Private high schools
Entrance exams at private high schools in East Bay
23 of the 28 private high schools in Alameda and Contra Costa counties name an entrance exam, or say they require none, on their own admissions pages. By exam: HSPT 9; ISEE 1; ISEE or SSAT 5; School's own test 4; None posted 4. Each school's wording, test dates and source page are below.
Which private high schools in East Bay require the HSPT?
9 of the 23 private high schools in Alameda and Contra Costa counties with an entrance-exam entry use the HSPT: Berean Christian High School, Bishop O'Dowd High School, Carondelet High School, De La Salle High School, Holy Names High School, Moreau Catholic High School, Saint Joseph-Notre Dame High School, Saint Mary's College High School, and Salesian College Preparatory.
Which private high schools in East Bay take the ISEE or SSAT?
6 of the 23 private high schools in Alameda and Contra Costa counties with an entrance-exam entry take the ISEE or the SSAT: The Head-Royce School, Athenian School, BASIS Independent Fremont Upper School, Bentley School, College Preparatory School, and Quarry Lane School.
Which private high schools in East Bay require no entrance exam?
Every one of the 23 private high schools in Alameda and Contra Costa counties with an entrance-exam entry names a test. 4 give its own placement test: Averroes High School, Contra Costa Christian High School, Cristo Rey De La Salle East Bay High School, and Fremont Christian High School.
When are the entrance exams and application deadlines at private high schools in East Bay?
7 of the 23 schools post their test dates, printed beside each school below. 14 have an upcoming application deadline on file; the earliest is The Head-Royce School on Dec 4, 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 (9 schools)
| School | City | Grades | What the school says | Test dates as posted | Application deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berean Christian High School | Walnut Creek | 9–12 | HSPT (school-administered High School Placement Test; required only for applicants… | — | — | — |
| Bishop O'Dowd High School | Oakland | 9–12 | HSPT | HSPT: January 9, 2027. Prep events on the school's page: 8th-grade HSPT prep workshop Saturday, December 13, 2025 (2026 date to be announced); 7th-grade… | Jan 5, 2027 | Admissions page |
| Carondelet High School | Concord | 9–12 | HSPT | HSPT: Saturday, January 9, 2027, 8:30-11:30 AM. Extended-time accommodation requests due Friday, December 11. Carondelet also runs an optional 8th-grade prep… | Dec 11, 2026 | Admissions page |
| De La Salle High School | Concord | 9–12 | HSPT | HSPT: Saturday, January 9, 2027. Results emailed to parents March 12, 2027. Students testing at another site must notify the De La Salle admissions team by… | Dec 11, 2026 | Admissions page |
| Holy Names High School | Oakland | 9–12 | HSPT — required of all applicants; free, taken once, at any of the nine Oakland-diocese… | — | Jan 5, 2027 | — |
| Moreau Catholic High School | Hayward | 9–12 | HSPT (required; administered on campus) | — | Jan 5, 2027 | — |
| Saint Joseph-Notre Dame High School | Alameda | 9–12 | HSPT required of all prospective students by the Diocese of Oakland; administered at SJND… | — | Jan 6, 2027 | — |
| Saint Mary's College High School | Berkeley | 9–12 | HSPT (required for 9th-grade applicants; offered at any of the nine Oakland Diocese… | — | Jan 5, 2027 | — |
| Salesian College Preparatory | Richmond | 9–12 | HSPT | — | Dec 7, 2026 | — |
ISEE (1 school)
| School | City | Grades | What the school says | Test dates as posted | Application deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Head-Royce School | Oakland | K–12 | ISEE | No ISEE test dates are published on the school's page; registration and scheduling run through Ravenna and ERB. | Dec 4, 2026 | Admissions page |
ISEE or SSAT (5 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 |
| BASIS Independent Fremont Upper School | Fremont | 9–12 | ISEE or SSAT required for grade 2-9 applicants (standardized entrance exam registered… | — | Jan 27, 2027 | — |
| Bentley School | Lafayette | K–12 | ISEE or SSAT | No fixed dates published; the ISEE and SSAT are scheduled with ERB and EMA. The Test Innovators essay option has been retired. | Jan 7, 2027 | Admissions page |
| College Preparatory School | Oakland | 9–12 | ISEE or SSAT | Test must be completed by February 1, 2027 (the page notes most students test in December). College Prep hosts ISEE sittings on Sunday, January 3, 2027 at 9:00… | Jan 5, 2027 | Admissions page |
| Quarry Lane School | Dublin | Preschool–12 | SSAT (code 5955) or ISEE (code 054297) accepted for grades 6-12; not stated as required | — | — | — |
School's own test (4 schools)
| School | City | Grades | What the school says | Test dates as posted | Application deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Averroes High School | Berkeley | 9–12 | Own academic assessment in English, Writing, Math, and Arabic (given by Averroes High… | — | Mar 31, 2027 | — |
| Contra Costa Christian High School | Walnut Creek | Preschool–12 | Own assessment - student assessment administered after the family interview (no… | — | — | — |
| Cristo Rey De La Salle East Bay High School | Oakland | 9–12 | School-administered High School Placement Test + interview, scheduled after applying via… | — | — | — |
| Fremont Christian High School | Fremont | 9–12 | Own placement test, administered only if required — depends on the entering grade and the… | — | — | — |
None posted (4 schools)
| School | City | Grades | What the school says | Test dates as posted | Application deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alsion Montessori Middle/High | Fremont | 7–12 | No entrance exam posted | — | — | — |
| California Crosspoint High School | Alameda | -1–12 | Not specified by name on official pages; a non-refundable $75 'Applicant Testing Fee' is… | — | — | — |
| Maybeck High School | Berkeley | 9–12 | No entrance exam posted | — | — | — |
| Tilden Preparatory School | Albany | 6–12 | No entrance exam posted | — | — | — |
The same schools ranked by college outcomes, with tuition and deadlines, are on the the East Bay 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.