Holy Family Catholic School

Overview

Holy Family Catholic School is a Catholic K-8 private school in Orange, California, serving grades K-8, founded in 1949, with about 438 students. Tuition for 2026-27 is $9,365 to $9,675, which puts it in the middle range among Orange County private schools at this level. Religion classes are required, so confirm your family is comfortable with that before applying.

Admissions

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

The school publishes the following application details. Applications from preschool through grade 8 are all submitted online through FACTS, and a file is not reviewed until the nonrefundable $30 application fee is paid and all materials are uploaded; the school website does not publish specific opening or closing dates, and tours and inquiries are arranged by calling (714) 538-6012 or using the form on the school website. The admission order and requirements listed in the 2025-26 handbook: in every division, siblings of currently enrolled students come first, then registered members of Holy Family parish, then others as space allows; half-day morning preschool requires the child to turn 3 by September 1, half-day afternoon preschool requires the child to turn 4 by December 31, and full-day preschool requires age 2.5 or turning 4 by September 1; TK requires the child to turn 5 by December 31; kindergarten requires the child to turn 5 by September 1 and to complete a readiness assessment of language, motor and perceptual skills; applicants for grades 1 through 7 must submit transcripts or a recommendation from their previous school and interview with school staff. All applicants submit a birth certificate and immunization records, and Catholic families also submit a baptismal certificate (plus first communion and confirmation certificates, if applicable) (school website, Applications page and Inquiry and Tours page, and the 2025-26 handbook)

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

$9,365 (grades 1-8) / $9,675 (TK and kindergarten) / $10,575 (full-day preschool, 5 days a week) per year (2026-27, school website, Tuition & Fees page, which prints a single set of rates and does not distinguish parishioners from non-parishioners). For reference: the tuition table in the 2025-26 parent-student handbook is headed “Registered Parishioner”, and that year listed $8,754 for grades 1-8, $9,513 for TK/K, $10,198 for full-day preschool and $6,679 for half-day preschool (5 days a week)

2026-27 (school website, Tuition & Fees page): per-student fees - Curriculum Fee $775, technology fee $225, grade 8 graduation fee $175; per-family fees - Enrollment Fee $575 (paid in full at registration), an annual Gala pledge of $175 plus a pair of tickets at $300 (which can be met by buying tickets, sponsoring a faculty seat or buying raffle tickets, with a $325 buyout if it is not met before the Gala), and 35 service hours per family per year (which can be bought out at $17 per 3 hours, $595 for the full amount, or $525 if bought out early before June 30, 2026). Sibling discounts: $75 off the second child and $100 more off each child after that. Payment: paying in full before June 30 earns a 4% tuition discount (on tuition only); otherwise payment is made in 10 or 12 installments through FACTS Financial. All families must open a FACTS account for the enrollment fee, tuition, other fees and incidental charges, and credit card payments carry a 2.95% surcharge. Athletics, field trips, retreats, extended care and other optional activities are charged separately. The application fee is $30, nonrefundable, and is paid to FACTS

Financial aid: Need-based Tuition Assistance is applied for after creating an account on FACTS Financial, and FACTS charges a $35 application fee; the school website states that awards are decided each year according to available funds and applicants’ demonstrated need and that families must reapply every year, and it does not publish the share of students receiving aid or the average award. The school also has two fundraising and aid programs, Angels In Education and Partners In Education (school website, Tuition Assistance page and Development section)

Academics and programs

• 1:1 devices (the At A Glance section of the home page says K-8, while the Inquiry and Tours page says grades 1-8), with a weekly STEM class covering Chromebooks/iPads, coding, Dash robots and Tinkercad 3D design (STEM page, home page, Inquiry and Tours page)
• Advanced Math: Pre-Algebra completed in grade 6, Algebra 1 in grade 7 and an introduction to geometry in grade 8 (Advanced Math page)
• The Art Masters program (6 masters a year), a weekly music class and two choirs; the home page lists art, music, Spanish and technology as enrichment courses (Art Masters page, Music page, home page)
• The Inclusion Support Program for learning support and an Accelerated Math program; on-site counseling from Catholic Charities (Inquiry and Tours page)
• Before- and after-school Extended Care, PAL after-school sports, and summer school (June 22 to July 17, 2026) (home page, Summer School page)
• Two classes at each grade level from grade 2 through grade 8; a TK class (the child must turn 5 by December 31); preschool starts at 2.6 years old (Inquiry and Tours page; the 2025-26 handbook gives the full-day preschool requirement as age 2.5 or 4 by Sep 1)

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
Holy Family Catholic School	Orange	K-8	$9,365	On-campus assessment	—	—
St. John’s Lutheran School	Orange	K-8	$9,410	On-campus assessment	—	0.6 mi
St. Norbert Catholic School	Orange	K-8	$8,847	On-campus assessment	25	2.4 mi
Christ Cathedral Academy	Garden Grove	K-8	$9,900	On-campus assessment	—	2.8 mi
St. Paul’s Lutheran School	Orange	K-8	$8,600	—	—	3.6 mi

Total tuition through graduation

At the 2026-27 rate of $9,365, 9 years covering grades K-8 come to roughly $84,285 in tuition alone. Assuming the 4% annual increase common at private schools, the figure is closer to $99,000. 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	8.4 miles
Northwood	5.6 miles
Turtle Rock	10.2 miles
Portola Springs	9.9 miles

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

Questions to ask on a campus visit

• Chinese program — neither the school website nor the 2025-26 handbook says anything, positive or negative, about Chinese language instruction
• College matriculation — every section of the school website’s navigation and the full text of the 2025-26 handbook were checked, and there is no page on where graduates go; the Advisory Council page has two members’ biograp…
• Transportation — the school website has no Transportation page, and the handbook has no entry on bus service
• F-1 students and ESL — neither the school website nor the handbook says anything about international students or ESL
• Registration, technology, uniform and activity fees beyond tuition

How EDUBUS helps

Our Irvine-based counselors work in both Chinese and English. We track Holy Family Catholic School’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.