EDUBUS College Planning Department · From private school to graduate school

See every admissions milestone early,
and prepare for it early

EDUBUS admissions planning covers four stages of a student’s education: entering private and selective schools, understanding the student’s high school, applying to college, and transfer and graduate school. Each stage has a dedicated service or in-depth guide, and the same college planning team is responsible for all of them, so the work of one stage carries directly into the next.

All data in the 28 in-depth high school guides is compiled, verified, and updated every year by the EDUBUS College Planning Department

in-depth high school guides: 28
guide pages: 112
courses documented: 4,495
official UC data points: 15,416

Admissions route

From Private School to Graduate School: The Four Stages of EDUBUS Admissions Planning

The four stages follow a real sequence: private and selective school applications are completed during the elementary and middle school years, the four years of high school form the foundation of the college application, and after entering college two further paths remain, transfer and graduate school. Find the stage the student is in and begin there.

Stage 1 · K to grade 8

Entering Private and Selective Schools

Should the student attend a private school, and when should preparation begin?

For private middle school and high school applications, planning should begin 12 to 24 months before submission. Orange County also has two selective public schools that admit students in grade 7, and their applications are due in the fall of grade 6.

K–G12K-12 Private School Planning and Admissions ServiceK-12 private school admissions for Irvine and Orange County families: EDUBUS advisors handle school selection, ISEE prep, profile development, essays, and interviews.View the private school application service →

One service with eight modules; four of them are shown here

Dream school list and positioning: Candidate schools are evaluated for academic fit, cultural fit, and developmental support to form a three-tier school list
ISEE / SSAT preparation: Computer-based practice tests identify weak sections, and group classes, private tutoring, and a practice question system then raise the score
Profile building and summer programs: Competitions, service projects, and applications to leading summer programs give the student concrete experiences to discuss in essays and interviews
Essays, interviews, and full application management: Student and parent essays are revised draft by draft, students and parents receive separate interview training, and online applications and communication with schools are handled in full

Covers K-12 private day schools and boarding schools. The application year moves through three phases: positioning, profile building, and submission. A bundle combining applications to 3 private schools with ISEE preparation is also available.

Stage 2 · Grades 9 to 12

Understanding the Student’s High School

How does the student’s school handle course selection and GPA weighting, and where have its recent graduates enrolled?

The same grade carries a different standing at different high schools. The EDUBUS College Planning Department has compiled the course catalogs, GPA weighting rules, and admissions data of public and private high schools in Irvine and Orange County into in-depth guides of four pages per school.

Irvine High School Guides

In the U.S. News 2026-27 ranking of public high schools nationwide, three of the five public high schools in the Irvine Unified School District place in the Orange County top ten. All five enroll students by attendance area and share one set of district rules for math placement, GPA weighting, and graduation.

5
schools: 20
guide pages: 908
courses: 3,070
UC data points

Five-school comparison and district-wide rules →

Orange County Top 10 Public High School Guides

Based on the U.S. News 2026-27 ranking of public high schools nationwide, these guides cover the top ten public high schools in Orange County, including a magnet school that admits students by entrance exam and an arts school that admits students by audition; the three Irvine Unified schools in the top ten are listed here as well and link to the Irvine High School Guides.

12
schools: 48
guide pages: 1803
courses: 7,130
UC data points

Admission methods and rankings by school →

Orange County Private High Schools

Catholic, Lutheran, Christian, and nonsectarian private high schools: how to apply, what tuition costs, which honors courses UC recognizes, and where graduates enroll.

14
schools: 56
guide pages: 2310
courses: 6,936
UC data points

Entrance exams and tuition compared →

Orange County rank: U.S. News & World Report 2026-27 Best High Schools, ordered by each school’s California rank in the Orange County Department of Education summary of September 1, 2026.

Four pages per school: Overview (year-by-year UC admissions data, GPA weighting rules, and clubs and competitions; private high school guides also cover admission, tuition, and the college destinations each school publishes), Courses and Course Selection (the complete course map and course prerequisites), Math Pathways (placement requirements and catch-up windows), and AP Courses and Pass Rates (pass rates by subject and recommended combinations).

Stage 3 · Grades 7 to 12

Applying to College

How can GPA, standardized tests, competitions, research, summer programs, and activities fit into a single plan?

In College Admissions Planning, one counseling team builds the overall plan and places eight services on a single timeline by grade, with follow-up every two weeks, a written report every month, and a review with parents every semester, continuing until the application season ends.

Core service

College Admissions

Academic Foundation

Profile Building

Application Execution

College Application Service

Every two weeksAcademic progress check
Every monthAssessment and written report
Every semesterAcademic planning meeting
Application seasonApplication timeline management

View the full College Admissions Planning service

G11–G12 · SummerCollege Essay Boot Camp

Ten days of in-person writing instruction over two weeks
Small groups of 10 to 12 students
Complete drafts of the Common App personal essay and the main supplemental essays

View the boot camp →

Stage 4 · In college

Transfer and Graduate School

How does a community college student transfer to UC, and how does an undergraduate apply to graduate school?

After entering college, students commonly follow one of two further paths: transferring from a California community college to the University of California, or applying to master’s and doctoral programs in the United States.

G11 to current college studentsCommunity College to UC: A Two-Year Transfer Plan

CC to UC: a two-year transfer route designed around the target campus and major
Course selection and GPA tracking every semester, with full management of TAG and the UC application
For international students: admission applications, placement tests, and the visa transition

Learn more →

Currently in collegeUS Graduate School Applications: China, Overseas & US Colleges

Choosing master’s and doctoral programs
Personal statement and recommendation letter strategy
Interview preparation and one-on-one counselor meetings

Learn more →

Not sure which stage to start with? Begin with one conversation with a counselor

Share the grade and the goal. An Irvine-based counselor reaches out within one business day with a first, actionable growth and admissions plan. Direction first, courses later.

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