Rosary Academy:
Admissions, Courses and College Planning Guide

Rosary Academy is a Catholic college-preparatory high school for girls in Fullerton, Orange County, within the Diocese of Orange. It was founded in 1965 by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange and changed its name from Rosary High School in 2015. According to the 2025-2026 Academic Profile, the school had 457 students that year, a student-teacher ratio of 12:1 and an average class size of 17. Its brother school is Servite High School, a boys’ school in Anaheim, and the two schools run a joint bus service and theater program. Two features stand out. First, the school is small, with small classes. Second, all eight required theology courses are registered on the University of California (UC) A-G list, while a group of courses the school labels honors and weights internally count as regular courses for UC. This page does not rate the school. It answers two questions only: how to apply to this school, and how to plan the four years after enrolling.

UC A-G refers to the 7 course categories (a through g) that the University of California and the California State University require high school students to complete; only courses on a school’s A-G list are recognized by UC. AP (Advanced Placement) is the college-level course program of the College Board, and honors courses are advanced courses designed by the school.

The College-Preparatory Structure at Rosary Academy

The data the school publishes point to four defining features.

First, the school is small. In 2025-26, the four grades had 123, 117, 99 and 118 students. The 2025-2026 Academic Profile lists 4 academic and college counselors; based on 457 enrolled students, each counselor is responsible for about 114 students. Of all students, 60% play on school sports teams, and students hold more than 220 leadership positions.

Second, the school offers many honors courses, but UC recognizes only some of them. The school weights all AP and honors courses. According to the UC 2026-27 A-G list, 31 of the school’s 117 UC-approved courses are UC-approved honors courses, including 19 AP courses and 12 UC-certified honors courses. Honors English, Honors Algebra, Honors Geometry and Honors Biology in grades 9 and 10 are not on UC’s honors list.

Third, graduates go mainly to four-year universities. In the Class of 2025, 87% enrolled at four-year universities and 13% at two-year community colleges; among the enrollment percentages the school lists, the California State University (CSU) accounts for 32%. Official UC data show that 39 students applied to the University of California for fall 2025, and 29 were admitted to at least one campus. In 2025, 182 students took 345 AP exams, and 151 students scored 3 or higher on at least one exam. A total of 46 students took the SAT, with an average score of 1116, and the ACT composite average was 25.

Fourth, theology and service are firm graduation requirements. Graduation requires 28 credits, including 4 credits of theology, tied with English for the highest requirement. In grades 11 and 12, students must also complete at least 10 hours of direct service each semester at an organization approved by the school. According to the UC 2026-27 list, all eight required theology courses in grades 9 to 12 are recognized as category g electives and can count as UC A-G courses.

How to Apply

Rosary Academy admits students mainly at grade 9. The following summary follows the school website’s timeline for 2027-28 enrollment (Class of 2031).

The scholarships for the incoming Class of 2031 are listed below. The school states that applicants must take the HSPT at Rosary Academy and must have submitted an application for admission.

No school bus runs directly to Irvine, so families traveling from Irvine need to compare the following commuting options.

The following are the 2027-28 application dates published on the school website, followed by the EDUBUS advisor review of this school.

Year-by-Year UC Application Data: Applicants, Admission Rates and GPA

The following data come from the UC Infocenter of the University of California Office of the President, reported by source high school with the school type set to California private high school, and are updated annually. They answer two questions: how many Rosary Academy students apply and are admitted each year, and where the GPAs of admitted students fall. GPA is the UC weighted, capped GPA and counts only grade 10 and grade 11 courses. UC does not publish categories with fewer than 5 applicants or fewer than 3 admits or enrollees; these appear as “—” in the tables. Rosary Academy is small, so there are more blank cells than at large schools.

Applications and Admissions by Campus in the Most Recent Year

Campuses are listed in order of the U.S. News national university rankings. UC leaves a category blank when it has fewer than five applicants or fewer than three admits or enrollees.

The School’s Published College List

Everything in this section comes from the Class of 2025 list in the Rosary Academy 2025-2026 Academic Profile. It differs from the official UC data above in three ways: it is compiled by the school itself; it lists institutions but not numbers of students; and only institutions outside UC are kept here. The basis of this list is unusual: at least one student was admitted to every institution on the list, and the school marks in bold the institutions where students ultimately enrolled.

The value of this list lies outside UC. The private universities where students enrolled cover a broad range, from Princeton University, the University of Notre Dame and the University of Southern California to Catholic universities such as Loyola Marymount University, Villanova University and Gonzaga University; within the California State University, students enrolled at campuses including California State University, Fullerton, San Diego State University and San Francisco State University. The school does not state the denominator for its three percentages (CSU, public and Catholic). These are the names of institutions where students were admitted and enrolled, and they cannot be used to estimate the number of students admitted or the admission rate at any single university. UC applications, admissions and enrollment should always be taken from the official UC data above.

