A Parent’s Guide to San Diego’s Private Schools

This post has been updated.

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For the first time ever in “A Parent’s Guide to San Diego Schools”, Voice of San Diego is including information about private schools in San Diego County. We focused on schools with more than 200 students to kick off this new effort. 

California’s Department of Education collects basic information about private schools, such as enrollment and religious affiliation. But we wanted to go further. We wanted to know how these schools prepare kids for college and other performance metrics. So, we collected data from each individual school through a survey. 

A Parent’s Guide to San Diego Schools: Our guide to San Diego schools provides families with everything they need to know to make the best choice for their child. 

Editor’s note: The California Department of Education does not require private schools to report this information. That means the data provided by the schools could not be independently verified.

The key categories, along with their definitions and interesting trends, are listed below. 

Key & Definitions

Average Tuition: Most schools have multi-tiered tuition systems. At many religious schools, there is a reduced rate for parishioners of the affiliated church or for those who follow the same faith as the school. Many schools also offer discounts if multiple children from the same family attend or one parent is in the military. This column shows the average tuition rate.

Financial Aid or Scholarships: If a school offers financial aid or scholarships, you will see a mark in this column. Almost every school offers financial aid and many offer scholarships. There are opportunities to have tuition completely covered, so don’t automatically rule a school out because of cost. Payment plans and payment via credit card are also options at some schools.

College Acceptance Rate: This metric shows the percentage of the student body accepted into college. This includes acceptance to four-year and two-year schools. If a column is marked N/A, the school is an elementary school and does not track this metric.

Entrance Exam/Assessment: Any school with a mark in this column requires an entrance exam or an assessment for incoming students. The type of exams and assessments varies by school. A common assessment used by schools is the Independent School Entrance Exam, or ISEE. 

Parent involvement: This column indicates whether parent involvement is required beyond paying tuition. If there is a mark in this column, parent involvement is required. Most schools require parent volunteer hours. The hours vary by school, ranging from 10 to 30 hours. Hours are usually assigned on a per-family or per-student basis. Many schools give parents multiple opportunities to volunteer throughout the year, however, some require service during specific times of the year. 

Sports: If there is a mark in this column, it indicates that the school offers a competitive sports program. Many schools offer robust sports programs that provide opportunities for the entire student body. Popular sports like baseball, basketball, flag football, soccer, volleyball and track are offered at most schools, but some schools have more unique offerings like surfing, tennis, golf, cheer and e-sports. All schools reported having a physical education program, but only schools with competitive sports programs are listed here.

Special education: Many private schools do not offer special education. It is not required by law, but admission cannot be withheld based on a disability. If you are considering enrolling your student in a private school, make sure you know your child’s rights before reaching out to prospective schools. Detailed information can be found on the California Department of Education’s website at www.cde.ca.gov.

Editor’s note: The data below is from the California Department of Education for 2024-25 and does not include data on preschool or pre-kindergarten.

Explore the Data