Castilleja School
Palo Alto · Santa Clara County · Private independent
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 →A parent's read
- Where graduates go, as the school itself publishes it. Castilleja School publishes where its graduates go (Class of 2026): 33 colleges, including Boston University, Bowdoin College, Columbia University, Cornell University.
- 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.
Where graduates go — as published by the school
Castilleja School publishes where its graduates enrolled (Class of 2026): 33 colleges. See the full list ↓
At a glance
- Teaches no APCollege-level courses with a national exam each May. A score of 3+ "passes" and can earn college credit; the pass rate tells you whether a school's AP program has substance behind the course list.-designated courses — common among independent schools that run their own advanced curriculum
- APCollege-level courses with a national exam each May. A score of 3+ "passes" and can earn college credit; the pass rate tells you whether a school's AP program has substance behind the course list. 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.
Admissions at a glance
Is Castilleja School a good school for college admissions?
Castilleja School's UC Reach Score is 114 (Incredible, top 1% in California; higher than 99% of California high schools), from 58 UC admits (counted at each UC) for 51 seniors in 2025, and it publishes a college list without per-college counts.
How hard is it to get into Castilleja School?
Castilleja School does not post an acceptance rate on its admissions pages; no entrance exam is required and applications are due Jan 5, 2027.
From the school's own admissions pages and public filings. Dates verified Oct 1, 2026; exams verified September 2026. Full calendar: California private-school admissions tracker · entrance exams. More private high schools in San Francisco Peninsula and Silicon Valley · Entrance exams in San Francisco Peninsula and Silicon Valley
Private high schools near Castilleja School
Five private high schools within 6 miles of Castilleja School, with tuition and the exam each requires where the school publishes them.
| School | City | Miles | Grades | Tuition | Entrance exam | UC Reach Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastside College Prep School | East Palo Alto | 2.0 | 9–12 | No entrance exam posted | 26 | |
| Menlo School | Atherton | 2.5 | 6–12 | $67,792 | School's own assessment | 62 |
| Pinewood School | Los Altos Hills | 3.6 | K–12 | No entrance exam posted | 72 | |
| Khan Lab School | Mountain View | 4.8 | TK–12 | $38,850 | No entrance exam posted | |
| Woodside Priory School | Portola Valley | 5.5 | 6–12 | STAR testing on campus (boarding applicants: STAR… | 70 |
Distances are straight-line miles between school locations. Tuition and exams are from each school's own admissions pages; see the entrance-exam guide.
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.
Ivy+ and most selective · 10
Columbia University · Cornell University · Dartmouth College · Duke University · Harvard University · Massachusetts Institute of Technology · Stanford University · University of Chicago · University of Pennsylvania · Yale University
University of California · 2
Cal State · 1
Other California · 3
Harvey Mudd College · Loyola Marymount University · Pomona College
Out of state · 17
Barnard College · Boston University · Bowdoin College · DePaul University · Lehigh University · Northwestern University · St. Olaf College · Tulane University · University of Michigan · University of Puget Sound · University of Washington · Vanderbilt University · Vassar College · Washington University in St. Louis · and 3 more below
Is my kid's college on this list?
The school down the road: Pinewood School
| College | Castilleja School | Pinewood School |
|---|---|---|
| Boston College | — | ✓ named |
| Boston University | ✓ named | ✓ named |
| Brown University* | — | ✓ named |
| Carnegie Mellon University | — | ✓ named |
| Columbia University | ✓ named | ✓ named |
| Cornell University | ✓ named | ✓ named |
| Dartmouth College | ✓ named | ✓ named |
| Duke University | ✓ named | — |
| Emory University* | — | ✓ named |
| Georgetown University | — | ✓ named |
| Harvard University | ✓ named | — |
| Johns Hopkins University | — | ✓ named |
Both schools print names, not counts, so this shows which selective colleges each list names.
All 33 colleges, as the document prints them
and 3 more
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.
What does Castilleja School publish about its class profile?
These figures come from the school's own published profile (as of 2026); each links to that document.
- AP courses offered: none (the school teaches no AP-designated courses) (as of 2026) Source: castilleja.org ↗
- AP exams scored 3 or higher: 93% (as of 2026) Source: castilleja.org ↗
Keep this page current
Work at Castilleja School? If this page is missing your newest school profile, matriculation list, or college acceptances, send us the links. We read the document, copy the figures exactly as published, and cite it on this page.
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Where grads go — and what it costs & pays
UC admits by campus · Class of 2025
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
19
62
53
114
Higher than 99% of California high schools (1105 ranked, ≥50 seniors)
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 (1105 ranked).
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.
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.
| 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 |
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% |
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
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 |
What This Means
At a glance
JSON · Using this page with an AI assistantCastilleja School is a private high school in Palo Alto, Santa Clara County, California with 51 seniors in the Class of 2025.
Its UC Reach Score is 114 (Incredible, top 1% in California): 58 UC admits (counted at each UC) from a senior class of 51, so a student admitted to several campuses counts at each. That is higher than 99% of California high schools.
In 2025 its students filed 215 UC applications and received 58 offers, a UC admit rate of 27.0% (counted at each campus).
Enrollment was 416 students in 2025, down 3% since 2020.
Castilleja School publishes a matriculation list (where its graduates enrolled) for the Class of 2026: 33 colleges. Source: Upper School Profile 2026-2027.
Sources: University of California Office of the President (admissions), California Department of Education (enrollment, A-G, college-going), and the school's own published documents where named.
Questions families ask
What is Castilleja School's UC Reach Score? Castilleja School's UC Reach Score is 114 (Incredible, top 1% in California): 58 UC admits (counted at each UC) from a senior class of 51, so a student admitted to several campuses counts at each. That is higher than 99% of California high schools.
How many students from Castilleja School got into a UC? In 2025 its students filed 215 UC applications and received 58 offers, a UC admit rate of 27.0% (counted at each campus).
Where do Castilleja School graduates go to college? Castilleja School publishes a matriculation list (where its graduates enrolled) for the Class of 2026: 33 colleges. Source: Upper School Profile 2026-2027.
How many students attend Castilleja School? Enrollment was 416 students in 2025, down 3% since 2020.
Does Castilleja School require an entrance exam? At Castilleja School, no entrance exam is required.
When is the application deadline for Castilleja School? At Castilleja School, applications are due Jan 5, 2027.
Is Castilleja School a good school for college admissions? Castilleja School's UC Reach Score is 114 (Incredible, top 1% in California; higher than 99% of California high schools), from 58 UC admits (counted at each UC) for 51 seniors in 2025, and it publishes a college list without per-college counts.
Analysis: Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach, highschoolreach.com). These figures may be quoted with attribution to Test Prep Gurus.
What does AI tell parents about Castilleja School?
When a parent asks an AI assistant about Castilleja School, the answer is built from a handful of sources, and Reach is often one of them. We will send the admissions office a short report on what AI says about Castilleja School and where it comes from. The first report is free.
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