Private high schools
Entrance exams at private high schools in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties
13 of the 19 private high schools in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties name an entrance exam, or say they require none, on their own admissions pages. By exam: HSPT 2; ISEE or SSAT 2; School's own test 1; Optional 3; None posted 5. Each school's wording, test dates and source page are below.
Which private high schools in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties require the HSPT?
2 of the 13 private high schools in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties with an entrance-exam entry use the HSPT: Saint Bonaventure High School and Santa Clara High School.
Which private high schools in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties take the ISEE or SSAT?
2 of the 13 private high schools in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties with an entrance-exam entry take the ISEE or the SSAT: Cate School and Thacher School the.
Which private high schools in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties require no entrance exam?
Every one of the 13 private high schools in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties with an entrance-exam entry names a test. 3 make the test optional: Dunn School, Midland School, and Villanova Preparatory School. 1 gives its own placement test: Bishop Garcia Diego High School.
When are the entrance exams and application deadlines at private high schools in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties?
2 of the 13 schools post their test dates, printed beside each school below. 5 have an upcoming application deadline on file; the earliest is Cate School on Jan 15, 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.
HSPT (2 schools)
| School | City | Grades | What the school says | Test dates as posted | Application deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Bonaventure High School | Ventura | 9–12 | HSPT (required for prospective 9th graders; fee included in application fee) | — | Jan 20, 2027 | — |
| Santa Clara High School | Oxnard | 9–12 | HSPT - now listed on the admissions page with a test date | — | — | — |
ISEE or SSAT (2 schools)
| School | City | Grades | What the school says | Test dates as posted | Application deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop Garcia Diego High School | Santa Barbara | 9–12 | Own Entrance Placement Test (9th-grade applicants only) plus personal interview | — | — | — |
Optional (3 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… | — | — | — |
| Villanova Preparatory School | Ojai | 6–12 | Test-optional: HSPT (grade 9 only, $35) or SSAT (grades 9-11) — 'Test results will not be… | — | — | — |
None posted (5 schools)
| School | City | Grades | What the school says | Test dates as posted | Application deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grace Brethren High School | Simi Valley | 7–12 | No entrance exam posted — Jr/Sr High applicants 'may be asked to take either a math or… | — | — | — |
| LA Reina High School | Thousand Oaks | 9–12 | n/a - school closed | — | — | — |
| Laguna Blanca School | Santa Barbara | 9–12 | No entrance exam posted | — | — | — |
| Oak Grove School | Ojai | Preschool–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 Ventura and Santa Barbara counties 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.