Private high schools
Entrance exams at private high schools in Pasadena and La Cañada Flintridge
10 of the 16 private high schools in Pasadena, La Cañada Flintridge, San Marino, Altadena, Sierra Madre, Arcadia and South Pasadena name an entrance exam, or say they require none, on their own admissions pages. By exam: ISEE 1; HSPT, ISEE or SSAT 1; School's own test 1; None required 2; None posted 5. Each school's wording, test dates and source page are below.
Which private high schools in Pasadena and La Cañada Flintridge require the HSPT?
None of the 10 private high schools in Pasadena, La Cañada Flintridge, San Marino, Altadena, Sierra Madre, Arcadia and South Pasadena with an entrance-exam entry uses the HSPT alone.
Which private high schools in Pasadena and La Cañada Flintridge take the ISEE or SSAT?
2 of the 10 private high schools in Pasadena, La Cañada Flintridge, San Marino, Altadena, Sierra Madre, Arcadia and South Pasadena with an entrance-exam entry take the ISEE or the SSAT: Maranatha High School and La Salle High School.
Which private high schools in Pasadena and La Cañada Flintridge require no entrance exam?
2 of the 10 private high schools in Pasadena, La Cañada Flintridge, San Marino, Altadena, Sierra Madre, Arcadia and South Pasadena require no entrance exam: Ef Academy - Pasadena and Southwestern Academy. 1 gives its own placement test: Polytechnic School.
When are the entrance exams and application deadlines at private high schools in Pasadena and La Cañada Flintridge?
1 of the 10 schools post their test dates, printed beside each school below. 7 have an upcoming application deadline on file; the earliest is Polytechnic School on Jan 4, 2027.
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.
ISEE (1 school)
| School | City | Grades | What the school says | Test dates as posted | Application deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maranatha High School | Pasadena | 9–12 | ISEE — required only for merit-scholarship applicants; all other applicants exempt | — | Feb 1, 2027 | — |
HSPT, ISEE or SSAT (1 school)
| School | City | Grades | What the school says | Test dates as posted | Application deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Salle High School | Pasadena | 9–12 | HSPT, ISEE or SSAT | — | Jan 15, 2027 | — |
School's own test (1 school)
| School | City | Grades | What the school says | Test dates as posted | Application deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polytechnic School | Pasadena | K–12 | School's own assessment | Not applicable to standardized tests. Upper School Student Assessment appointments are booked through the admission portal (information posted in the portal in… | Jan 4, 2027 | Admissions page |
None required (2 schools)
| School | City | Grades | What the school says | Test dates as posted | Application deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ef Academy - Pasadena | Pasadena | 9–12 | No SSAT/ISEE entrance exam listed; English-proficiency testing (listening, reading… | — | Jan 15, 2027 | — |
| Southwestern Academy | San Marino | 6–12 | No HSPT/ISEE/SSAT required; interview required for all applicants; international… | — | — | — |
None posted (5 schools)
| School | City | Grades | What the school says | Test dates as posted | Application deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arroyo Pacific Academy | Arcadia | K–12 | School's own pages conflict: admissions page says no entrance exam; the 2027-28… | — | — | — |
| Mayfield Senior School | Pasadena | 9–12 | No entrance exam posted | — | Jan 22, 2027 | — |
| Sequoyah School | Pasadena | K–12 | No entrance exam posted | — | — | — |
| Waverly School | Pasadena | Preschool–12 | No entrance exam posted | — | Jan 19, 2027 | — |
| Westridge School for Girls | Pasadena | 4–12 | No entrance exam posted | — | Jan 6, 2027 | — |
The same schools ranked by college outcomes, with tuition and deadlines, are on the Pasadena and La Cañada Flintridge 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.