Orange Lutheran High School (Lutheran High School of Orange County)

Overview

Orange Lutheran High School (Lutheran High School of Orange County) is a Lutheran high private school in Orange, California, serving grades 9-12, founded in 1973, with about 1,500 students. Tuition for 2026-27 is $20,800 to $22,525, which puts it in the lower range among Orange County private schools at this level. Faith-based schools usually hold religion classes and chapel; the website does not say whether these are required, so ask during your visit. The school offers 21 AP courses. Mandarin is offered. The school accepts F-1 international students and issues the I-20 needed for a student visa. Bus service is available.

Admissions

No entrance exam is required.

Applications typically open in the fall and close in January or February; check the school website for the current year’s dates.

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

$20,800 for families from Association member churches and $22,525 for non-members, per year (2026-2027 school year, full-time On Campus, school website, Tuition & Financial Aid page). Paying in two installments adds $830 for members and $900 for non-members, and the monthly plan adds $1,460 and $1,565 respectively. Blended online runs $10,805-$18,515, and fully online is about $7,350 based on 7 courses. F-1 international students pay $41,470 plus $1,150 in mandatory health insurance, and the Permanent Resident program is $32,580 plus the same $1,150 in insurance. The member rate is partly subsidized by the 20 member congregations of the Lutheran High School Association of Orange County, and membership must be verified.

Academics and programs

• 21 AP courses, preparing students for 25 different AP exams, and 25 Honors courses (school website, Counseling & College Planning page)
• World languages: French (1 through Honors 4), Latin (1-2, Honors 3 and AP) and Spanish (1 through Honors 4) are offered on campus; Chinese 1-4 is offered only online, through Orange Lutheran Online, and there is no AP Chinese. Graduation requires 2 credits in a single language (school website, World Languages Department course descriptions)
• Six Academies: Arts & Humanities, Business & Global Leadership, First Responders, Health Professions, Ministry and STEM; $400 per year, applied for in grades 9-10, with students limited to one (the-academies-of-orange-lutheran)
• Theology is required for 4 credits, one each year, out of the 27 credits required to graduate (school website, Graduation Requirements document)
• Orange Lutheran Online (OLO) has offered online courses for more than twenty years, fully online, blended or one course at a time (Academics page)
• Athletics: a member of the Trinity League, with 27 sports, 39 CIF championships, 14 state championships and more than 400 students signed to college programs since 2010 (Athletics 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
Orange Lutheran High School (Lutheran High School of Orange County)	Orange	9-12	$20,800	None	—	—
Rosary Academy	Fullerton	9-12	$21,990	HSPT	17	5.6 mi
Servite High School	Anaheim	9-12	$20,710	HSPT	—	7.4 mi
Mater Dei High School	Santa Ana	9-12	$21,150	HSPT	—	7.5 mi
Crean Lutheran High School	Irvine	9-12	$23,575	—	19	10.1 mi

Total tuition through graduation

At the 2026-27 rate of $20,800, 4 years covering grades 9-12 come to roughly $83,200 in tuition alone. Assuming the 4% annual increase common at private schools, the figure is closer to $88,000. 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	10.0 miles
Northwood	7.7 miles
Turtle Rock	13.1 miles
Portola Springs	10.8 miles

The school runs bus service.

Questions to ask on a campus visit

• Whether religion classes and chapel are required, and how many families are not members of the faith
• Whether the ISEE is required above grade 5, and roughly where the score bar sits
• How many mid-year openings come up in a typical year, and how the waitlist works
• Registration, technology, uniform and activity fees beyond tuition

How EDUBUS helps

Our Irvine-based counselors work in both Chinese and English. We track Orange Lutheran High School (Lutheran High School of Orange County)’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.