St. Margaret's Episcopal School

St. Margaret's Episcopal School uses the ISEE, and its application steps specify the At-Home online version; the TOEFL is not accepted in its place. The division-by-division steps on the Apply page list the ISEE for grades 3 through 11 and an on-campus playgroup for Early School through grade 2, but another section of the same page says applicants for grades 2 through 11 take the ISEE, so families applying for grade 2 should confirm with admissions. Every applicant must also come to campus in person for an interview, assessment or playgroup.

St. Margaret's Episcopal School applicants for grade 6 take the ISEE Lower Level, and applicants for grade 9 take the Upper Level. The level follows the entry grade, not the current grade: grade 5 applicants also take the Lower Level, grades 7 and 8 the Middle Level, grades 10 and 11 the Upper Level, and grades 3 and 4 Primary 3 and 4. The school's FAQ names Early School, kindergarten, grade 6 and grade 9 as the most sought-after entry years; other grades accept applications, but space may be limited.

St. Margaret's Episcopal School publishes no ISEE cut-off. From EDUBUS students' admission results, percentiles from 45 in the four scored sections of the ISEE give a realistic chance and 67 and above are competitive; this is a reference range, not a school threshold. For 2027-28, Standard Review applicants must complete the ISEE by February 1, 2027, and middle and upper school applicants choosing Early Review must submit scores by December 1, 2026.

St. Margaret's Episcopal School accepts F-1 students, but places are few. The school is SEVP certified and issues I-20s, currently supporting 3 to 5 families who need one, and the I-20 is issued only after the offer of enrollment is final and the tuition deposit is paid. It is a day school, so students must live in Orange County with immediate family or a legal guardian; there is no ESL program, and applicants need at least two years of English-based schooling before applying.

St. Margaret's Episcopal School tuition for 2026-27 is tiered by division: $37,000 for Early School, $42,460 for the lower school (K-5), $47,800 for the middle school and $52,950 for the upper school, each including the Tuition Refund Plan and daily dining. Financial aid is entirely need-based, available from kindergarten through grade 12, with more than $6 million awarded for 2026-27; the school offers no academic, athletic or other merit scholarships. For 2027-28, families apply through Clarity from October 1, 2026, by February 15, 2027 for new families and December 1, 2026 for Early Review families. The school states that aid is reviewed only after the admission decision, and admission and aid decisions are made independently.

St. Margaret's Episcopal School's 115 graduates in the Class of 2026 went to 59 colleges and universities in 21 states, with 40 staying in California and 75 going out of state. Twenty-three schools enrolled two or more graduates, led by the University of Southern California and the University of San Diego with six each; Cornell University, the University of California, Berkeley and the University of California, Los Angeles enrolled three each, and Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, the California Institute of Technology and Johns Hopkins University one each. The school states that 100% of its graduates are prepared to attend a four-year college or university.

St. Margaret's Episcopal School's 2027-28 applications are open: FORM1 is due December 15, 2026, all materials, the ISEE and the campus interview are due February 1, 2027, and decisions come in early March. Middle and upper school families choosing Early Review opt in by email by November 15 and complete everything, including ISEE scores, by December 1, with decisions in mid-December. Fall admission events require registration, for example the upper school open house on October 17 and the middle school open house on November 9. Irvine families should plan a first ISEE in the fall season; EDUBUS advises Irvine families from its Irvine office, with ISEE preparation and interview coaching planned back from these deadlines. The school is in San Juan Capistrano and runs buses from Irvine; families who drive should time the commute during school hours.