Riverside Preparatory Academy

"I came to RMA in the fall of 2017 and graduated with my brothers in the class of 2019. I was given OPPORTUNITIES to make something of myself that NO other public or private school could provide. I was in numerous clubs and held multiple leadership positions. At such a young age, I was able to make a positive contribution to my community and my peers. My advice to new or curious parents or even future Cadets... just give it a chance. Take the opinion of those who benefited from it, not those who wouldn’t give it a chance and disliked the rules."

"Riverside Military Academy is hands down the best college preparatory school in the nation. I was a former cadet for 3 1/2 years, and my time at Riverside was the best 3 1/2 years of my entire life. The amount of care, dedication, and commitment that goes into each and every single one of the cadets is absolutely outstanding, which isn't surprising because the staff and faculty that oversee and advise the cadets, are second to none in every aspect of any spectrum you can grade them on. I say this with the upmost confidence, and honesty, Riverside Military Academy is the BEST investment parents can make for their children, and the best experience a boy can get. Forget about Gillette, RIVERSIDE is the best a true man can get. If you found this review helpful, and you are thinking about the possibility of Riverside as a future school, don't take my word for it, take the hundreds of alumni that would agree with every word I just said. Riverside is an experience that boys enjoy, and men appreciate."

"Make no mistake, this is NOT a reform school. This school is a privilege! Riverside is developing boys to realize their full potential in life. My son's goal is to attend West Point which is why he chose this school on his own accord. At 13, I wasn't sure that him leaving home was something I could handle. We visited on parents weekend in the spring, mainly because I wanted to see what kind of parents send their boy to military boarding school. I was very impressed at the caliber of families I saw, and the fine young men who are their sons. Noah loves his teachers, and all the activities that keep him engaged throughout the day. There are many boarding schools in New England, where we live, but not one offers the balance of education, discipline, academics and service that Riverside does. Knowing that he is safe and well cared for, while developing the life skills that will help him his succeed, makes me so incredibly grateful that we found Riverside."

"As a veteran educator of 20 years, I can only say positive things about Riverside. Having spent the majority of my service in public schools where the quality of education is low and progress is mired by administrative incompetence, this private school is clearly moving forward in positive ways. As will always be true, there are some students who, intent on rebelling against authority or "getting back at their parents," can diminish the experience of other students with incidents of bullying and such, because those things can never be completely eradicated (and can be just as bad in public schools BTW). The fact that the boys cannot be supervised every moment of every day is not something that should be held against the school since such a thing is not even possible in maximum security prisons. The school does exactly what it claims: it gives opportunities to boys to become men. It does so through a military model with no apologies and I believe that the academics is steadily improving under the current administration who are intent on making Riverside Military Academy a genuine college preparatory institution. I'm proud to be a part of the faculty here and love these boys as much as any of my students over my years of teaching. I also know many of my colleagues feel the same. Parents should not ever be disillusioned by the notion that ANY school can "fix" their son. I believe some parents drop their sons of here hoping for that very thing. Some, in fact many, boys do choose to take advantage of the opportunities to mature and learn how to accept responsibility, but there are also those who are eventually dismissed from the Academy having rejected the concept of "growing up" and often do so in very spiteful ways given the love and concern their parents and the Riverside faculty and staff have for them."

"I am an Alumni myself. I Attended Riverside for 5 years, arrived at a very early age, and was able to move up through the structure graduating as a Cadet Officer. Understanding the structure and what it took to move up is applicable in most corporations, private sector and public sector. Riverside not only teaches you how to move up the ladder in life but also, discipline, organization, determination, honesty and work ethic. Most public and private high schools do not have these traits. The schools infrastructure has changed a lot since my days at Riverside, but it has never lost its vision. The campus is very nice and comfortable, and the athletic programs to keep kids busy are excellent. I wouldn’t change not attending Riverside Military Academy for nothing else."