St. Anne Catholic School

Overview

St. Anne Catholic School is a Catholic K-8 private school in Laguna Niguel, California, serving grades K-8, founded in 1992, with about 526 students. Tuition for 2026-27 is $19,400 to $19,900, 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.

Admissions

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

Applications typically open in the fall and close in January or February; check the school website for the current year’s dates.

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

$19,400 a year for grades K-5 and $19,900 a year for grades 6-8; the early childhood center, ECDC, runs $13,400-$19,000 a year depending on days attended (2026-27, school website, Tuition and Fees PDF)

Academics and programs

• An independent Catholic school rather than a parish school, founded by parents in 1992 and governed in partnership with a Board of Directors (school website, About page, School Leadership page)
• Faith life: religion class, weekly Mass, grade-level retreats, a school-wide Christian Service program, sacramental preparation and Christian leadership; middle school students must complete at least 16 service hours a year, 4 per quarter, as a graduation requirement. The school prepares students through CCD, but the sacraments themselves are still received in the family’s own parish (school website, Spiritual Life page, Admissions FAQs page)
• A National Blue Ribbon School; accredited by WCEA in joint accreditation with WASC and NAEYC, and a member of NAIS (school website, Accreditation page, Admissions FAQs page; the school website does not give the award year)
• The ECDC early childhood center: NAEYC accredited, enrolling from age 2, with three schedules, two days on Tuesday and Thursday, three days on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and five days / Pre-K (school website, ECDC page, 2026-27 Tuition and Fees PDF)
• Extended Daycare from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.: $550 a month for 5-10 hours a week, $600 a month for 10-20 hours, $25 an hour for drop-in, with a $75 registration fee (school website, Extended Care page)
• A summer day camp for PK-8 in June and July, and hot lunch daily through Sapphire at School (school website, Admissions FAQs 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
St. Anne Catholic School	Laguna Niguel	K-8	$19,400	On-campus assessment	—	—
St. Edward the Confessor Parish School	Dana Point	K-8	$11,570	On-campus assessment	—	1.7 mi
Mission Basilica School	San Juan Capistrano	K-8	$12,700	On-campus assessment	—	2.2 mi
Fairmont San Juan Capistrano (Fairmont Schools Inc. – San Juan Capistrano Campus)	San Juan Capistrano	K-8	$26,093	On-campus assessment	—	2.3 mi
VanDamme Academy	Aliso Viejo	K-8	$18,000	—	—	4.8 mi

Where students go next

The Admissions FAQs page on the school website carries the question “Where do St. Anne Catholic School students go for high school?”, answered “Most St. Anne students attend Santa Margarita Catholic High School, JSerra Catholic High School, Dana Hills High School, and San Juan Hills High School.” In other words, graduates go mainly to two Catholic high schools, Santa Margarita Catholic High School and JSerra Catholic High School, and two public high schools, Dana Hills High School and San Juan Hills High School. The school website does not publish the number or share of students admitted to each (school website, Admissions FAQs page).

Schools in our guide library that appear on this list: Santa Margarita Catholic High School, JSerra Catholic High School.

Applying to high school from here usually begins in the spring of grade 7: sit the ISEE or HSPT in the fall of grade 8, then submit materials between November and January. EDUBUS works backward from each target high school’s requirements to plan grades, activities and test preparation across the K-8 years.

Total tuition through graduation

At the 2026-27 rate of $19,400, 9 years covering grades K-8 come to roughly $174,600 in tuition alone. Assuming the 4% annual increase common at private schools, the figure is closer to $205,000. 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	14.4 miles
Northwood	16.3 miles
Turtle Rock	11.7 miles
Portola Springs	15.1 miles

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

Questions to ask on a campus visit

• Whether religion classes and chapel are required, and how many families are not members of the faith
• Whether the ISEE is required above grade 5, and roughly where the score bar sits
• How many mid-year openings come up in a typical year, and how the waitlist works
• Registration, technology, uniform and activity fees beyond tuition

How EDUBUS helps

Our Irvine-based counselors work in both Chinese and English. We track St. Anne 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.