Castilleja School

Palo Alto · Santa Clara County · Private independent

Private Santa Clara County ~51 seniors

Data Year

Compare with peers

Most similar nearby schools

Pinewood School → Eastside College Prep School → Crystal Springs Uplands School → BASIS Independent Fremont Upper School → Woodside Priory School → Compare all similar →

Elite UC Reach — Top 1% in CA

A parent's read

The UC pipeline here is real. 58 admissions to the top six UC campuses for a class of 51 seniors puts this school in the top handful of schools in California.
Elite admits are rare — here and everywhere. Berkeley and UCLA admitted 14 of this class's 215 UC applications. The strong middle campuses — San Diego, Santa Barbara, Irvine, Davis — are where most real UC outcomes happen.
One question for any counselor: who should still test? Plenty of strong students skip the SAT/ACT now — but merit scholarships at dozens of colleges still key off scores. Ask how the school decides who should still sit for one.

Composed from this page's data — every claim is backed by a number in the sections below.

At a glance

Programs & features

Teaches no AP-designated courses — common among independent schools that run their own advanced curriculum

Academic signals

AP exam pass rate 93% — the school teaches no AP courses; students sit the exams anyway

Composed from the school's own published profile (2026), and other public data. Full breakdowns below.

Where grads go — and what it costs & pays

UC Reach Score

114

Incredible top 1% in California

Top-6 UC admits per 100 seniors in the Class of 2025 — counts each campus admit, so a student admitted to several UCs counts more than once (which is why a strong school can score over 100).

UC admits by campus · Class of 2025

UCB

9 admitted

Net $13,481/yr avg

Grads earn $92,446 @10yr

UCLA

5 admitted

Net $12,548/yr avg

Grads earn $82,511 @10yr

UCSD

7 admitted

Net $12,470/yr avg

Grads earn $84,943 @10yr

UCSB

14 admitted

Net $16,109/yr avg

Grads earn $74,915 @10yr

UCI

11 admitted

Net $14,251/yr avg

Grads earn $80,735 @10yr

UCD

12 admitted

Net $14,741/yr avg

Grads earn $80,838 @10yr

Getting in is step one. The cost above is the average aid-receiving family's net price — yours depends on whether you qualify for aid — and your child's odds depend on their GPA + scores. See your family's real numbers at these campuses:

Get my child's odds + our real costs →

Sources: UC Office of the President (admits); IPEDS net price + College Scorecard 10-yr earnings (cost & payoff). Full campus-by-campus breakdown below.

You've seen Castilleja School. What are your child's real college odds? Check any college in 10 seconds — no email needed — then get the free Family Decision Report: Reach / Competitive / Match / Likely + the real cost range for every college on their list. Check odds →

How Castilleja School compares for families

One of California's strongest schools for college outcomes.

▸ StatewideUC Reach Score of 114 — 95 points above the California median of 19. Ahead of 100% of California high schools.
▸ Locally🎓 Top 1% in California on UC Reach — plus 1 more top-rank.
▸ vs Similar SchoolsBeats the peer median (UC Reach Score 114 vs a 62 median) across the 5 most similar nearby schools.

For Parents

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Objective, government-grade data — no school pays us for placement.

Their published matriculation list

Where the Class of 2026 enrolled

Castilleja School publishes where its graduates enrolled. What follows is copied from that document — 33 colleges, in the document's own order.

Barnard College Boston University Bowdoin College Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo Columbia University Cornell University Dartmouth College DePaul University Duke University Harvard University Harvey Mudd College Lehigh University Loyola Marymount University Massachusetts Institute of Technology Northwestern University Pomona College St. Olaf College Stanford University Tulane University UC Los Angeles UC San Diego University of Chicago University of Michigan University of Pennsylvania University of Puget Sound University of Washington Vanderbilt University Vassar College Washington University in St. Louis Wellesley College

and 3 more

Wesleyan University Williams College Yale University

These graduates went on to the colleges above.

Check your kid's odds at these colleges →

We'll load 10 from the list above — add your name, email and your child's numbers and we'll see where your child lands at each.

As published, source linked As published by Castilleja School — Upper School Profile 2026-2027 ↗. Found at: p.3, 'Class of 2026 College Choices' list — BOLD entries only.

