Whittier Christian High School

Overview

Whittier Christian High School is a Christian high private school in La Habra, California, serving grades 9-12, founded in 1958, with about 400 students. Tuition for 2026-27 is $19,193 to $19,585, which puts it in the lower 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, covering Anaheim, Brea, Hacienda Heights, La Mirada, Montebello, Norwalk, Santa Fe Springs, Whittier, Yorba Linda.

Admissions

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

The school publishes the following application details. Process for US students (school website, Application Process page): submit the application online and pay the nonrefundable $50 application fee; families receive an automatic confirmation email, after which the admissions team writes again to arrange the next steps. Next comes the WCHS Placement Test, held on campus on a Saturday morning, with test slots assigned at the time of application; the school website states that placement testing begins in January 2027, and students from Heights Christian and Friends Christian test at their own campuses. Then a family interview with Director of Admissions Caleb Beller, which the student must attend with at least one parent, preferably both. Documents are submitted before or at the interview: incoming grade 9 students provide grade 7 and current grade 8 transcripts (transfer students provide an unofficial transcript), one recommendation form each from an administrator and a classroom teacher, immunization records and a birth certificate. The admissions calendar listed on the school website’s Welcome to WCHS page: priority applications October 13 through January 17, regular applications January 18 through March 21, and rolling applications beginning March 22; placement test dates are January 24 (priority session), February 7, March 7 and May 2 (final session).

International students follow a separate process, with Marcella Fernandez as the contact (mfernandez@wchs.com, 714.921.9060, a different number from the school’s main line): submit the international application online, interview with admissions (Zoom can be arranged for students outside the United States), submit documents, and wait for the admission decision.

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

Annual tuition for US citizens and residents in the 2026-27 school year is $19,585 (school website, Tuition & Financial Aid page). Three payment options: pay in full for a 2% discount, $19,193, due July 1, 2026; pay in two installments for a 1% discount, $9,694.50 each, due July 1, 2026 and January 2, 2027; or 10 monthly payments of $1,958.50 each from August 5, 2026 through May 5, 2027. The school does not set separate church-member and non-member rates; the low tuition figure recorded here is the pay-in-full price and the high figure is the standard annual tuition. International tuition for 2026-27 is $33,025 per year.

Application fee $50, nonrefundable (the school website does not list a separate international application fee). Enrollment fee: $550 for grades 9-10 and $650 for grades 11-12, covering campus security, on-site technology support, student accident insurance, ACSI dues, standardized testing, college counseling, grade-level textbooks for required courses, student activity costs (student ID, yearbook and free admission to regular home games) and graduation-related expenses for the senior class; international students pay the same amount plus a $500 orientation fee; the enrollment fee is reduced by $225 for siblings. Admitted international students must pay an initial deposit: $17,037.50 for grades 9-10 and $17,137.50 for grades 11-12, roughly half of the year’s tuition. Additional costs: books $150 to $300, each sport $300 to $2,000 per season, course fees $75 to $125, dual credit $125 to $300, AP exams $97 to $100 per exam, and performing arts fees that vary by program. Bus service is $250 per family per year (school website, Transportation page).

Financial aid: Need-based financial aid is awarded as grants covering 5% to 35% of annual tuition, and up to 50% in special circumstances; recipients must maintain a GPA of at least 2.0 and a satisfactory conduct rating each year, and must reapply annually. Application deadlines: priority January 19, regular February 10, with applications accepted on a rolling basis thereafter. The school website states that the school awards approximately $1 million in tuition assistance each year. There is also an Academic Merit Scholarship for incoming grade 9 students, awarded on academic performance, limited in number and worth up to $2,500, with applications closing in April. The school website states that no athletic scholarships are offered, because of CIF rules. (school website, Tuition & Financial Aid page)

Academics and programs

• Three diploma pathways: the College Prep Diploma (for four-year universities), the High School Diploma (for community college or vocational training) and the Alpha Honors Diploma (which includes honors and AP courses and dual enrollment opportunities) (school website, School Profile page, College Prep page, High School Diploma page)
• Alpha Honors graduation requirements: a cumulative weighted GPA of at least 3.5 across eight semesters, a structured honors course sequence in at least three of the four years including the junior and senior years, and a grade of B- or higher in the senior-year course of at least two of the four Alpha tracks in English, history, math and science (school website, AP/Honors page)
• Five academies: Biomedical, Engineering, Business, Fine Arts and Leadership (school website, Academies page)
• Core courses include English, mathematics, science, history, world languages, and Bible and theology; electives range from engineering and computer science to studio art, drama and music (school website, Curriculum page)
• A College Advisement department offers presentations, college fairs and campus visits, and the school has a dedicated College Advisor (school website, College Advisement page, Staff Directory page)
• An Academic Support Program with a dedicated coordinator (school website, Staff Directory 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
Whittier Christian High School	La Habra	9-12	$19,193	On-campus assessment	—	—
Rosary Academy	Fullerton	9-12	$21,990	HSPT	17	5.4 mi
Servite High School	Anaheim	9-12	$20,710	HSPT	—	6.1 mi
Fairmont Preparatory Academy	Anaheim	9-12	$34,435	None	—	6.3 mi
Orange Lutheran High School (Lutheran High School of Orange County)	Orange	9-12	$20,800	None	—	11.1 mi

Where graduates go

The school website’s School Profile page states a “95% college attendance rate,” and the school has a dedicated College Advisor and a College Advisement department; the school website does not publish a list of the specific colleges that admitted its graduates, a total scholarship figure, or school-by-school statistics

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 $19,193, 4 years covering grades 9-12 come to roughly $76,772 in tuition alone. Assuming the 4% annual increase common at private schools, the figure is closer to $82,000. 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	20.8 miles
Northwood	18.2 miles
Turtle Rock	22.6 miles
Portola Springs	21.8 miles

The school runs bus service, covering Anaheim, Brea, Hacienda Heights, La Mirada, Montebello, Norwalk, Santa Fe Springs, Whittier, Yorba Linda.

Questions to ask on a campus visit

• AP count — the school website’s AP/Honors page mentions only AP Government as an example, and the Curriculum, College Prep and Education at WCHS pages each state that AP courses are offered but do not list the …
• College matriculation — the only figure found is the “95% college attendance rate” on the School Profile page; the College Advisement page and the College Acceptances links on the school website give no specific list of col…
• Average class size — the school website gives only a 14:1 student-teacher ratio (School Profile page) and does not publish an average class size
• Chinese program — the school website’s Curriculum page and Education at WCHS page state only that the core curriculum includes world languages, without naming any language; the Staff Directory shows only two Spanish t…
• Registration, technology, uniform and activity fees beyond tuition

How EDUBUS helps

Our Irvine-based counselors work in both Chinese and English. We track Whittier Christian High 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.