Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic School

Overview

Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic School is a Catholic K-8 private school in Newport Beach, California, serving grades K-8, founded in 1964, with about 465 students. Tuition for 2026-27 is $12,380 to $15,380, which puts it in the middle range among Orange County private schools at this level. Religion classes are required, so confirm your family is comfortable with that before applying. Average class size is about 25.

Admissions

No standardized entrance exam; admission uses an on-campus assessment or visit day.

The school publishes the following application details. Applications for the 2027-28 school year open October 1, 2026; before then families can complete the OLQA School Inquiry form on the school website and the school will send deadline reminders. Applications for 2026-27 are still open, but the school website notes that TK is full and some grades are at capacity, so applicants may be placed on a waitlist. Assessment (Philosophy page): TK and kindergarten applicants schedule an on-campus readiness assessment, and applicants for grades 1-8 schedule a 45-minute academic assessment on campus; the admissions committee also reviews transcripts from the current school, a recommendation from the current teacher, the interview and standardized test results. Age requirement: TK applicants must turn 5 by February 28 of that school year. The five-tier order of admission priority is given under religionRequired. Enrollment for 2027-28 begins in February 2027, and a nonrefundable $1,400 is due at enrollment, a $400 registration fee plus a $1,000 tuition deposit. Families can view the virtual tour on the school website or contact admissions assistant Susan Earlabaugh; Director of Admissions Jennifer Lefebvre, (949) 644-1166 (school website, Application Process page, Philosophy page and Tuition and Financial Aid 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

$12,380 per year at the discounted rate for baptized Catholics, or $15,380 per year for non-Catholics (2026-27, school website, Tuition and Financial Aid page; includes the $38 PTO fee, a $300 technology fee and a $50 field trip fee)

2026-27 (school website, Tuition and Financial Aid page): new student application fee $75 per student; registration fee $400 per student; FACTS fees of $55 per family plus $11 per student; all nonrefundable. Tuition itself already includes the $38 parent-teacher organization (PTO) fee, the $300 technology fee and the $50 field trip fee. Billed by grade: about $60 for grade 7 social activities and about $400 for grade 8 graduation. Volunteering: 35 hours per family per year, at least 20 of them completed at the school, with up to 15 hours allowed through parish or community service; hours not completed by May 20 are charged at $20 an hour and debited automatically through FACTS. Beginning with the 2027-28 school year, at enrollment in February 2027, a nonrefundable $1,400 per student is due, a $400 registration fee plus a $1,000 tuition deposit. Billed separately: Extended Day after-school care, Monday through Thursday 2:45-5:30 p.m. and Friday 2:45-4:00 p.m.; Choice Lunch meal orders; and middle school camps and trips

Financial aid: Need-based tuition assistance is applied for entirely online through FACTS, with W-2s, tax returns and other financial documentation uploaded. The school website’s Tuition and Financial Aid page states that “Tuition assistance is given to families based on their financial need” and encourages families not to assume they cannot afford the school, but it does not publish the share of students receiving aid, the average award or an application deadline (school website, Tuition and Financial Aid page)

Academics and programs

• Makerspace and STEAM education, with a dedicated Makerspace and science lab in the wing added in 1991 and a dedicated Makerspace teacher (school website, STEAM-Maker Education page, Curriculum page and History page)
• Spanish: the Foreign Language section of the Curriculum page on the school website describes it as a regular course from kindergarten through grade 8, giving equal weight to listening, speaking, reading and writing along with Spanish-speaking cultures; the staff directory separately lists a TK-3 Spanish teacher (Curriculum page, staff directory)
• Music: taught through the Orff-Schulwerk approach, twice a week in K-3 and once a week in grades 4-8, using the Kodaly method to teach music reading; soprano recorder is introduced in grade 4 and ukulele in grade 6, and grades 7-8 study music history and world percussion. The music section of the Curriculum page says recorder is taught in grades 6-8, which conflicts with the Music page; the more detailed Music page is followed here. The whole school performs a Christmas program, the Cantor Ensemble leads the school’s liturgies, and students in grades 3-8 may join the parish children’s choir (school website, Music page and Curriculum page)
• Religion class and Christian Family Life Education are part of the curriculum, and the school website states that all students are required to participate; students learn Mass music in music class (school website, Religion page and Music page)
• 1:1 mobile devices: students have been issued iPads and Chromebooks since 2012 (school website, Curriculum page, Technology section)
• Extended Day after-school care runs Monday through Thursday 2:45-5:30 p.m. and Friday 2:45-4:00 p.m.; there are also Choice Lunch meal orders, after-school enrichment classes, school athletic teams and Battle of the Books (school website, Tuition and Financial Aid page and the Life at OLQA section)

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
Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic School	Newport Beach	K-8	$12,380	On-campus assessment	25	—
Saint Joachim Catholic School	Costa Mesa	K-8	$9,195	On-campus assessment	—	2.0 mi
Mariners Christian School	Costa Mesa	K-8	$12,441	On-campus assessment	—	3.0 mi
Bethel Classical Academy	Irvine	K-9	$10,900	On-campus assessment	—	2.8 mi
St. John the Baptist Catholic School	Costa Mesa	K-8	$9,742	On-campus assessment	—	3.5 mi

Total tuition through graduation

At the 2026-27 rate of $12,380, 9 years covering grades K-8 come to roughly $111,420 in tuition alone. Assuming the 4% annual increase common at private schools, the figure is closer to $131,000. 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	9.0 miles
Northwood	7.8 miles
Turtle Rock	3.7 miles
Portola Springs	11.6 miles

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

Questions to ask on a campus visit

• Chinese program — the Foreign Language section of the Curriculum page lists only Spanish, K-8, and the school website says nothing either way about Chinese
• Graduate destinations — every page in the five navigation sections of the school website (About, Admissions, Academics, Life at OLQA, Support OLQA) was checked page by page, along with the staff directory and the news secti…
• Transportation — the school website has no Transportation page and no statement that bus service is not provided
• International students and ESL — the school website has no pages or statements about international students or ESL
• Registration, technology, uniform and activity fees beyond tuition

How EDUBUS helps

Our Irvine-based counselors work in both Chinese and English. We track Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic 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.