No SBAC data for private schools — and that's not the metric you want anyway

California's Smarter Balanced (CAASPP) assessment is administered by the state, by statute, to public & charter schools only. Private schools don't sit for it. That's why the SBAC card is missing on this profile — not a data gap on our side, a deliberate scope of the state's testing program.

For private schools, UC Reach is the stronger academic signal anyway. SBAC measures grade-11 inputs (proficiency on a state standard); UC Reach measures outputs (who actually got into the most selective UCs). For private-school families weighing tuition against college outcomes, the outputs are the relevant signal.

Scroll up to the UC Reach card for Castilleja School's 2025 number, statewide percentile, and 5-year trend.

Enrollment trend & projection

Total enrollment (9–12)

430 (2020) → 416 (2025)

-3.3%

Grade 12 (graduating class)

60 (2020) → 51 (2025)

-15.0%

If this trend holds (-0.6%/yr, Total enrollment)

At tuition of $ / student:

Horizon	Projected Total enrollment	Change	Tuition impact / yr
1 yr (2026)	~414	-2	$0
3 yr (2028)	~409	-7	$0
5 yr (2030)	~405	-11	$0

Straight-line extrapolation of the recent annual rate — a what-if, not a forecast of intent. Default = derived from this school's IRS Form 990 (FY2023) — program-service revenue ÷ enrollment. Edit the figure to match your school.

How does Castilleja School really compare on getting kids to college?

We've ranked it #2 of 10 most similar nearby schools on UC Reach. Unlock the full snapshot to see the head-to-head — who's ahead, by how much, and where it's heading.

The full head-to-head table — every peer school's UC Reach, side by side.

Enrollment trend + 3-year projection — is this school growing or quietly shrinking?

The plain-English read on what it all means for your family.

Your similar-school group includes

Pinewood School · Eastside College Prep School · Crystal Springs Uplands School · BASIS Independent Fremont Upper School · Woodside Priory School · Menlo School · +4 more

Financial profile — IRS Form 990, FY2023

From 13 years of Form 990 filings via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (free public IRS data). The school's tax filings show financial scale, fundraising health, and endowment trajectory — signals that drive board-level conversations about tuition pricing, financial-aid capacity, and capital projects.

Total revenue

$33.9M

FY2023

Net assets (endowment + property)

$146.9M

+88.7% since FY2011

Tuition revenue (program)

$24.8M

≈ $59604/student avg

Gifts & grants

$9.8M

fundraising

Total revenue by year ($M)

Net assets by year ($M)

Source: IRS Form 990 via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (EIN 940373222). Tuition-per-student is total program-service revenue divided by latest enrollment — a rough average that includes auxiliary revenue (athletics, food service, etc.); the actual published tuition can differ. Form 990 is filed annually under penalty of perjury, so the financial scale figures are authoritative.

Key takeaway · Class of 2025

Castilleja School sent 215 applications to the six most selective University of California campuses and 27.0% were admitted, producing a UC Reach Score of 114 (top-6 UC admits per 100 seniors, counting a student at each campus that admitted them) — 95 points above the California median of 19, higher than 100% of California high schools. The school produces 27.5 UCLA + UC Berkeley admits per 100 seniors.

UC Reach Score 114 ⓘ 58 admits (counted at each UC) / 51 seniors +51 pts above peer median (62) · #2 of 10 similar schools why over 100 · methodology

Where this sits on the California curve

CA median
19

Peer median
62

Top 10%
53

This school
114

050100 →

CA median 19 Top 10% ≥ 53 This school 114

Higher than 99% of California high schools (1107 ranked, ≥50 seniors)

What this number means

114 is exceptional and very rare. For every 100 seniors at Castilleja School, the school is generating roughly 114 admissions to California's six most selective UCs (UCB, UCLA, UCSD, UCSB, UCI, UCD). The typical strong senior here is winning admission at multiple top campuses — a result fewer than 1% of California high schools achieve.

In Santa Clara County — a competitive market where the median is already 33 — this still clears the county top-10% bar (84).

Against similar schools, Castilleja School stands out clearly — the peer-group median is 62.

