Private high schools
Best private high schools in Orange County, ranked by college outcomes
35 private high schools in Orange County have a profile page on Reach, and 16 of them have a UC Reach Score for 2025. The highest score is 161, at Pacific Academy Irvine, from 50 UC admits counted at each campus for 31 seniors. Tuition runs from $15,765 to $58,100 among the 13 that publish it. 5 publish a college list with counts.
Which private high schools in Orange County have the best college outcomes?
Among the 16 private high schools in Orange County with a 2025 UC Reach Score, Pacific Academy Irvine ranks first at 161, followed by Sage Hill School (151) and Fairmont Preparatory Academy (101).
| # | School | City | Grades | Tuition | Entrance exam | Application deadline | UC Reach Score | UC admits 2025 | Seniors | Publishes a counted college list | Top 3 named colleges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pacific Academy Irvine | Irvine | 7–12 | — | School's own test | — | 161 | 50 | 31 | Yes | University of California Riverside, University of California Irvine, Chapman University (acceptances) |
| 2 | Sage Hill School | Newport Coast | 7–12 | $58,100 | ISEE or SSAT | — | 151 | 223 | 148 | Yes | New York University, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley |
| 3 | Fairmont Preparatory Academy | Anaheim | 9–12 | $34,435 | School's own test | — | 101 | 158 | 156 | No | — |
| 4 | Crean Lutheran High School | Irvine | 9–12 | $23,575 | None posted | — | 94 | 269 | 285 | No | — |
| 5 | St. Margaret's Episcopal School | San Juan Capistrano | 9–12 | $52,950 | ISEE | Dec 15, 2026 | 73 | 74 | 102 | Yes | University of San Diego, University of Southern California, Chapman University |
| 6 | Tarbut V'Torah Community Day School | Irvine | TK–12 | $47,385 | School's own test | — | 65 | 34 | 52 | No | — |
| 7 | Santa Margarita Catholic High School | Rancho Santa Margarita | 9–12 | $23,600 | HSPT | — | 37 | 156 | 421 | Yes | Saddleback College, University of Utah, Texas Christian University |
| 8 | Orange Lutheran High School | Orange | 9–12 | — | None required | — | 37 | 77 | 210 | No | — |
| 9 | Mater Dei High School | Santa Ana | 9–12 | $21,150 | HSPT | — | 36 | 187 | 514 | No | — |
| 10 | JSerra Catholic High School | San Juan Capistrano | 9–12 | $26,200 | HSPT | — | 33 | 105 | 320 | No | — |
| 11 | Rosary Academy | Fullerton | 9–12 | $21,990 | HSPT | — | 28 | 30 | 107 | No | — |
| 12 | Calvary Chapel High School | Santa Ana | 9–12 | — | None posted | — | 28 | 24 | 87 | No | — |
| 13 | Servite High School | Anaheim | 9–12 | $21,710 | HSPT | Dec 4, 2026 | 25 | 46 | 187 | No | — |
| 14 | Capistrano Valley Christian School | San Juan Capistrano | TK–12 | — | HSPT | Jan 30, 2027 | 19 | 13 | 68 | No | — |
| 15 | Pacifica Christian High School | Newport Beach | 9–12 | $25,490 | ISEE | — | 14 | 9 | 66 | No | — |
| 16 | Whittier Christian High School | La Habra | 9–12 | $19,585 | School's own test | — | 6 | 6 | 94 | Yes | University of California-Riverside, University of California-Santa Cruz, Biola University (acceptances) |
Also in Orange County
19 more private high schools have a page here but no 2025 UC Reach Score, listed alphabetically.
| School | City | Grades | Tuition | Entrance exam | Application deadline | UC Reach Score | UC admits 2025 | Seniors | Publishes a counted college list | Top 3 named colleges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acaciawood School | Anaheim | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | No | — |
| Anaheim Disc Christian J/S High School | Anaheim | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | No | — |
| Aquinas International Academy | Garden Grove | 6–12 | — | None posted | — | — | 262 | — | No | — |
| Bethel Baptist School | Santa Ana | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | No | — |
| Brethren Christian High School | Huntington Beach | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | No | — |
| Cornelia Connelly School | Anaheim | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | No | — |
| Eastside Christian High School | Fullerton | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | No | — |
| Eldorado Emerson Private School | Orange | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | No | — |
| Fairmont International School | Anaheim | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | No | — |
| Fairmont San Juan Capistrano | San Juan Capistrano | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | No | — |
| Fusion Academy Aliso Viejo | Aliso Viejo | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | No | — |
| Fusion Academy Huntington Bch | Huntington Beach | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | No | — |
| Fusion Academy Newport Beach | Irvine | 6–12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | No | — |
| Newport Christian School | Newport Beach | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | No | — |
| Orangewood Academy | Garden Grove | K–12 | $15,765 | None posted | — | — | — | — | No | — |
| Saddleback Valley Christian School | San Juan Capistrano | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | No | — |
| Saint Michaels Prep School | Silverado | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | No | — |
| Veritas Classical Academy | Fullerton | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | No | — |
| Waldorf School of Orange County | Costa Mesa | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | No | — |
What does tuition cost at Orange County private high schools?
13 of the 35 private high schools publish tuition: the lowest is $15,765 at Orangewood Academy and the highest is $58,100 at Sage Hill School, with a median of $23,600.
- Orangewood Academy: $15,765
- Whittier Christian High School: $19,585 (2026-27)
- Mater Dei High School: $21,150 (2026-27)
- Servite High School: $21,710 (2026-27)
- Rosary Academy: $21,990 (2026-27)
- JSerra Catholic High School: $26,200 (2026-27)
- Fairmont Preparatory Academy: $34,435 (2026-27)
- Tarbut V'Torah Community Day School: $47,385 (2026-27)
- St. Margaret's Episcopal School: $52,950 (2026-27)
- Sage Hill School: $58,100 (2026-27)
The five lowest and five highest of 13 published tuitions; every school's figure is in the table above.
Which entrance exam do Orange County private high schools require?
18 of the 35 private high schools have an entrance-exam entry on file; by exam: HSPT, 6; None posted, 4; School's own test, 4; ISEE, 2; ISEE or SSAT, 1; None required, 1. Each school's exam, test dates and source page are on the entrance exams in Orange County page.
- HSPT: 6 schools
- None posted: 4 schools
- School's own test: 4 schools
- ISEE: 2 schools
- ISEE or SSAT: 1 school
- None required: 1 school
When are applications due at Orange County private high schools?
3 of the 35 private high schools have an upcoming application deadline on file: the earliest is Servite High School on Dec 4, 2026 and the latest is Capistrano Valley Christian School on Jan 30, 2027.
- Dec 4, 2026: Servite High School
- Dec 15, 2026: St. Margaret's Episcopal School
- Jan 30, 2027: Capistrano Valley Christian School
Other metros are on the private high schools by metro index, and every California private school's tuition is ranked on the tuition page. For public and charter schools too, use the county index or the California high school rankings. To compare private and public schools, see Orange County, or is a private school worth the tuition?
UC Reach Score is top-6 UC admits per 100 seniors in 2025, counted at each campus, so a student admitted to several campuses counts at each; a dash means the University of California published no admit counts for that school. Tuition, entrance exam, grades and application deadline come from each school's own admissions pages and are shown only where the school publishes them; deadlines already past are omitted. A school "publishes a counted college list" when its own published list carries a count beside each college; the three colleges shown are the three with the largest counts on that list. The list excludes nonclassroom-based online schools and schools the California Department of Education records with no 12th grade.