Private high schools
Entrance exams at private high schools in California
16 of the 17 private boarding high schools in California name an entrance exam, or say they require none, on their own admissions pages. By exam: HSPT 1; ISEE or SSAT 4; School's own test 1; Optional 4; None required 2; None posted 4. Each school's wording, test dates and source page are below.
Which private high schools in California require the HSPT?
1 of the 16 private boarding high schools in California with an entrance-exam entry use the HSPT: Archbishop Riordan High School.
Which private high schools in California take the ISEE or SSAT?
4 of the 16 private boarding high schools in California with an entrance-exam entry take the ISEE or the SSAT: Athenian School, Cate School, Robert L Stevenson High School, and Thacher School the.
Which private high schools in California require no entrance exam?
2 of the 16 private boarding high schools in California require no entrance exam: San Domenico School and The Webb Schools. 4 make the test optional: Dunn School, Midland School, Santa Catalina School, and Villanova Preparatory School. 1 gives its own placement test: Woodside Priory School.
When are the entrance exams and application deadlines at private high schools in California?
4 of the 16 schools post their test dates, printed beside each school below. 11 have an upcoming application deadline on file; the earliest is Idyllwild Arts Academy on Nov 10, 2026.
Preparing for one of these? Reach has a guide to the HSPT and a guide to the ISEE, each with the test's structure, dates and the schools that use it.
HSPT (1 school)
| School | City | Grades | What the school says | Test dates as posted | Application deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archbishop Riordan High School | San Francisco | 9–12 | HSPT | — | Nov 20, 2026 | — |
ISEE or SSAT (4 schools)
| School | City | Grades | What the school says | Test dates as posted | Application deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athenian School | Danville | 6–12 | ISEE or SSAT | No school-hosted test dates. The page states scores accepted must be from tests taken no earlier than Spring 2026, and recommends registering promptly if no… | Jan 8, 2027 | Admissions page |
| Cate School | Carpinteria | 9–12 | ISEE or SSAT | No fixed school-administered date; families register with EMA (SSAT) or ERB (ISEE) directly. "All testing must be completed within one year of the application… | Jan 15, 2027 | Admissions page |
| Robert L Stevenson High School | Pebble Beach | — | SSAT or ISEE - 'NEW REQUIREMENT FOR FALL 27 APPLICANTS: Standardized testing will now be… | — | — | — |
| Thacher School the | Ojai | 9–12 | ISEE or SSAT | "Thacher is pleased to offer the SSAT on campus on November 14, 2026 and December 12, 2026." "All testing must be taken during the same academic year in which… | Jan 15, 2027 | Admissions page |
School's own test (1 school)
| School | City | Grades | What the school says | Test dates as posted | Application deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodside Priory School | Portola Valley | 6–12 | STAR testing on campus (boarding applicants: STAR or ISEE/SSAT alternative); English… | — | Jan 5, 2027 | — |
Optional (4 schools)
| School | City | Grades | What the school says | Test dates as posted | Application deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dunn School | Los Olivos | 6–12 | Test-optional: SSAT optional for grades 9-10, PSAT/SAT optional for grades 11-12; TOEFL… | — | Feb 1, 2027 | — |
| Midland School | Los Olivos | 9–12 | Test-optional (applies via SSAT Standard Application Online); SSAT or ISEE 'highly… | — | — | — |
| Santa Catalina School | Monterey | PreK–12 | Test-optional: SSAT, ISEE, PSAT, or SAT accepted; TOEFL iBT or Duolingo required for… | — | Dec 4, 2026 | — |
| Villanova Preparatory School | Ojai | 6–12 | Test-optional: HSPT (grade 9 only, $35) or SSAT (grades 9-11) — 'Test results will not be… | — | — | — |
None required (2 schools)
| School | City | Grades | What the school says | Test dates as posted | Application deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Domenico School | San Anselmo | K–12 | no ISEE/SSAT listed — essays and interview for grades 7-12; K-8 applicants do an… | — | Dec 1, 2026 | — |
| The Webb Schools | Claremont | 9–12 | No entrance exam | None. English proficiency testing (TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo) is required only for applicants who have not attended an English-language school for the past two… | Jan 15, 2027 | Admissions page |
None posted (4 schools)
| School | City | Grades | What the school says | Test dates as posted | Application deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army and Navy Academy | Carlsbad | 7–12 | No entrance exam posted | — | — | — |
| Idyllwild Arts Academy | Idyllwild | 9–12 | No entrance exam posted | — | Nov 10, 2026 | — |
| Monte Vista Christian High School | Watsonville | 4–12 | No entrance exam posted | — | — | — |
| Ojai Valley School | Ojai | — | No entrance exam posted | — | Jan 15, 2027 | — |
The same schools ranked by college outcomes, with tuition and deadlines, are on the California private high schools page; tuition for every California private school is ranked on the tuition page.
Each exam entry is read from the school's own admissions page and shown only where the school posts one; the wording in "What the school says" is the school's, lightly shortened, and the source link is that page. Test dates and deadlines are as posted for the season the school's page describes and may change; a deadline already past is omitted. A school with no entry here did not state an exam on the pages we read. The list excludes nonclassroom-based online schools and schools the California Department of Education records with no 12th grade.