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Orange County Catholic High Schools That Require the HSPT

Each school sets its own HSPT dates in January and early February, most students test once at their first-choice school, and entry is at grade 9, which makes the fall of eighth grade the point where this path is either planned or missed.

Orange County Catholic High Schools That Require the HSPT: a good fit if

  • Students now in grade 7 or 8 aiming to enter a Catholic high school at grade 9
  • Families already in a parish K-8 school following the familiar feeder path
  • Anyone weighing single-sex education and wanting to compare both options
  • Budgets in the middle band of Orange County private high school tuition

Orange County Catholic High Schools That Require the HSPT: look elsewhere if

  • Families looking to transfer in at a grade other than 9
  • Lists built around independent schools that require the ISEE instead
  • Students already past the schools' test dates for this admission cycle

Five of the 116 Orange County private schools in our database require the HSPT. All five admit at grade 9, and all five work from the same test date, which makes this the most rigid calendar of any private school path in the county.

The HSPT for Orange County Catholic high schools: one test, one date

The HSPT is the entrance and placement test used by Catholic high schools. Each school sets its own test dates; for fall 2027 entry they fall between January 9 and February 6. Most students test once at their first-choice school and have scores forwarded to the others. That sets the whole timeline: the real preparation window is the fall of eighth grade, not the spring.

Compared with the ISEE, the HSPT is broader, adding a scored ability section to the verbal and quantitative material. It rewards familiarity with the question types more than quick thinking on the day, and students meeting those formats for the first time usually need several weeks to settle into a rhythm.

Scores often influence placement as well as admission. Worth asking on a visit day: how this test affects ninth grade math and English course placement.

What the five HSPT Catholic high schools look like

The five Orange County Catholic high schools that use the HSPT make up the county’s Catholic high school tier, spread across San Juan Capistrano, Rancho Santa Margarita, Santa Ana, Fullerton and Anaheim. From Irvine the drives run in different directions and vary widely, so map the commute before building the list.

Mater Dei High School is the largest and oldest of them, founded in 1950 and now enrolling 1,851 students — a very different daily experience from a small campus, and worth seeing in person. Rosary Academy in Fullerton is all-girls and Servite High School in Anaheim is all-boys; the two are paired sister and brother schools and share many activities.

Published tuition for the current year runs from $20,710 to $26,200. Those are published rates, not final costs: registration, athletics and activity fees sit outside them, as does each school’s own aid program.

The parish feeder path into Orange County Catholic high schools

The most common route into Orange County Catholic high schools is from a parish K-8 Catholic school, where the relationships and timelines are already established. Applying from outside that path is normal too, but the questions in the FAQ below should go to the admissions office early in eighth grade rather than after the January test.

What has to happen in the fall of grade 8 for Catholic high school applications

For Orange County Catholic high school applications, work backward from the January and early February HSPT dates: settle the school list by the end of summer, with open house and application dates in hand; sit a full practice test in the fall to expose the ability section early; concentrate practice through November and December while gathering the grade 7 transcript and teacher recommendations; test in January, then move into interviews and placement.

Tell your child early that they will most likely test only once, but without dramatising it. At this age, nerves about a one-shot test affect performance more than the material does.

EDUBUS does entrance test preparation and interview coaching in Irvine and builds each family’s calendar backward from the school’s own deadline. The wider application work is described under private school planning.

Orange County Catholic High Schools That Require the HSPT: schools that match (5)

Filtered from each school's official admissions pages, verified 2026-09. Miles are straight-line distances to central Irvine, not driving distances. Open a school for its full timeline, fees, and counselor notes.

Orange County Catholic High Schools That Require the HSPT: Frequently Asked Questions

How does the HSPT differ from the ISEE?

The HSPT is the placement and entrance test used by Catholic high schools. It is broader than the ISEE, adding a scored ability section alongside verbal and quantitative work. The bigger difference is scheduling: each Catholic high school sets its own HSPT dates in January and early February and most students test once, while the ISEE runs in three testing seasons a year with one attempt per season.

What happens if the HSPT goes badly?

Most students sit the HSPT once, so preparation aims at a steady performance rather than a single peak. Some schools offer a make-up date for students who miss the main date, such as Rosary Academy on January 23. If a score does come in low, ask the admissions office directly whether other assessments are considered, how the waitlist works, and whether transfer entry exists in later grades. Policies differ by school, so confirm rather than rely on what other parents say.

Do we need to be Catholic to apply?

No. The most common route in is from a parish K-8 school, but these schools generally enroll students from other backgrounds too. Ask each admissions office how non-parish applicants are considered, whether parish students hold priority, and what participation in religion classes and liturgies involves.

How should we compare the single-sex schools?

Rosary Academy is all-girls and Servite High School is all-boys; the two are paired sister and brother schools and run many activities together, so single-sex does not mean isolated. Compare course offerings, activities and how your child responds on campus — ideally visiting one coed and one single-sex school in the same week.

Is the published tuition the final cost?

No. The figures shown are each school's published rate for the current year. Registration, uniforms, athletics and activity fees sit on top, and rates are reviewed annually. Catholic schools typically run their own aid programs with deadlines that fall before admission decisions, so ask about that timeline early.

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