JSerra Catholic High School

Overview

JSerra Catholic High School is a Catholic high private school in San Juan Capistrano, California, serving grades 9-12, founded in 2003, with about 1,211 students. Tuition for 2026-27 is $26,200, which puts it in the upper range among Orange County private schools at this level. Religion classes are required, so confirm your family is comfortable with that before applying. 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. Bus service is available, covering Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Aliso Viejo, Oceanside.

Admissions

The HSPT (Catholic high school placement test, offered once each January) is required.

The school publishes the following application details. For the 2027-28 school year (Class of 2031): Shadow Day and campus tour reservations open August 21, 2026 (Shadow Day is limited to current grade 8 students); the admission application and the financial grant application go live September 1; the fall Open House is October 5; the athletics information night is October 26; Early Decision closes November 1, which is also the application deadline for the Business, Engineering and Law magnets; a practice HSPT is held November 7 (listed as tentative on the school website); Early Decision results are released November 20 and the three magnet decisions on November 21; the HSPT is offered on January 9 and February 6, 2027; the regular application deadline is January 15 with decisions on February 12; the Humanities Program closes March 25 with decisions on May 1; and the school website lists the Medical Magnet deadline as to be announced. Application materials: middle school transcripts through the first grading period of grade 8, standardized test scores (STAR, IOWA, MAP or similar), and three letters of recommendation from a math teacher, an English teacher and an administrator, with an optional additional letter from a parish priest or faith mentor. The application fee is $75. Transfer students may apply year-round (school website, Admissions page, Admissions Process page, Visit 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

$26,200 per year (2026-27, school website, Tuition page; plus a $1,000 registration fee and a $750 technology fee)

2026-27 (school website, Tuition page): a $1,000 annual registration fee and a $750 annual technology fee, which covers the laptop the school issues, both mandatory. Optional charges: a $2,000 annual athletics fee covering all sports across the three seasons, a $1,000 annual magnet program fee, $800 per online course per semester, and Learning and Academic Support (LAS) billed separately. There are three payment options: annual, in a single payment in May; semiannual, in May and November; and monthly, in 10 installments from May through the following February, with a $300 annual service charge. The application fee is $75. International students have a separate schedule (International Tuition page): ISEP program tuition of $48,500, payable once the F-1 visa is approved; a nonrefundable $150 application fee; a nonrefundable $1,500 registration fee covering activity, parent association and class fees; and a $750 technology fee. Homestay is arranged by JR Education Group at $21,000 for the 10-month school year. ISO Insurance medical coverage is required. Books run $500-700 and uniforms about $300, from the supplier VICKI MARSHA. The school website states explicitly that students who obtain a green card or change to another visa status such as F2 or L2 continue to be treated as international students and charged international tuition for the rest of their time at JSerra

Financial aid: The Tuition page of the school website states that more than $3 million in tuition assistance is awarded each year and that more than a quarter of students receive some level of assistance (the 2025-26 School Profile gives 25%). The need-based Financial Grant is submitted separately from the admission application, requires 2025 tax returns and W-2s, and is evaluated by the Financial Grant Committee. Two places on the school website disagree on the opening date: the Admissions event calendar says September 1, 2026, the same day the admission application goes live, while the Admissions Process page says October 1. Recipients must maintain a GPA above 2.0 and remain off probation. Five scholarships are awarded without regard to financial need: the Serra Scholarship (full tuition for four years), the McDonald Family Patriot Scholarship (military families), the President Award (up to 25% off tuition), the Patriot Award (first responder and military families), and the Partner School Employee Award (up to 25% off). Contact Chris Harrington at (949) 493-9307, extension 1011 (school website, Tuition page, Admissions Process page, 2025-26 School Profile)

Academics and programs

• Four magnet programs, the first of their kind in Orange County: business (the DuPont Business Magnet, which includes an off-campus internship and a business plan defense in the upper grades); engineering (the Tevora Engineering Magnet, which uses the Project Lead the Way curriculum and is led by a former NASA engineer); law (the Patrick Ahle Law Magnet, with an on-campus mock trial courtroom and coursework in California real estate principles that prepares students to sit for the California real estate agent license exam); and medicine (the Project-A-Pulse® Medical Magnet, with clinical learning in partnership with Memorial Care Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills). All four run for four years, carry Honors credit, enroll 30% of students, and cost an additional $1,000 per year (Magnets page, School Profile, Tuition page)
• Humanities Program: a four-year humanities sequence reading from antiquity through the postmodern era, running English and theology on parallel tracks, and including Humanities 3 AP English Language and Humanities 4 AP English Literature (School Profile, Magnets page)
• AP: in 2025, 496 students sat 1,066 exams with a 92% pass rate, 39 percentage points above the national figure; there were 218 AP Scholars in 2025; students enrolled in an AP course must take that year’s AP exam (School Profile)
• Chinese: Mandarin Chinese 1-2, Mandarin 3-4 Honors, and AP Chinese Language and Culture (Course Catalog)
• The business and law magnet courses articulate with Saddleback College and carry 18 college credits (School Profile)
• ISEP, the International Student Enrichment Program: English immersion coursework, an introduction to the Catholic faith, one-on-one after-school tutoring through NHS, and homestay through the partner JR Education Group (International Students 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
JSerra Catholic High School	San Juan Capistrano	9-12	$26,200	HSPT	—	—
Ronald Reagan Secondary School	Laguna Hills	7-12	$35,000	None	—	7.9 mi
Heritage Christian School (Junior High / High School Campus)	Lake Forest	7-12	$12,215	On-campus assessment	20	7.3 mi
Santa Margarita Catholic High School	Rancho Santa Margarita	9-12	$22,000	HSPT	23	9.9 mi
Crean Lutheran High School	Irvine	9-12	$23,575	—	19	13.1 mi

Where graduates go

Of the 320 graduates in the Class of 2025, 91% enrolled at four-year colleges and 9% at two-year colleges; 43% stayed in California and 57% went out of state; 9% enrolled at a UC, 8% at a CSU and 13% at a Catholic university. The class received $25.8 million in scholarships (School Profile 2025-26)

For college applications from this school, EDUBUS can begin with course selection in grade 9.

Total tuition through graduation

At the 2026-27 rate of $26,200, 4 years covering grades 9-12 come to roughly $104,800 in tuition alone. Assuming the 4% annual increase common at private schools, the figure is closer to $111,000. 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	13.1 miles
Northwood	15.4 miles
Turtle Rock	11.5 miles
Portola Springs	13.4 miles

The school runs bus service, covering Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Aliso Viejo, Oceanside.

Questions to ask on a campus visit

• Number of AP courses — the 2025-26 School Profile gives only the AP pass rate, the number of exams sat, the number of test takers and the number of AP Scholars, with no figure for how many AP courses are offered, and neith…
• Average class size — the School Profile gives only a 15:1 student-teacher ratio and does not publish an average class size
• Financial grant processing fee and deadline — neither the Tuition page nor the Admissions Process page lists a processing fee amount or a deadline; the two pages also disagree on the opening date for grant applications, September 1 versus Octobe…
• Medical Magnet application deadline — the school website says “To be announced,” so no date is available
• Registration, technology, uniform and activity fees beyond tuition

How EDUBUS helps

Our Irvine-based counselors work in both Chinese and English. We track JSerra Catholic High School’s admissions calendar, prepare students for the HSPT, and review application materials before they are submitted. Book a school-selection consultation or read the Chinese version of this page.