[3] RVHS admitted its first batch of English-stream pupils in 1979 when it was selected as one of the nine pioneering Special Assistance Plan (SAP) schools in that same year.

[4] In 2006, RVHS started running a six-year Integrated Programme which allows students to skip the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Ordinary Level examinations, which students in Singapore normally take at the end of Secondary Four, and proceed to sit for the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced Level at the end of the sixth year.

At a press release held by the Ministry of Education on 21 September 2018, it was revealed that RVHS would be participating in the Joint Admission Exercise as of 2019, and will accept GCE Ordinary Level graduates from other secondary schools for Years 5 and 6 of its Integrated Programme.

[9][10] RVHS is known for its inclusive and conservative culture, a common trait shared among Special Assistance Plan schools with Chinese backgrounds.

[13] [13] Both genders wear a T-shirt and dark blue shorts comprising synthetic materials for PE.

Older T-shirts had a zipper and displayed the characters "立化" (pinyin: lìhuà) on the left breast.

Newer T-shirts have greater red colouration, lack a zipper, and instead bear the school's crest on the left breast.

[17] Located off Boon Lay Avenue at the former sites of ITE Jurong and Boon Lay Garden Primary School, the 7.64-hectare campus comprises facilities that supports the educational needs for the six-year Integrated Programme, and strongly encapsulate a strong cultured environment.

The programme aims to nurture independent and passionate individuals who uphold strong moral character, effectively bilingual in English and Chinese, and have a global perspective that allows them to face challenges in the changing world.

[22][23][24] River Valley High School's BSP includes camps, enrichment electives which complements the ministry's programme.

[25] Starting in 2006, RVHS has been offering the six-year Integrated Programme, allowing its students to take the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced Level examinations at the end of the sixth year.