International School of Orange County (iSchoolOC)

Overview

International School of Orange County (iSchoolOC) is an independent, non-sectarian K-8 private school in Orange, California, serving grades K-8, founded in 1988, with about 107 students. Tuition for 2026-27 is $18,220 to $22,670, which puts it in the upper range among Orange County private schools at this level.

Admissions

Entrance exam requirements are not published; contact admissions.

The school publishes the following application details. The school website’s Admission page describes three steps: (1) schedule an in-person tour, hosted by Director of Admissions Sasha Causee (sasha.causee@ischooloc.org); (2) submit the application online and pay the $110 application fee; (3) after admission, submit the enrollment forms and the registration fee. There are three firm requirements: the child must be toilet trained before enrolling, all supporting documents must reach the school, and immunizations must meet California requirements. The school website mentions no entrance exam, transcripts, recommendation letters or interview, and publishes no application deadline, open house date or notification date. There is also an online Book a Tour page (school website, Admission page, Book a Tour 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

For the 2026-27 school year (the school website’s Tuition & Fees page is headed 2026-27), prepaid tuition paid in full: Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten $18,220; Kindergarten $19,000; grade 1 $20,300; grades 2-5 $22,016; grades 6-7 $22,670. Installment pricing is $500 higher at every level and is spread over 11 months: Preschool/Pre-K $18,720 ($1,702 per month), Kindergarten $19,500 ($1,773 per month), grade 1 $20,800 ($1,891 per month), grades 2-5 $22,516 ($2,047 per month), grades 6-7 $23,170 ($2,106 per month). Multi-child discounts are calculated per family: $1,000 off for two children, $2,500 for three and $4,000 for four (school website, 2026-27 Tuition & Fees page).

Additional fees, charged per student unless noted and all nonrefundable: the re-enrollment fee for returning students is $600 on or before March 31, 2026 and rises to $1,100 from April 1; the New Student / Sibling Setup Fee is $1,200; and an Early Departure Fund payment of $350 is due together with the first tuition installment. A $110 application fee is also paid at the application stage (school website, 2026-27 Tuition & Fees page, Admission page).

Financial aid: Two channels run in parallel. (1) The French government’s Bourse Scolaire is open only to French citizens and is applied for each year through the French consulate; the school website states that it can cover up to 100% of tuition and recommends that families with French-citizen children apply for it first. (2) iSchoolOC Need-Based Financial Aid is open to families with financial need from Preschool through grade 8; the assessment is handled by the third party School and Student Services (SSS), and the contact address is financialaid@ischooloc.org. The rules stated on the school website: aid applies to tuition only and does not cover other fees, extended care or extracurricular activities; a single award is capped at 50% of tuition; families already receiving the Bourse may still apply for school aid, but the two combined may not exceed 50% of tuition; families must reapply each year, as awards do not renew automatically; and returning students have priority, with new-student applications reviewed only after returning students. The school website does not publish the share of families receiving aid, the average award, or an application deadline for the year (school website, Financial Aid page).

Academics and programs

• French-English bilingual immersion: French is not a subject but the language of instruction. Pre-K students enter the French classroom whether or not they already speak French; English reading is added in Kindergarten, and the share of English rises each year from 20% to 40% by grade 5 (school website, Elementaire page)
• The French “Cycle” system: a system of learning cycles in place in France since 1991 that lets students progress at their own pace. The stated goals are that students begin reading in English by the end of Cycle 1 (Kindergarten), read in both French and English by the end of Cycle 2 (grade 3), and both read and write in the two languages by the end of Cycle 3 (grade 6) (school website, Elementaire page)
• DELF French certification: all students take the DELF (Diplome d’etudes en langue francaise) at the end of grade 2 and again at the end of grade 5 to earn a certificate of French proficiency (school website, Elementaire page)
• Dual-track French and American math: math is taught with both French and American textbooks and teaching methods; the school website describes the French system as concept-focused and the American system as practice-focused, moving from hands-on work to an introduction to algebra and geometry (school website, Elementaire page)
• English is taught as its own program: it begins with reading readiness in Kindergarten, emphasizes phonics, grammar and spelling, and moves on to writing and literary appreciation (school website, Elementaire page)
• Maternelle (Preschool, Pre-K and K) is taught in small classes; the school website emphasizes a small class ratio and a close-knit community (school website, Explore Curriculum page, Maternelle 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
International School of Orange County (iSchoolOC)	Orange	K-8	$18,220	—	—	—
St. Norbert Catholic School	Orange	K-8	$8,847	On-campus assessment	25	0.2 mi
St. Paul’s Lutheran School	Orange	K-8	$8,600	—	—	0.9 mi
St. John’s Lutheran School	Orange	K-8	$9,410	On-campus assessment	—	2.1 mi
Oakridge Private School	Orange	K-8	$12,300	On-campus assessment	20	2.9 mi

Total tuition through graduation

At the 2026-27 rate of $18,220, 9 years covering grades K-8 come to roughly $163,980 in tuition alone. Assuming the 4% annual increase common at private schools, the figure is closer to $193,000. 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	10.2 miles
Northwood	7.7 miles
Turtle Rock	12.8 miles
Portola Springs	11.2 miles

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

Questions to ask on a campus visit

• Grade range, where the school website contradicts itself — the Vision, Mission, Values page and the home page say “preschool through 8th grade,” but the highest band on the 2026-27 Tuition & Fees page is “6th - 7th grade,” Explore Curriculum lists only Mater…
• Tuition year 2026-27 confirmed — the /tuition-fees page carries both a “2025-26 Tuition & Fees” tab and a “2026-27 Tuition & Fees” tab, but the only set of amounts the page renders is the set recorded here, and the page is named “20…
• Enrollment uses the CDE figure of 107 on file for 2025-26 — the home page and the Our History, Vision Mission Values, Team and Admission pages all omit the number of enrolled students
• Average class size — the school website mentions only a “small class ratio” in its Maternelle description, with no specific headcount or student-teacher ratio
• Registration, technology, uniform and activity fees beyond tuition

How EDUBUS helps

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