Heritage Christian School (Junior High / High School Campus)

Overview

Heritage Christian School (Junior High / High School Campus) is a Christian high private school in Lake Forest, California, serving grades 7-12, founded in 2007, with about 80 students. Tuition for 2026-27 is $12,215 to $13,390, which puts it in the lower range among Orange County private schools at this level. Religion classes are required, so confirm your family is comfortable with that before applying. Average class size is about 20. The school offers 6 AP courses. The school accepts F-1 international students and issues the I-20 needed for a student visa.

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 describes a three-step process: complete the application online (Apply Online), submit the application with the nonrefundable registration fee, and the school decides on admission based on the materials, the assessment results, and space in the class. International students must contact International Director Alicia Peterson for the I-20 process and additionally provide translated and notarized copies of a passport, birth certificate, immunization records, transcripts, and proof of host family status and address. A short-term international student program is also available, approved case by case. The junior high and high school campus also runs a Reclassification Program for students repeating or being placed back a grade. The school website does not list an application deadline.

For schools whose main entry point is grade 9, the target list should be settled before the fall of grade 8: attend open houses and shadow days in the fall, submit applications and sit the entrance test between November and January, and expect decisions in March. The summer after grade 7 is a realistic time to start ISEE or HSPT preparation.

Tuition and fees

Annual tuition for the 2026-27 school year: $12,215 for junior high grades 7-8 and $13,390 for high school grades 9-12, both noted on the school website as a 3% increase over the prior year. Two ways to pay: in full by August 1 (or at enrollment) for a 5% discount, or in 10 monthly installments from September 1 through June 1. There is also a nonrefundable registration fee of $300 per student and a books and materials fee of $350 per student. The school does not have separate church-member and non-member rates, only a sibling discount: 10% off for the youngest child. International students (F-1) follow a separate tuition schedule: $18,060 for grades 7-8 and $21,420 for grades 9-12. (school website, the 2026-2027 K-12 Tuition Docs and 2026-2027 International Tuition Fee Schedule linked from the Admissions page)

ALA (Academic Learning Assistance, the learning support program) costs $1,100 per student, plus a $100 application fee for new students. Late payments incur a late fee, and returned checks cost $25. Beyond tuition, international students pay a $2,500 international registration fee, a $1,500 re-registration fee, the $350 I-901 fee paid to the U.S. government, and books and supplies of $490 for grades 7-8 or $500 for grades 9-12. Uniforms run about $100-200, athletics fees $60-250, and lunch $8 per day, and class trip costs in grades 7-12 are billed separately by grade. Registered FedEx shipments overseas cost $80 each.

Academics and programs

• The high school runs a six-period day, with subject areas in Bible (Spiritual Formation), History, English, Science, Language Other than English (LOTE), Math, electives, and physical education (school website, Academics ▸ High School Curriculum page)
• Six AP courses are currently offered: AP Literature and Composition, AP Language and Composition, AP Precalculus, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, and AP Psychology (school website, Academics ▸ High School Curriculum page)
• Dual enrollment and concurrent enrollment: students take college credit courses while in high school (school website, Admissions ▸ High School page, High School Curriculum page)
• Graduation requires 255 credits across 9 subject areas, which the school website says are aligned with the UC and Cal State A-G entrance requirements; credits from WASC-accredited institutions may be transferred in once approved by the registrar (school website, Academics ▸ High School Curriculum page)
• Junior high electives: Leadership, Art Exploration, Music/Drama, ESL, and Speech/Debate. High school electives include ESL and cultural studies, journalism and yearbook, photography, multimedia arts, and worship and music, rotating from year to year (school website, Junior High Curriculum page, High School Curriculum page)
• Junior high Washington, D.C. trip: visits to Washington, D.C., Gettysburg, Amish Country, and New York (school website, Admissions ▸ Junior High page)

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
Heritage Christian School (Junior High / High School Campus)	Lake Forest	7-12	$12,215	On-campus assessment	20	—
Ronald Reagan Secondary School	Laguna Hills	7-12	$35,000	None	—	1.6 mi
Crean Lutheran High School	Irvine	9-12	$23,575	—	19	5.9 mi
Santa Margarita Catholic High School	Rancho Santa Margarita	9-12	$22,000	HSPT	23	6.8 mi
Pacific Academy (Irvine Campus)	Irvine	7-12	Not published	On-campus assessment	10	6.8 mi

Where graduates go

The school website Admissions ▸ High School page says that the school has had a 100% graduation rate since it was founded and that 95% of graduates go on to college. The school website does not publish a list of colleges or year-by-year matriculation statistics.

For college applications from this school, EDUBUS can begin with course selection in grade 9.

Total tuition through graduation

At the 2026-27 rate of $12,215, 6 years covering grades 7-12 come to roughly $73,290 in tuition alone. Assuming the 4% annual increase common at private schools, the figure is closer to $81,000. 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	5.9 miles
Northwood	8.5 miles
Turtle Rock	6.8 miles
Portola Springs	6.1 miles

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

Questions to ask on a campus visit

• ZIP code — this listing uses 92630, the ZIP recorded in the CDE private school directory for this filing (Lake Forest, CA 92630-4807). Every page of the school website gives the junior high and high school camp…
• Chinese language program — the subject areas on the school website High School Curriculum page list only “Language Other than English (LOTE)” without naming specific languages, and the electives on the Junior High Curriculum p…
• Financial aid — neither the school website Admissions page nor the 2026-2027 K-12 Tuition Docs lists financial aid, scholarships, or need-based assistance
• Head of school — the school website Teachers and Staff page lists Mr. George Gay as Founding Principal / Principal, while the principal field in the CDE private school directory filing says Mrs. Hayley Carlson. This …
• Registration, technology, uniform and activity fees beyond tuition

How EDUBUS helps

Our Irvine-based counselors work in both Chinese and English. We track Heritage Christian School (Junior High / High School 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.