Monterey County
Private vs public high schools in Monterey County
4 private and 15 public high schools in Monterey County have a 2025 UC Reach Score: top-6 UC admits per 100 seniors, counted at each campus. The tables below put the two groups side by side on that one measure.
Do private or public high schools in Monterey County get more students into the UC system?
In Monterey County the 4 private high schools with a 2025 UC Reach Score have a median of 59 and a top score of 95 (Robert L Stevenson High School), and the 15 public high schools have a median of 20 and a top score of 44 (Carmel High School); pooled, private schools show 64.7 UC admits per 100 seniors and public schools 20.2.
| Group | Schools with a score | Median UC Reach Score | Top UC Reach Score | UC admits per 100 seniors (pooled) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private | 4 | 59 | 95 | 64.7 |
| Public | 15 | 20 | 44 | 20.2 |
Which private high schools in Monterey County have the best UC outcomes?
The highest-scoring private high school in Monterey County is Robert L Stevenson High School at 95, and 2 of the 4 private schools in the table publish a tuition figure.
| # | School | City | Tuition | UC Reach Score | UC admits 2025 | Seniors | Publishes a counted college list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert L Stevenson High School | Pebble Beach | — | 95 | 126 | 132 | Yes |
| 2 | Santa Catalina School | Monterey | $48,925 | 76 | 29 | 38 | Yes |
| 3 | York School | Monterey | $45,950 | 41 | 14 | 34 | Yes |
| 4 | Palma High School | Salinas | — | 23 | 20 | 88 | Yes |
Which public high schools match them?
The highest-scoring public high school in Monterey County is Carmel High School at 44, and 6 of the top 10 public schools score at or above 23, the score of the 4th private school in the table above.
| # | School | City | UC Reach Score | UC admits 2025 | Seniors | Publishes a counted college list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carmel High School | Carmel | 44 | 88 | 200 | No |
| 2 | Pacific Grove High School | Pacific Grove | 40 | 64 | 161 | No |
| 3 | Monterey High School | Monterey | 38 | 126 | 332 | No |
| 4 | Rancho San Juan High School | Salinas | 29 | 107 | 369 | No |
| 5 | Salinas High School | Salinas | 24 | 148 | 611 | No |
| 6 | Gonzales High School | Gonzales | 23 | 47 | 204 | No |
| 7 | North Monterey County High School | Castroville | 22 | 69 | 316 | No |
| 8 | Alisal High School | Salinas | 20 | 133 | 662 | No |
| 9 | Everett Alvarez High School | Salinas | 19 | 90 | 475 | No |
| 10 | Soledad High School | Soledad | 12 | 45 | 387 | No |
Does the gap hold at the same GPA?
Among 4 private high schools in Monterey County with enough Fall 2024 UC applicants to measure (applicants averaging a 4.01 GPA), 22.8% of applicants were admitted where their GPAs predict 23.7%; among 14 public high schools (applicants averaging a 3.85 GPA), 32.1% were admitted where their GPAs predict 22.8%.
| Group | Schools measured | UC applicants 2024 | Average applicant GPA | Admitted | Expected at that GPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private | 4 | 540 | 4.01 | 22.8% | 23.7% |
| Public | 14 | 3,026 | 3.85 | 32.1% | 22.8% |
UC publishes applicant GPA a year behind its admit counts, and 2024 is the latest year it covers private schools. "Expected" is the admit rate the statewide curve for each of the six campuses predicts from a school's applicant GPA, summed over its applicants; the same method as the GPA-performance table on the rankings. Only schools with at least 30 applications across at least three campuses are measured.
What families are also buying at a private school
Parents are not only shopping for college outcomes. The tables above count UC admits, and a high school is also four years of a teenager's days: who they spend them with, what the school asks them to value, and whether the adults know them.
Families who choose a private school in Monterey County are usually weighing some of these:
- Community and values fit. A private school sets its own mission and expectations, and the application, the entrance exam and the interview work as a fit signal in both directions. Of the 3 private schools here with an affiliation on file, 2 are religiously affiliated and 1 is nonsectarian.
- Class size. The National Center for Education Statistics' Private School Survey (2022) lists 3 of these private schools at 6.5 to 14.7 students per teacher.
- Size of the school. The 4 private schools here with an enrollment count on file enrolled 166 to 584 students, with a median of 476.
- Advising. Each private school builds its own college-advising model, so the useful question is how many students each counselor carries and how early the work starts.
- Arts and athletics access. A smaller school can mean more students on each team and in each production; ask each school what participation looks like.
Public schools are a great choice when a family cannot afford a private school, and the public table above shows how each of them does with UC admissions.
Every school in Monterey County is on the Monterey County school list; the county rankings rank them against each other. Other counties are on the private vs public index, and a single private school can be set beside its nearest strong public school on the worth-the-tuition pages.
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. "Public" means district and charter schools with at least 100 seniors, as in the rankings (online, independent-study and alternative programs are left out); private schools of any size are included. Pooled admits per 100 seniors adds each group's admits and divides by its seniors; a "~" marks a senior count the data estimates. Schools with no UC admit counts for 2025 are not in either group. Tuition comes from each school's own admissions pages and is shown only where the school publishes it. A school "publishes a counted college list" when its own published list carries a count beside each college. The list excludes nonclassroom-based online schools and schools the California Department of Education records with no 12th grade.