This profile is for Irvine families considering an independent school in Orange County, particularly those planning entry in grade 7 or grade 9. It states only what Sage Hill School publishes: basic facts, the testing requirement, application materials and dates, and the items a family still has to confirm directly. Whether the school suits a particular child depends on that family’s circumstances, and this article does not make that judgment.

Basic facts

Sage Hill School is located at 20402 Newport Coast Drive, Newport Coast, California 92657. Founded in 2000, it is independent and non-sectarian and is led by Head of School Patricia Merz. It is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and by the California Association of Independent Schools.

The school previously served grades 9 to 12 and added grades 7 and 8 in the 2026-27 school year, so it now covers grades 7 to 12. As of September 2026 its website describes an enrollment of about 700 students; the School Profile for 2025-2026 records 597 students and an average upper school class size of 14.

The school offers 20 Advanced Placement courses and 3 post-Advanced Placement courses. World languages include Mandarin through Chinese IV, Spanish, French and Latin. Two bus routes serve Long Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Tustin and Santa Ana.

Testing requirement and international eligibility

Applicants submit either the ISEE (Independent School Entrance Exam) or the SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test), the two entrance exams used across independent schools. When sending scores, use school code 054282 for the ISEE and 7039 for the SSAT. Both test-center and approved at-home proctored formats are accepted.

The school states on its website that it does not issue Form I-20, the document a school issues so an international student can apply for an F-1 student visa. Families who need an F-1 visa are therefore not eligible to apply.

Application process and materials

The school lists seven steps, to be completed in order.

  1. Submit the online inquiry form.
  2. Submit the application for the 2027-28 school year, which opens on 1 September 2026, at sagehillschool.fsenrollment.com.
  3. Receive the materials checklist after the application is approved, generally within about 48 hours.
  4. Upload an original or translated birth certificate.
  5. Schedule the on-campus interview once the birth certificate is verified.
  6. Submit official ISEE or SSAT scores.
  7. Submit transcripts and recommendations.

The interview is conducted with the student alone, runs about an hour at every grade level, and does not include parents. Parents pursuing Flexible Tuition meet separately with the relevant office. Three recommendations are required: one from a current principal, head of school, counselor or advisor, and one each from the current English and math teachers.

Key dates in the 2026-27 admission season

Date Event
1 September 2026 Application for 2027-28 opens
14 September 2026 Parent coffee
16 September 2026 to 3 February 2027 Shadow Day, for submitted applicants only
3 October 2026 Admission Open House, 10:00 to 15:00
12 January 2027 Academic Information Night
31 January 2027 Deadline: ISEE or SSAT scores, transcripts and three recommendations must arrive

Working backwards from 31 January, the last usable ISEE or SSAT sitting falls in December 2026 or early January 2027, leaving time for official scores to reach the school.

What families still need to confirm

The following are not published on the school’s website. Confirm each one at an open house or with the admission office.

  • The application fee, which appears neither on the application steps page nor in the admission questions.
  • The notification date, since the website gives deadlines only.
  • Actual enrollment and class size in grades 7 and 8 for 2026-27.
  • How places are divided between the grade 7 and grade 9 entry points.

What EDUBUS recommends

The two entry points call for different schedules. Students aiming at grade 7 usually begin test preparation in the second half of grade 5. Students aiming at grade 9 should start ISEE or SSAT work in the summer after grade 7 and finalize a school list in the fall of grade 8. Either way, the 31 January deadline requires scores, transcripts and recommendations to land together, so ask teachers a month in advance.

The EDUBUS private school planning service covers school selection, the timeline, essays and interview preparation. The full record for this school is in our school library entry for Sage Hill School.

Sources

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