Pacifica Christian High School, Orange County

Overview

Pacifica Christian High School, Orange County is a Christian high private school in Newport Beach, California, serving grades 9-12, founded in 2015, with about 366 students. Tuition for 2026-27 is $25,490, which puts it in the middle range among Orange County private schools at this level. The school has a religious affiliation, but states that religion classes and a statement of faith are not required, so families of any background may apply. Average class size is about 16. The school offers 14 AP courses.

Admissions

The ISEE is required for applicants.

The school publishes the following application details. 2027-28 school year: the online application opens September 1, 2026, with a $50 application fee; financial aid applications open October 1, 2026; both the application and the financial aid application close January 15, 2027, after which admission is rolling as space allows. All applicants must take the ISEE. On-campus test dates are November 14, 2026 and January 9, 2027 (the ISEE may also be taken at home or at a Prometric test center). Four recommendation forms are required and must be sent through the Admissions Portal to an English teacher, a math teacher, a school administrator, and a personal or pastoral reference; traditional letters of recommendation are not accepted. The final step is a family interview, scheduled through the system during the September-to-January admissions season. (school website, Admissions ▸ Apply 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

Tuition for the 2026-27 school year is $25,490, a single rate with no separate church-member and non-member pricing. There are three ways to pay: in full (an $800 nonrefundable deposit first, with the balance due June 1, 2026); in two installments of $12,570 each (June 1 and December 1, 2026) plus a $450 processing fee; or in 11 installments of $2,317 beginning June 1, 2026, plus an $800 processing fee. Families with two or more children enrolled automatically receive a 5-10% tuition discount, which is separate from need-based financial aid. (school website, Admissions ▸ Tuition & Fees page)

The $800 registration deposit is nonrefundable, and the application fee is $50. Costs beyond tuition, as listed on the school website Tuition & Fees page: books about $500-700, uniforms about $300-400 (uniforms are required), a 1:1 iPad about $1,000 (varies by model), and the all-school retreat at $225 per year. Campus life expenses for activities, games, dances, and trips are billed separately.

Financial aid: Need-based financial aid: the school website Class of 2027 Profile states “40% of students receive need-based financial aid.” The financial aid application is separate from the admission application, and the school website states that it does not affect admission decisions. For the 2027-28 school year, financial aid applications open October 1, 2026 and close January 15, 2027. A multi-child discount unrelated to financial aid is also offered: families with two or more children enrolled automatically receive 5-10% off. The school website does not state which third-party assessment platform is used. (school website, Tuition & Fees page, Apply page, Class of 2027 Profile)

Academics and programs

• 14 AP courses: AP Biology, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Chemistry, AP Computer Science, AP Drawing, AP Latin, AP English Literature, AP English Language, AP Physics 1, AP Spanish Language, AP Statistics, AP 2-D Art & Design, AP 3-D Art. AP and dual-credit courses are weighted with an additional 1.0 on the 4.0 scale (school website, College Counseling page, Class of 2027 Profile)
• AP courses carry prerequisites: the school website states that students generally do not take an AP before grade 11 and that taking more than three APs in one year requires approval, and that students enrolled in an AP course must sit the AP exam (Class of 2027 Profile)
• Dual-credit courses in grades 10-12, offered with Colorado Christian University (humanities and math) and University of Texas (science). The 2026-27 offerings are Honors Anatomy & Physiology, Honors Calculus, Honors Civics, Honors Economics, Honors Engineering Design & Analysis, Honors European History, Honors Foundations of Entrepreneurship, Honors Latin III, Honors Latin IV, Honors Medieval World History, Honors US History, and Honors World Literature & Composition (Class of 2027 Profile)
• A liberal arts core: students read the Great Books in Socratic seminars, and English and history are sequenced together and integrated with Christian theology. Over four years, each graduate accumulates more than 900 hours of seminar discussion and 100 hours of community service (school website, Curriculum page, Class of 2027 Profile)
• World languages are limited to Latin and Spanish, and graduation requires 2 years of a foreign language, taken through Level 2 in the same language (school website, FAQ page, Class of 2027 Profile)
• The Great Conversation (TGC) honors program has three tracks, Liberal Arts, STEAM, and Humanities, each with a TGC Scholars one-on-one mentored project in the upper grades as its capstone (Class of 2027 Profile)

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
Pacifica Christian High School, Orange County	Newport Beach	9-12	$25,490	ISEE	16	—
Mater Dei High School	Santa Ana	9-12	$21,150	HSPT	—	7.4 mi
Sage Hill School	Newport Beach	7-12	$49,500	ISEE or SSAT	14	6.4 mi
Crean Lutheran High School	Irvine	9-12	$23,575	—	19	12.8 mi
Cristo Rey Orange County High School	Santa Ana	9-12	Not published	On-campus assessment	—	7.6 mi

Where graduates go

The Class of 2027 Profile linked from the school website College Counseling page states that the school expects 100% of students to continue to higher education, that typically 95% of graduates are admitted to four-year colleges, and that most enroll directly from Pacifica. The Class of 2026 received admission offers from 165 four-year institutions across 41 states and 9 countries. Representative colleges listed in the document for the past four years (2021-2026) include Harvard, Yale, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, Rice, Notre Dame, Tufts, Washington University in St. Louis, USC, Boston College, NYU, Northeastern, George Washington, Villanova, Wake Forest, University of Michigan, University of Washington, and University of St.

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 $25,490, 4 years covering grades 9-12 come to roughly $101,960 in tuition alone. Assuming the 4% annual increase common at private schools, the figure is closer to $108,000. 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	12.1 miles
Northwood	10.4 miles
Turtle Rock	7.1 miles
Portola Springs	14.8 miles

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

Questions to ask on a campus visit

• International students — the school website does not mention international students, I-20s, or F-1 status anywhere in Admissions (Apply, FAQ, Tuition & Fees), Who We Are, or Academics, and it makes no affirmative statement t…
• Transportation — the school website Quicklinks ▸ Transportation page covers only parent drop-off and pick-up routes and staggered timing, the FAQ page only suggests that families arrange their own carpools, and nowhe…
• Average class size — the school website gives two figures. The FAQ page says “average class size is 16-18 students” with a student-teacher ratio of about 14:1, while the Class of 2027 Profile says “average class size is …
• Enrollment — three figures exist. The school website Class of 2027 Profile gives 366 students for 2026-27, the CDE 2025-26 filing gives 370, and NCES PSS 2023-24 gives 325. This listing uses the school website fi…
• Registration, technology, uniform and activity fees beyond tuition

How EDUBUS helps

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