Anneliese Schools – Willowbrook Campus

Overview

Anneliese Schools – Willowbrook Campus is an independent, non-sectarian K-8 private school in Laguna Beach, California, serving grades K-6, founded in 1968, with about 245 students. Tuition for 2026-27 is $18,350 to $22,900, which puts it in the upper range among Orange County private schools at this level.

Admissions

No standardized entrance exam; admission uses an on-campus assessment or visit day.

The school publishes the following application details. The school website Admissions page lists five steps: (1) choose a campus based on the child’s age, as grades 3 through 6 are offered only at the Willowbrook campus; (2) schedule a campus visit (Willowbrook, 949-497-8310); (3) after the visit, receive a link to the online application and pay the nonrefundable $300 application fee; (4) applicants for K1 through grade 6 who pass review are invited to Visit Days in the classroom, or placed on a waitlist first, and before the visit day must submit their two most recent report cards, immunization records, and a Visit Day liability release, and the school may ask a current or former teacher to complete a recommendation form; (5) the school sends an acceptance email and enrollment instructions. The school website does not publish a fixed application deadline.

The main entry points at a K-8 school are kindergarten and grade 6. Younger applicants are usually evaluated through an on-campus visit, while most applicants above grade 5 need an ISEE score. Start in the fall of the year before entry: visit first to confirm the school is a fit, then decide whether to register for testing.

Tuition and fees

Tuition for K1 through grade 6 at the Willowbrook campus for the 2026-27 school year (school website, Willowbrook campus tuition PDF): K1 $18,350, K2 $19,500, grade 1 $20,700, grade 2 $21,100, grade 3 $21,500, grade 4 $22,000, grade 5 $22,100, and grade 6 $22,900. These are standard school-day rates: K1 and K2 run 8:45 to 14:45, grades 1 and 2 run 8:30 to 15:00, and grades 3 through 6 run 8:00 to 15:30. Three ways to pay: in full in August; 50% in August and 50% the following January; or in 10 installments from August through the following May, each due a month in advance. Note that the school operates multiple campuses (South Laguna, Manzanita, and Willowbrook) and publishes a separate tuition schedule for each; this page applies only to K1 through grade 6 at the Willowbrook campus.

Extended care is billed monthly: the 8:00 to 16:00 option costs $325 per month for K1 through grade 2, and the extended 7:30 to 17:30 option costs $450 per month for K1 through grade 6. Registration and supply fees, which include the yearbook and uniform T-shirts and are nonrefundable: $1,225 for K1-K2, $1,275 for grades 1-3, and $1,435 for grades 4-6. A one-time $300 fee is charged with the application and is nonrefundable. The ParentLocker system carries a $50 annual processing fee. Care past pickup time costs $40 per hour, and an added day, if space allows, costs $200. The sibling discount is 15%, calculated on the lower tuition. Withdrawal requires 60 days’ written notice, with tuition due through the notice period (school website, Willowbrook campus tuition PDF).

Academics and programs

• A multiple intelligences framework: the school website says the curriculum is built around nine intelligences, logical, linguistic, visual, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalist, and existential, and that the core curriculum “meets or exceeds” California state standards, with teachers free to extend it around student interests (school website, Curriculum page, FAQ)
• Two foreign languages: from the preschool years, children encounter everyday German, Spanish, and other languages in morning and midday circle. From kindergarten through grade 6, dedicated World Language teachers deliver formal German and Spanish instruction using materials imported from Europe, with songs, art, games, conversation, and writing. A Travel Abroad program is also offered (school website, Curriculum, World Languages section)
• Eco-literacy: the five-acre Willowbrook campus sits near the Laguna Park Wilderness Preserve and keeps alpacas, miniature horses, goats, peacocks, and chickens, and has a teaching garden and kitchen, turning sustainability and ecological principles into hands-on lessons (school website, Willowbrook campus page, Curriculum page)
• Mental math in morning circle: the school website says mental math has been part of morning circle since the school was founded in 1968, with children asked to “think in numbers” and carry out a range of calculations in their heads (school website, Curriculum, Mathematics section)
• Theater and readers’ theater run through language arts and into social studies, science, math, physical education, and world languages (school website, Curriculum, Theater Arts section)
• The school website FAQ spells out how the school differs from Montessori and Waldorf: it does not use Montessori materials that point to a single correct answer, favoring open-ended creative play instead, and, unlike Waldorf, students have a different teacher each year so that they encounter a range of teaching styles (school website, Enrollment FAQ)

How this school compares

These are the nearest schools at the same level and a comparable price. Select a name to open that school’s admissions guide:

School	City	Grades	Tuition	Entrance test	Class size	Distance
Anneliese Schools – Willowbrook Campus	Laguna Beach	K-6	$18,350	On-campus assessment	—	—
VanDamme Academy	Aliso Viejo	K-8	$18,000	—	—	2.4 mi
Aliso Viejo Christian School	Aliso Viejo	K-8	$12,296	On-campus assessment	22	2.5 mi
The Camino School	Laguna Woods	K-8	$13,900	On-campus assessment	19	3.1 mi
Montessori on the Lake	Lake Forest	K-8	$20,000	On-campus assessment	—	4.7 mi

Total tuition through graduation

At the 2026-27 rate of $18,350, 7 years covering grades K-6 come to roughly $128,450 in tuition alone. Assuming the 4% annual increase common at private schools, the figure is closer to $145,000. Neither number includes registration fees, deposits, uniforms or activity fees. A California 529 plan can cover up to $10,000 per child per year of K-12 tuition.

Getting there from Irvine

These are straight-line distances from neighborhoods where many Irvine families live. Actual drive times will be longer, and a morning rush-hour trip typically takes 1.5 to 2 times as long as an off-peak one:

Neighborhood	Straight-line distance
Woodbury	8.2 miles
Northwood	9.6 miles
Turtle Rock	4.8 miles
Portola Springs	9.7 miles

The website does not describe bus service; confirm this during your visit.

Questions to ask on a campus visit

• Accreditation — the school website home page, campus pages, curriculum pages, Admissions, and FAQ never mention an accrediting body such as WASC, NIPSA, or CAIS
• Financial aid — the school website tuition PDF and Admissions page list only the 15% sibling discount, with no financial aid or scholarship channel of any kind, whether FACTS, Clarity, or an in-house program
• International students — the school website has no International Students page and no information about I-20s or F-1 status, so this could not be determined
• Average class size — the school website curriculum pages, FAQ, and campus pages do not publish class sizes or a student-teacher ratio
• Registration, technology, uniform and activity fees beyond tuition

How EDUBUS helps

Our Irvine-based counselors work in both Chinese and English. We track Anneliese Schools – Willowbrook Campus’s admissions calendar, prepare students for the campus visit and interview, and review application materials before they are submitted. Book a school-selection consultation or read the Chinese version of this page.