St. Catherine's Academy

Overview

St. Catherine’s Academy is a Catholic K-8 private school in Anaheim, California, serving grades K-8, founded in 1889, with about 121 students. Tuition for 2026-27 is $20,080, 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. The school accepts F-1 international students and issues the I-20 needed for a student visa. Bus service is available.

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; the priority application deadline is December 15, 2026, and the enrollment deposit for a priority offer must be paid by January 31, 2027, which locks in 2026-27 school year pricing. The standard enrollment deposit deadline is March 31, 2027, at the new 2027-28 rates. Transfer students hoping to enter during the 2026-27 school year may apply separately. The process has six steps: submit the application online and pay the $100 application fee ($175 for international students); upload the checklist materials, including a birth certificate and transcripts; submit a financial assistance application if needed; the student and at least one parent attend a Meet & Greet with the principal; pay the enrollment deposit after acceptance; and enroll. The school also offers private campus tours and a “Cadet for a Day” shadow experience (school website, Admissions Process 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 2026-27 there are four tiers (the school website calls this the Investment): TK through grade 1 $15,796 (the school lists the actual cost of education as $25,796); grades 2 through 8 day students $20,080 (actual cost $30,080); grades 4 through 8 five-day boarding $49,982 (actual cost $59,982); and grades 4 through 8 seven-day boarding $66,047 (actual cost $76,047). The school website states that these prices already reflect a donor-funded annual grant of $10,000 per student per year, and that families needing more help may separately apply for need-based financial assistance, which reduces the price further. The school does not have separate parishioner and non-parishioner rates (school website, Invest in His Future page).

The application fee is $100, or $175 for international students (school website, Admissions Process page). The prices above do not include a number of additional costs; the school website posts a 2026-2027 Additional Expenses document available on request. School shuttle service (a private van service) is billed separately at $300 a month or $15 a day. International students must purchase ISM health insurance (school website, FAQ page).

Financial aid: There are two layers: first, a donor-funded grant of $10,000 per student per year that every student receives automatically and that is already reflected in the published price; and second, need-based financial assistance, which must be applied for separately and, once approved, reduces the published price further. The school website does not publish the share of students receiving aid or average award amounts (school website, Invest in His Future page and Admissions Process page).

Academics and programs

• The only Catholic all-boys school in Orange County serving TK through grade 8; the school website states that its teaching methods are designed for the way boys learn (school website, Spiritual Life page and About page)
• Military tradition: a school culture and structure that runs alongside the spiritual and academic programs; the school website says it is used to build leadership, self-discipline and integrity and to create a structured campus environment, and students are called cadets (school website, About page, Military Tradition section)
• Boarding program: the school website describes itself as the only school in California that boards students in grades 4 through 8, with 24-hour supervision, daily study hall and organized activities, in five-day and seven-day options (school website, Admissions page and Invest in His Future page)
• International program: the school has enrolled international students since 1936, in recent years from Mexico, Russia, France, Vietnam, China, Thailand, Taiwan, Costa Rica and Korea; it issues F-1 visas and I-20s, does not require TOEFL scores, and offers an ELL course that students move out of into regular English classes once they qualify (school website, International Program page and FAQ page)
• Enrichment and extracurriculars: enrichment classes in laboratory science, Spanish, music, physical education and art, plus a military band, piano, guitar, athletic teams, a drill team and a peer leadership program (school website, Spiritual Life page)
• Spiritual life: daily prayer and religion classes, midday Eucharistic adoration, a weekly all-school Mass, retreats, prayer groups for boarding students, and formation in the four Dominican pillars (school website, Spiritual Life 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. Catherine’s Academy	Anaheim	K-8	$20,080	On-campus assessment	—	—
Fairmont Historic Anaheim (Fairmont Schools, Historic Anaheim Campus)	Anaheim	K-8	$26,093	On-campus assessment	—	0.8 mi
Prince of Peace Lutheran School	Anaheim	K-8	$7,650	—	15	1.3 mi
Zion Lutheran School	Anaheim	K-8	$6,430	On-campus assessment	15	1.2 mi
International School of Orange County (iSchoolOC)	Orange	K-8	$18,220	—	—	4.3 mi

Total tuition through graduation

At the 2026-27 rate of $20,080, 9 years covering grades K-8 come to roughly $180,720 in tuition alone. Assuming the 4% annual increase common at private schools, the figure is closer to $213,000. 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	13.9 miles
Northwood	11.1 miles
Turtle Rock	15.1 miles
Portola Springs	15.3 miles

The school runs bus service.

Questions to ask on a campus visit

• Enrollment uses the CDE filing (121 students) — no page on the school website publishes an enrollment figure, and the school website does not say whether that number includes boarding and international students
• Average class size — the school website gives only a 15:1 student-teacher ratio and no average class size
• The “Additional Expenses” detail referenced in the fee note could not be obtained — the school website’s Invest in His Future page provides only a link to a 2026-2027 Additional Expenses document and does not list the amounts on the page
• Financial aid figures — the school website does not publish the approval rate for need-based assistance, average award amounts, or an application deadline
• Registration, technology, uniform and activity fees beyond tuition

How EDUBUS helps

Our Irvine-based counselors work in both Chinese and English. We track St. Catherine’s Academy’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.