This places Castilleja School in the elite tier statewide — the top-1% threshold is 95.

Overall, Castilleja School's UC Reach is higher than 99% of California high schools (1107 ranked).

Why is this over 100? Out of every 100 seniors at this school, the class is generating more than 100 admissions to California's six most selective UCs. The typical strong senior here is being admitted at multiple top-6 campuses — UCLA + UCSD, or Berkeley + UCSB + UC Irvine, for example. It's a rare achievement; fewer than 1% of California high schools clear a UC Reach Score of 100.

UC Application Reach Score ⓘ

422

215 applications

Exceptionally ambitious student body. The typical senior is applying to about 4 of the 6 most selective UCs — a culture of pursuing every major UC option.

In context: CA median 81 · Top 10% statewide ≥ 240 · Santa Clara Co. Top 10% ≥ 374 · higher than 99% of CA HS.

UC Admit Rate ⓘ

27.0%

58 / 215 applications

In context: CA median 26.0% · Top 10% statewide ≥ 40.4% · higher than 55% of CA HS.

UC Yield Rate ⓘ

N/A

— enrolled of 58 admitted

Yield vs. Enrollment Reach: Yield answers "of UC admits, what % chose UC?" — denominator is just the admits. A small admitted cohort can post a low yield even when the school sends a healthy share of its class to UC.

UC Enrollment Reach Score ⓘ

N/A

— enrollees / 51 seniors

Enrollment Reach vs. Yield: Reach answers "of the whole senior class, what share ended up at UC?" — denominator is everyone. High Yield with low Enrollment Reach is common at elite privates: most admits matriculate, but the school sends most of its class to non-UC selective colleges.

Selective UC Reach (UCB, UCLA, UCSD, UCSB, UCI — incl. the Elite two) ⓘ

90.2

per 100 seniors · campus-level total

In context: CA median 15.9 · Top 10% statewide ≥ 42.2 · higher than 99% of CA HS.

Elite UC Reach (UCB + UCLA) ⓘ

27.5

per 100 seniors · campus-level total

In context: CA median 3.4 · Top 10% statewide ≥ 10.2 · higher than 99% of CA HS.

Senior Class Size ⓘ

Private School Affidavit

Total School Enrollment ⓘ

416

All grades · Private School Affidavit

Private-school figures come from the California Private School Affidavit. Per CDE, inclusion in private-school data is not an evaluation, approval, or endorsement of a school.

Avg. Applicant GPA · top-6 UCs ⓘ

4.21

Avg. Admitted GPA · top-6 UCs ⓘ

4.27

GPA figures reflect 2024 — UC has not yet released applicant/admit GPA for 2025.

UC funnel — which kids are getting in at what GPA

Combining the school's applicant pool GPA, admit pool GPA, actual admit rate, and statewide CA admit rates by individual GPA band, we can read which GPA tiers tend to get in — and which don't.

Who's actually getting into UC from Castilleja School

Campus	4.00+ GPA	3.70–3.99 GPA	3.30–3.69 GPA	< 3.30 GPA
UC Berkeley	Real shot	Long odds	Filtered out	Filtered out
UCLA	Real shot	Long odds	Filtered out	Filtered out
UC San Diego	Strong shot	Real shot	Long odds	Filtered out
UC Santa Barbara	Strong shot	Moderate	Long odds	Filtered out
UC Irvine	Strong shot	Real shot	Long odds	Filtered out
UC Davis	Strong shot	Real shot	Moderate	Filtered out

Strong shot = ≥30% statewide admit rate at this band · Real shot = 10–29% · Moderate = 5–9% · Long odds = 1–4% · Filtered out = under 1%. Tiers map this school's likely outcomes by GPA tier using statewide CA admit rates from UCOP 2024.