GPA Weighting: The School’s Method and UC’s Method

This section answers the question parents most often get wrong: how the school and UC each weight the same transcript. The school’s rules come first.

Checked course by course against the official UC A-G list, the following courses are weighted as honors courses by Rosary Academy but are not on UC’s list of approved honors courses; for UC applications they count as regular courses.

The practical impact of this list on UC applications falls in grade 10. UC does not count grade 9 grades, so Honors English I, Honors Algebra I and Honors Biology do not affect the UC GPA. The courses that deserve attention are Honors English II, Honors Algebra II and Honors Geometry, all common in grade 10: they raise the internal GPA but add nothing to the UC GPA. On the positive side, Honors English III and IV in grades 11 and 12 are both UC-approved honors courses; on this point the course catalog states the opposite of the UC list, which works in students’ favor. EDUBUS recommends placing UC-approved honors courses in the grade 10 schedule first, such as Honors World History, Honors Chemistry, Honors Pre-Calculus or AP European History. UC counts at most 4 honors points in grade 10, equivalent to two year-long honors courses, and additional honors courses do not raise the UC GPA further.

Four-Year Timeline

Three milestones determine the path. The first is the HSPT in January of grade 8 and the math placement test in late April to early May, which determine whether a student can enter Honors Algebra II directly in grade 9; HSPT scores also determine eligibility for incoming freshman scholarships. The second is the summer after grade 9: students with a B or higher in Honors Algebra II can take Honors Geometry in summer school, which is the standard route, based on the course catalog, to AP Calculus BC in grade 12. The third is the spring of grade 10: AP U.S. History requires an A in Honors World History, and AP English Language requires an A in both semesters of Honors English II. This checkpoint determines the rigor of the grade 11 schedule, and grade 11 is the last year counted in the UC GPA.

Clubs and Academic Competitions

The Rosary Academy clubs page for 2025-26 lists 42 clubs, including 7 academic, 17 service and 18 interest clubs, and each club must have a faculty or staff advisor. Clubs and honor societies related to academic and professional fields include:

• Academic Decathlon
• Model United Nations
• Royal Mathletes
• Royal Scientists
• The Royal Coder Club
• Royals in STEM
• Women in Business Club
• French Club
• Language Lovers League
• Royal Poets Society
• NHS (National Honor Society), which offers peer tutoring at lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays

The school’s competition teams are as follows.

• Robotics: Royal Rebel Robotics, which trains under FIRST Robotics Competition rules
• Mock Trial: a competitive team listed in the Academic Profile
• Model United Nations (MUN): attends outside conferences and hosts RAMUN
• Academic Decathlon: competes as a club team
• Speech and Debate: offered as a full-year course open to grades 10 to 12

Note that the school’s club list includes a math club (Royal Mathletes), but it does not state that students compete in individual science and math competitions such as the American Mathematics Competitions (AMC). The school also does not offer AP Computer Science A or AP Physics C. Students who want to demonstrate ability in math, physics or computer science through competition results need systematic training outside school.

Signature Programs

• Seven Pathways: Seven pathways are offered: computer science, engineering, medical, sports medicine, law, performing arts, and leadership. In the computer science, engineering, medical, sports medicine, and law pathways, students must maintain a weighted GPA of 3.8 or higher each semester, take at least one honors or AP course in designated subjects each year (summer Honors Geometry does not count), complete two Catholic Virtual online courses over four years (additional fee), participate in approved field experiences in grades 11 and 12, attend related Speak to Inspire lectures, and submit and present a portfolio in April of grade 12. The computer science and engineering pathways require at least two years on the robotics team, the law pathway requires at least two years on the mock trial team, the medical pathway requires membership in the science honor society in grade 12, and the sports medicine pathway requires 6 practicum sessions each year with the school's athletic trainer in grades 11 and 12. Incoming freshmen apply before enrollment, and the final opportunity to apply is in August at the start of grade 11; students who fall short of the requirements are placed on probation for one semester and exit the pathway if they still do not meet them
• Royal Rebel Robotics: The Academic Profile describes it as the first all-girls robotics team in Orange County; it trains in mechanical design and engineering under the rules of the FIRST Robotics Competition. The computer science and engineering pathways both require at least two years on the team
• Rosary Academy Model United Nations: Built up since 2022, this all-girls delegation was named the school's Club of the Year in 2023, 2025, and 2026, and it hosts its own RAMUN conference, with the next one scheduled for April 2027
• Mock Trial: The school has a competitive mock trial team that studies the California judicial system and builds analytical and speaking skills; the law pathway requires at least two years on the team
• Trinitas Arts Conservatory and Red & Gold: The theater program is run jointly with brother school Servite High School. Red & Gold is an all-school musical competition with a history of more than 50 years, written, directed, and performed under student captains; students may apply to be captains starting in grade 10
• Rosary Support Program (RSP): Serves students with a diagnosed learning or attention difference; a psychoeducational evaluation completed within the past three years is required. Tier 1 costs $600 per year and provides an individualized learning plan and extended time on tests; Tier 2 costs $1,800 per year and adds a graded Learning Lab period with a 1:8 teacher-student ratio, plus help applying for extended time on College Board and ACT exams. The school states that financial assistance may be requested based on need, with limited availability
• Career exploration: Inspire Her and Royal Advantage: Inspire Her is a career speaker series featuring only women professionals; Royal Advantage connects students with mentors, teachers, and industry professionals for on- and off-campus internships or job shadowing

