Ronald Reagan Secondary School

Overview

Ronald Reagan Secondary School is an independent, non-sectarian high private school in Laguna Hills, California, serving grades 7-12, with about 141 students. Tuition for 2025-26 is $35,000, which puts it in the upper range among Orange County private schools at this level. The school offers 32 AP courses. Mandarin is offered, and students can continue through AP Chinese. The school accepts F-1 international students and issues the I-20 needed for a student visa.

Admissions

No entrance exam is required.

The school publishes the following application details. Local application process: call 949-946-7777 to inquire; apply online and pay the application fee (a file is not reviewed until the fee is paid); upload all transcripts from the last two grade levels; an admissions officer schedules an interview; submit personal statements from the student and from the parents; optional additional materials such as English and math teacher recommendations may be submitted. The admissions office evaluates the materials and makes English and math placement recommendations. International students have a separate I-20 document list: the online application and fee, a recommendation form, an English-language transcript sealed and stamped by the previous school, current grades, copies of the student’s and the parents’ passports, a recent photo, and immunization records, followed by a Zoom interview with the director of admissions or the head of school. The school website states “NO OTHER ENTRANCE TESTS REQUIRED”, and the application threshold is an overall average of 70% or a GPA of 2.5 or above. International places are mainly in grade 9, with grades 10 and 11 waitlisted, and only full school years with an August start are accepted. The school website does not give an opening date or deadline for local applications (school website, Admissions page and International Student page)

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 2025-26 school year is $35,000 (the school website’s Admissions page states Annual Tuition — $35,000). The school website lists three payment plans: plan one, a $3,000 deposit plus $32,000 paid in full, for a total of $35,000; plan two, a $3,000 deposit plus $10,000 plus $2,600 a month for 9 months starting in August, for a total of $36,400; plan three, a $3,000 deposit plus $3,795 a month for 9 months starting in August, for a total of $37,155. The paid-in-full price is therefore $35,000. Families with siblings enrolled in the same school year, or with a younger sibling entering within one year of an older sibling’s graduation, receive 10% off per student (school website, Admissions page)

Boarding is charged separately, and the school website gives two different figures: the Admissions page lists Boarding Fees $18,000, while the International Student page says the annual dormitory fee is $15,000, payable when registering for each new term. Other fees: application fee $100, new student orientation fee $75, registration fee $100 per semester, graduation fee $200, diploma replacement $150, student ID replacement $25, transcripts $20 each (with $20 more for 48-hour rush service), and a $50 returned check fee, all nonrefundable. For international students in 2025-26: tuition is likewise $35,000 (with the registration fee and I-20 fee included), a nonrefundable $200 is due after admission before the I-20 is issued, international student insurance is mandatory at $1,250 for 10 months, and electronic textbooks cost $250-350. The school website notes that fees may be adjusted with board approval (school website, Admissions page and International Student page)

Academics and programs

• AP courses: the school website’s Academic page states that the school is authorized by the College Board to offer 32 AP courses, with examples including Psychology, Computer Science A/Principles, Human Geography, Biology, Chemistry, Statistics, Calculus AB/BC, World History, Environmental Science, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics and Chinese Language and Culture; an AP Enhancement Program brochure describes after-school small-group tutoring and targeted review of difficult material (school website, Academic page and AP Enhancement Program PDF)
• World languages: the RRSS Catalog 2024-2026 posted on the school website’s Academic page lists six languages, each continuing through AP - Chinese runs FL 203 Chinese 1 to FL 306 Chinese 2 to FL 403 Chinese Language and Culture (AP), with French, Spanish, German, Latin and Japanese also offered; the online program (Online Programs page) has only Spanish I/II and French I/II (school website, course catalog PDF and Online Programs page)
• UC Through Train Program: the school website states that students in the program are guaranteed admission at graduation to one of six UC campuses (Irvine, Davis, Santa Barbara, Merced, Riverside, Santa Cruz), accumulating at least 60 college credits during high school and entering as juniors. This site notes that this is the school’s own description of the program and that parents should verify it separately with the school and with the universities concerned (school website, UC Thru Program PDF)
• Online high school courses (grades 9-12): the school website lists a schedule for each grade, covering English, math, science, social studies, physical education and health, and world languages, with AP and dual enrollment courses available from grade 10 (school website, Online Programs page)
• Course structure: the four core subjects (English, history/social science, laboratory science and math) meet for 120 minutes per class and electives for 80 minutes, on blue and gold schedules that alternate every other day; the standard diploma requires 22 credits and the Advanced diploma 25 (school website, Academic page)
• On-campus boarding: one dormitory each for boys and girls, four students to a room, with desks, wardrobes and storage shelves, and same-gender bathrooms shared by each floor; boarding students receive three meals a day plus an evening snack (school website, International Student 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
Ronald Reagan Secondary School	Laguna Hills	7-12	$35,000	None	—	—
Heritage Christian School (Junior High / High School Campus)	Lake Forest	7-12	$12,215	On-campus assessment	20	1.6 mi
Crean Lutheran High School	Irvine	9-12	$23,575	—	19	5.4 mi
Sage Hill School	Newport Beach	7-12	$49,500	ISEE or SSAT	14	5.9 mi
JSerra Catholic High School	San Juan Capistrano	9-12	$26,200	HSPT	—	7.9 mi

Total tuition through graduation

At the 2025-26 rate of $35,000, 6 years covering grades 7-12 come to roughly $210,000 in tuition alone. Assuming the 4% annual increase common at private schools, the figure is closer to $232,000. 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	5.2 miles
Northwood	7.5 miles
Turtle Rock	5.2 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

• College matriculation — the school website’s School Profile page has only an address and phone number; the Counseling page covers only the college counseling process and visits by college representatives; the Post-secondary…
• 2026-27 tuition — the Admissions page and the International Student page on the school website currently post only 2025-2026 school year prices, and the fee table in the course catalog PDF is older still (2024-2025), …
• Conflicting boarding fee — the Admissions page says $18,000 and the International Student page says $15,000, and the fee table in the course catalog PDF has no boarding line, so there is no third source to check against; both …
• Course catalog currency — the RRSS Catalog 2024-2026 was published in January 2024; its cover still shows the pre-move address “4010 Barranca Pkwy, Irvine” and a Virginia headquarters, and its fee table is for 2024-2025. This…
• Registration, technology, uniform and activity fees beyond tuition

How EDUBUS helps

Our Irvine-based counselors work in both Chinese and English. We track Ronald Reagan Secondary 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.