Private high schools
Best private high schools in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, ranked by college outcomes
19 private high schools in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties have a profile page on Reach, and 8 of them have a UC Reach Score for 2025. The highest score is 63, at Laguna Blanca School, from 29 UC admits counted at each campus for 46 seniors. Tuition runs from $10,100 to $83,900 among the 6 that publish it. 5 publish a college list with counts.
Which private high schools in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties have the best college outcomes?
Among the 8 private high schools in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties with a 2025 UC Reach Score, Laguna Blanca School ranks first at 63, followed by Cate School (51) and Bishop Garcia Diego High School (40).
| # | 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 | Laguna Blanca School | Santa Barbara | 9–12 | $45,060 | None posted | — | 63 | 29 | 46 | Yes | University of California (Berkeley), Santa Barbara City College, Southern Methodist University (acceptances) |
| 2 | Cate School | Carpinteria | 9–12 | — | ISEE or SSAT | Jan 15, 2027 | 51 | 37 | 73 | Yes | University of California, Berkeley, University of Chicago, New York University |
| 3 | Bishop Garcia Diego High School | Santa Barbara | 9–12 | — | School's own test | — | 40 | 25 | 62 | Yes | University of San Diego, California Lutheran University, The University of Arizona (acceptances) |
| 4 | Ojai Valley School | Ojai | — | $37,000 | None posted | Jan 15, 2027 | 38 | 8 | 21 | No | — |
| 5 | Saint Bonaventure High School | Ventura | 9–12 | $12,200 | HSPT | Jan 20, 2027 | 36 | 28 | 77 | No | — |
| 6 | Thacher School the | Ojai | 9–12 | — | ISEE or SSAT | Jan 15, 2027 | 25 | 16 | 65 | Yes | Colorado College, New York University, University of California - Berkeley |
| 7 | Dunn School | Los Olivos | 6–12 | — | Optional | Feb 1, 2027 | 23 | 7 | 31 | Yes | California Poly San Luis Obispo, Loyola Marymount University, Northeastern University |
| 8 | Saint Joseph High School | Santa Maria | 9–12 | — | — | — | 17 | 21 | 123 | No | — |
Also in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties
11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anacapa School | Santa Barbara | 7–12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | No | — |
| Besant Hill School of Happy Valley | Ojai | 9–12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | No | — |
| Grace Brethren High School | Simi Valley | 7–12 | $18,990 | None posted | — | — | — | 46 | No | — |
| Hillcrest Christian School | Thousand Oaks | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | No | — |
| LA Reina High School | Thousand Oaks | 9–12 | — | None posted | — | — | — | — | No | — |
| Midland School | Los Olivos | 9–12 | $83,900 | Optional | — | — | — | — | No | — |
| Newbury Park Adventist Academy | Newbury Park | 9–12 | — | — | — | — | — | 30 | No | — |
| Oak Grove School | Ojai | Preschool–12 | — | None posted | — | — | 7 | — | No | — |
| Providence | Santa Barbara | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | No | — |
| Santa Clara High School | Oxnard | 9–12 | $10,100 | HSPT | — | — | — | 35 | No | — |
| Villanova Preparatory School | Ojai | 6–12 | — | Optional | — | — | 20 | — | No | — |
What does tuition cost at Ventura and Santa Barbara counties private high schools?
6 of the 19 private high schools publish tuition: the lowest is $10,100 at Santa Clara High School and the highest is $83,900 at Midland School, with a median of $27,995.
- Santa Clara High School: $10,100 (2026-27)
- Saint Bonaventure High School: $12,200 (2026-27)
- Grace Brethren High School: $18,990 (2026-27)
- Ojai Valley School: $37,000 (2026-27)
- Laguna Blanca School: $45,060 (2026-27)
- Midland School: $83,900 (2026-27)
Which entrance exam do Ventura and Santa Barbara counties private high schools require?
13 of the 19 private high schools have an entrance-exam entry on file; by exam: None posted, 5; Optional, 3; HSPT, 2; ISEE or SSAT, 2; School's own test, 1. Each school's exam, test dates and source page are on the entrance exams in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties page.
- None posted: 5 schools
- Optional: 3 schools
- HSPT: 2 schools
- ISEE or SSAT: 2 schools
- School's own test: 1 school
When are applications due at Ventura and Santa Barbara counties private high schools?
5 of the 19 private high schools have an upcoming application deadline on file: the earliest is Cate School on Jan 15, 2027 and the latest is Dunn School on Feb 1, 2027.
- Jan 15, 2027: Cate School
- Jan 15, 2027: Ojai Valley School
- Jan 15, 2027: Thacher School the
- Jan 20, 2027: Saint Bonaventure High School
- Feb 1, 2027: Dunn 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 Ventura County, Santa Barbara 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.