Oakridge Private School

Overview

Oakridge Private School is an independent, non-sectarian K-8 private school in Orange, California, serving grades K-8, with about 158 students. Tuition for 2026-27 is $12,300 to $14,800, which puts it in the middle range among Orange County private schools at this level. Average class size is about 20. 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. Process for local students: 1) schedule a tour first, led by principal Mrs. Unger, covering the classrooms, the two computer labs, the music room and the art room; 2) submit the Application for Admission online along with the required documents; 3) schedule the JK-8 assessment, an on-campus placement test, and a Shadow Day. Required documents: birth certificate and immunization records; grades 1-8 also submit transcripts for the past two years, with teacher comments for grades 2-8, and standardized test scores; grades 6-8 additionally need two recommendation letters from a current teacher or administrator; incoming grade 1 students must also submit the California school entry physical examination form. The school website states that “whether a student is admitted is entirely at Oakridge’s discretion,” but it does not publish an application deadline, open house dates, or which school year applications are for (school website, Admissions page and Applications for Admissions page). International students must go through a separate International Application; the materials include transcripts for the past two years translated into the US grading system, two recommendation letters, the passport photo page, an English-language bank statement, English-language immunization records and a vaccine verification form, a 2-3 minute student self-introduction video, a $750 application fee, and the signed parent agreement and tuition schedule, and proof of student medical insurance is required before enrollment; after submission the school schedules a separate evaluation or interview (school website, International Application page).

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

Full-time annual tuition for the 2026-27 school year, which the school website notes does not apply to international students: TK-Kindergarten $12,300, grades 1-4 $12,900, grades 5-8 $14,800. A materials fee is charged on top of tuition by division: $700 for TK-K, $900 for grades 1-4 and $1,100 for grades 5-8. The school website lists three reductions, $250 for siblings, $300 for paying in full (Pay-in-Full) and $200 for paying by semester, but does not say whether they can be combined, so this site uses the list prices published on the school website for tuitionLow and tuitionHigh without subtracting anything. The school also offers a Hybrid program, on campus Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: Hybrid A (9am-12pm) is $4,700 for grades 1-4 and $5,600 for grades 5-8; Hybrid B (9am-2pm) is $6,600 for grades 1-4 and $7,500 for grades 5-8; Hybrid materials fees are $850 for grades 1-4, $875 for grades 5-6 and $1,700 for grades 7-8, with optional Monday Learning Labs at $2,250 per school year and electives at $750 per semester (school website, Tuition page).

A one-time new student registration fee of $150, nonrefundable (school website, Tuition page). International students have a separate schedule: a nonrefundable application fee of $750, $15,500 per school year for JK/Kindergarten through grade 4 and $16,800 per school year for grades 5-8, with the school website stating that “tuition must be paid in full once the visa is approved and is entirely nonrefundable” (school website, International Students page). Preschool is billed separately by the month: full day with daycare (7:00am-5:30pm) $1,390 per month, full day (9:00am-2:30pm) $1,100 per month, half day (9:00am-12:00pm) $990 per month, plus a $50 application fee and a $300 materials fee at registration (school website, Preschool Enrollment & Tuition page).

Academics and programs

• Math and language arts a year ahead: the school website states that elementary math and language arts are taught “one grade level above” the student’s grade; reading uses the McGraw-Hill Wonders phonics program, writing uses Step Up to Writing, and math in JK-2 uses HMH Into Math (school website, Elementary page and International Students page)
• Honors classes in grades 5-8: the Academics page on the school website states that honors courses are offered in grades 5 through 8; the Middle School page states that math splits into an honors track starting in grade 6, that students may begin geometry in grade 8, and that students who complete the honors sequence can move on to Algebra II and Honors Geometry in high school (school website, Academics page and Middle School page)
• Spanish, the only world language: offered as a middle school elective; the school website states that finishing grade 8 is equivalent to high school Spanish I and can satisfy the high school world language requirement, and that because the course is sequential, students cannot join partway through (school website, Middle School page)
• Quarterly rotating middle school electives: Technology and AI Integration (project work using Google Suite, Canva and age-appropriate AI tools, including the campus news team and the yearbook), Advanced Art, Music Composition (lyric writing, poetry and digital music production, with no performance requirement), and the RISE fall leadership course (school website, Middle School page)
• Two computer labs and technology classes: TK-4 have two computer classes a week and grades 5-8 may take technology electives; there is also a Makerspace and an iPad/iPod program for grades 2-8 (school website, Academics page and International Students page)
• Hybrid program: grades 1-8 may choose a half-day or full-day option on campus Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with optional Monday Learning Labs and electives (school website, Tuition 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
Oakridge Private School	Orange	K-8	$12,300	On-campus assessment	20	—
St. Norbert Catholic School	Orange	K-8	$8,847	On-campus assessment	25	3.0 mi
Salem Lutheran School	Orange	K-8	Not published	—	—	0.8 mi
St. Paul’s Lutheran School	Orange	K-8	$8,600	—	—	3.0 mi
Hephatha Lutheran School	Anaheim	K-8	$7,988	On-campus assessment	—	3.0 mi

Total tuition through graduation

At the 2026-27 rate of $12,300, 9 years covering grades K-8 come to roughly $110,700 in tuition alone. Assuming the 4% annual increase common at private schools, the figure is closer to $130,000. 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	6.5 miles
Turtle Rock	12.2 miles
Portola Springs	8.9 miles

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

Questions to ask on a campus visit

• opened = null — the History page on the school website says only that the school was founded “more than forty years ago” by the Burrys, without giving a year; the Open Date on file with CDE is July 1, 1980, but that…
• accreditation = null — the home page, About Us (History, Philosophy & Overview, Mission), Academics, Admissions, Tuition and International Students pages were all checked, along with an on-site search for accreditation, an…
• enrollment uses the CDE 2025-26 filing figure of 158 — the home page, About Us, Academics and Admissions pages of the school website do not publish an enrollment count
• aid = null — the Admissions section of the school website links to FACTS (online.factsmgt.com), but that link goes to a payment login page; the school website has no financial aid or scholarship page and no figur…
• Registration, technology, uniform and activity fees beyond tuition

How EDUBUS helps

Our Irvine-based counselors work in both Chinese and English. We track Oakridge Private 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.