS community as principal. Over these years, we’ve seen a multitude of grave repercussions due to the administration’s neglect of ensuring the safety and well-being of the students, including a student taking their own life and another incident in which a student got a serious concussion from being assaulted by a bully in the cafeteria. Even worse, the school often mishandles the situation and imposes heavier penalties to the victim than the provoker, giving way to bullies causing further harm, and destroys all evidence of the incident to hide their incompetence as authorities. The fact that Oyster River is still a highly ranked school in the state is absurd. It is necessary that the Assistant Superintendent of the school district be removed from her position, in the interest of the students' safety.
Posted by a parent on 11/3/2022
Many teachers contribute to putting students’ mental health at risk by assigning at least 3 to 4 hours of homework every day. Parents and students have repeatedly addressed this issue to the school, but always fall on deaf ears. Adults use the excuse that students aren’t working hard enough. Furthermore, the school has mislabeled some students as having learning disabilities and inappropriately placed them in special education or the 504 Plan. Students in these programs who do need assistance receive little to no support from the school.Bullying is also widespread in this school. Over the past several years, ORHS has seen a major increase in bullying incidents that have resulted in endangerment or students getting severely injured. These incidents all could have been prevented had the administration been responsible. Bomb threat cases in ORHS have risen throughout the years as well.Not only are the administrators irresponsible in dealing with this critical problem, but they brazenly play favorites as well. Some students get away with breaking things or causing harm or injury to others, while the victims of the bullies are often unnecessarily punished. The administration has also managed to cover up many bullying incidents or issues to protect their reputation. Many of the adults may not appreciate you no matter how good of a student you are or how well you behave.
Posted by a parent on 7/5/2022
I have lived in Durham for 23 years and raised 2 children. There is not a better school system in the country. I can live anywhere I want but chose this cute little town for its schools.
Posted by a parent on 12/18/2021
The teachers themselves are very good, but they alone can only do so much. Unless you're the student that shows the most potential, you're put on the back burner, and coming from experience, its a very very tough ride. I was placed on the state's 504 Program, and received none of the schools support throughout the 4 years I've attended. It was very obvious which teachers went above and beyond to help me as a student, and which ones followed the basic standards set by the school. In the handful of times I reached out for help when I was truly struggling, I was always made out to seem as the bad guy. "More effort into work is needed" was the common excuse, as though 40 hours a week of school work wasn't enough. I had to cut back hours on my winter job, so I could spend more time trying to manage the mountain of school work I was consistently assigned.
Posted by a student on 1/7/2021
ORHS does an amazing job at transitioning Freshman into their freshman year. Staff, Administration and Faculty genuinely care about the students. Complaints I have heard are usually isolated incidents that are blown out of proportion, it's HS - it happens. Severe issues are dealt with swiftly and confidentially. Communication is strong point from the administration. Parents know what is going on, if they read their email and stay involved. This is a public school and you get out of it what you put into it. Students are treated with respect and given independence. Parents shouldn't move to Oyster River and expect the school to raise your children - if you are looking for that - go to a private school.
Posted by a parent on 12/10/2019
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Durham schools - Oyster River High School is located at 55 Coe Drive, Durham NH 03824. Oyster River High School is in the Oyster River Coop School District. Oyster River High School is a Public school that serves grade levels 9-12.

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