Choosing a School: Total Tuition, Commute and Campus Visits

This section answers five questions Irvine families often ask before deciding whether to apply: what four years cost, how students get to school from Irvine, what kind of family the school suits, how it differs from similar schools nearby, and what to confirm during a visit.

Total Tuition Over Four Years

Rosary Academy tuition has two tiers, depending on whether the family is Catholic. At 2026-27 rates, four years of tuition cost $87,960 for Catholic families and $93,160 for non-Catholic families. Each year also carries an $800 registration fee and an $875 technology fee, and class fees over four years total $1,450 ($200 each for grades 9 and 10, $300 for grade 11 and $750 for grade 12). Including these required fees, the four-year totals are $96,110 and $101,310. These figures use 2026-27 rates, do not account for later tuition increases, and exclude textbooks, school sports and bus fees.

Commuting from Irvine

The table below shows the straight-line distance to the school (1340 N. Acacia Avenue, Fullerton) from several Irvine communities with large Chinese American populations, calculated by EDUBUS from each community’s center point and the school address. Actual drive times depend on navigation, and the morning rush hour is noticeably longer; families should test the commute during school hours on the day of a visit.

The joint bus service has no stop in Irvine; the nearest stop, Newport Beach, departs at 6:30 a.m., and service runs in the morning only. Students can also take Metrolink to Fullerton Station, where school staff meet them. Details on each commuting option appear in the “How to Apply” section above.

Which Families the School Suits

Rosary Academy suits three kinds of families. The first is families who want their daughters to learn in an all-girls, small-class environment: the school enrolls only girls, had 457 students in 2025-26, and has an average of 17 students per class and a student-teacher ratio of 12:1. The second is families whose student has a clear direction and is willing to commit to a career pathway; the school offers seven pathways, including computer science, engineering, medicine, sports medicine and law, and has an all-girls robotics team. The third is families who accept the requirements of a Catholic education: theology is required for all four years, and in grades 11 and 12 students must also complete at least 10 hours of direct service each semester. Two points deserve attention: the school does not offer Chinese, and the one-way straight-line distance from Irvine is 14 to 18 miles, with no direct bus.

Comparison with Similar Schools Nearby

The table below lists several nearby private high schools that, like Rosary Academy, serve grades 9 to 12. Tuition figures are standard 2026-27 rates for local students, and distances are straight-line distances calculated by EDUBUS from the two school addresses.

Servite High School is the brother school of Rosary Academy; the two schools share a bus service and theater program, so families with siblings can consider both together. None of the other three schools uses the HSPT for admission, and Orange Lutheran High School is closer to Irvine. The main difference between Rosary Academy and the others is that it enrolls only girls, with an average of 17 students per class.

Questions to Confirm During a Campus Visit

The following questions cover points the school website does not state clearly or states inconsistently across pages; families should confirm them in person at an open house or during a visit.

• Whether the bus will add an Irvine route: the body of the registration form mentions an Irvine route, but neither school’s published schedule includes an Irvine stop.
• The amounts of the Fontbonne Scholar Award and the Royal Merit Grant: the school has not published them.
• The release date of the 2026-27 Academic Profile: enrollment, AP and college outcome figures are still from the 2025-26 edition.
• The specific dates of the Class of 2031 course selection night and the math and Spanish placement tests.
• The specific arrangements for non-Catholic students in theology courses and religious activities.

Using the School’s College Counseling

This section explains what the school’s counseling team offers and when to use each service.

Naviance is a college planning platform used by many American high schools; students use it to complete interest assessments, organize college lists and manage application materials. For each course’s grade level and prerequisites, see Courses and Course Selection; for the math sequence, see Math Pathway; for AP courses and prerequisites, see AP List and Course Selection Strategy.

Data verified on 2026-09-23. Course catalogs are updated each spring; prerequisites follow the school's current Course of Study.