Riverview School, an independent coeducational residential school, provides a caring community for adolescents and young adults with complex language, learning and cognitive disabilities. The School is committed to developing student competence and confidence in academic, social and independent living skills.

Riverview also recognizes its responsibility to contribute in a meaningful way to the knowledge base in the field of special education. We seek a racially, culturally, economically and geographically diverse student body with about equal numbers of girls and boys. We are non-sectarian with many religious affiliations represented. Our students come from 27 states and 9 international countries.

From its beginning in 1957, Riverview School developed a forward-looking, effective program and did so before the field of learning disabilities was defined. The evolution of the School has reflected the growing understanding of people with learning disabilities among educators, medical and social service professionals, governmental agencies and society in general. Riverview is proud to hold the first license issued by the Massachusetts Office for Children to operate a special needs school. Prior to the definition of the term "learning disability" in 1963, students were often misdiagnosed, misplaced and ineffectively served by school systems and related institutions.

The School was founded by Mr. William Janse, an educator who worked in a school system in the Boston area and believed special students could learn to read and write if given appropriate individual attention. He opened a summer camp on a five-acre tract, which was later expanded into the present 16-acre campus. The camp was designed to provide students with an opportunity to enjoy a successful recreational and academic experience. The camp was so successful that the parents of the campers encouraged Mr. Janse to open a school. The founders invited the campers to stay for the school year, and the institution was established under its original name, Hopefields School.