The numbers behind it

Campus	Applicant GPA	Admit GPA	Lift ⓘ	Admit rate	vs peer schools @ same GPA ⓘ
UC Berkeley	4.25	4.28	+0.03	18.9%	Peers +0.09 · wider
UCLA	4.22	4.29	+0.07	11.9%	Peers +0.13 · wider
UC San Diego (2023)	4.25	4.32	+0.07	22.9%	Peers +0.11 · wider
UC Santa Barbara	4.22	4.31	+0.09	20.6%	Peers +0.11 · matches
UC Irvine	4.18	4.23	+0.06	23.1%	Peers +0.08 · matches
UC Davis	4.16	4.23	+0.07	24.1%	Peers +0.12 · wider

Statewide CA admit rates by individual GPA band, 2024 (for reference)

GPA band	UCB	UCLA	UCSD	UCSB	UCI	UCD
4.00+	17.1%	14.4%	43.5%	57.3%	46.0%	64.1%
3.70–3.99	2.8%	1.5%	11.2%	9.2%	16.5%	27.5%
3.30–3.69	0.8%	0.9%	1.4%	2.3%	3.4%	9.1%
3.00–3.29	0.5%	0.4%	0.1%	0.5%	0.4%	2.1%
< 3.00	0.6%	0.2%	0.2%	0.5%	0.3%	0.6%

How we infer the tier labels: Each tier comes from the statewide CA admit rate at that GPA band at that UC. The "vs peers" column compares this school's lift (admit GPA − applicant GPA) to the average lift at ~100–300 other CA schools with similar applicant pool GPA. What this isn't: a guarantee. UC comprehensive review weighs essays, course rigor, demographics, and context-of-opportunity beyond GPA. A 3.9 with strong context can land an admit; a 4.0 with weak essays can be denied. Use as a baseline expectation, not a verdict. Per-campus year is shown when it differs from the headline year (UCOP doesn't always publish admit-GPA for every campus every year).

Where Castilleja School sits vs. all California schools ⓘ

Overall, this school admits its UC applicants 6.4 points below what their GPAs predict (17.6% actual vs. 24.0% expected), based on 2024 data.

UC Outcomes Trend — 2018–2025

UC Admit Rate %

UC Reach Score (where available)

UC Admits (count, right axis)

Class size from CDE grade 12 enrollment. Campus-level data: applicant and admit totals count a student once at EACH campus. A senior admitted to UCLA and UC San Diego adds 2 to the admit total, so the total can exceed the senior class — that is the metric working as defined, not an error. The admit RATE is unaffected: both its numerator and denominator are campus-level.

Campus Breakdown — 2025

Campus	Applicants	Admits	Enrollees	Admit Rate	UC Reach Score	Yield	Avg GPA (App) '24	Avg GPA (Adm) '24
UC Berkeley → Elite	39	9	—^†	23.1%	18	—	4.25	4.28
UCLA → Elite	41	5	—^†	12.2%	10	—	4.22	4.29
UC San Diego → Selective	38	7	—^†	18.4%	14	—	4.23	—^†
UC Santa Barbara → Selective	36	14	—^†	38.9%	27	—	4.22	4.31
UC Irvine → Selective	28	11	—^†	39.3%	22	—	4.18	4.23
UC Davis →	33	12	—^†	36.4%	24	—	4.16	4.23

† = UCOP-suppressed (count below 3 students, hidden for privacy — actual value is 0, 1, or 2, not necessarily zero). Campus-level totals may count one student admitted to multiple UC campuses more than once; Admit Volume metrics are not the same as UC Reach, which is measured against the whole senior class. See methodology →

What This Means

A large share of the senior class applies to UC, indicating strong college-going culture and UC pipeline development.

A large share of the class applies to UC, so the admit rate runs lower than the application volume alone might suggest — expected when many students apply broadly, including to reach campuses. UC Reach (which credits every admit relative to the class) is the truer read of how the class fares: a strong Reach alongside a moderate admit rate is healthy, not a contradiction.

UC Reach is very strong — more than 114% of seniors are earning UC admission. This places the school among California's highest-performing high schools on this metric.

Berkeley and UCLA admit volume is strong — a clear high-end signal for this school's academic preparation.

UC Reach has improved meaningfully compared to the prior year — a positive trajectory worth monitoring and reinforcing.

Note: the UC Reach Score sums campus-level admits across the top-six UC campuses, so a student admitted to both UCLA and UCSD is counted at each. It reflects competitive admit volume relative to class size — admit-events, not distinct students — which is why a Score can exceed 100.

Compare with other schools → See Santa Clara County rankings →