Directory

Independent · Palo Alto (Peninsula) · AKA: Casti

Castilleja

“Conscience, Courtesy, Character, Courage, and Charity”

Students
~230
Tuition
$68k

What makes this school special

  • The directory's only non-sectarian girls' school, educating "motivated young women to become confident thinkers and compassionate leaders" since 1907
  • Dropped the AP track in favor of its own advanced courses; students can still sit the AP exams (from Calculus BC to Chinese Language and Culture), but the curriculum answers to the school, not the syllabus
  • Each grade wears its own tie color, presented at a Tie Ceremony on the first day of school — ritual runs deep here

Academics

Curriculum

Advanced courses are the school's own, with the option to sit AP exams; Upper School framed around Challenge, Care, and Connection

Advanced coursework

No AP courses · 52 UC-approved honors courses

See the list filed with UC

World languages

French, Mandarin, Spanish, American Sign Language

Signature programs

  • ACE Center for Awareness, Compassion, and Engagement — student leadership
  • Bourn Lab makerspace
  • Student Wellness Center

UC admissions · For fall 2025 entry

applied
42
admitted to at least one campus
33
enrolled at a UC
fewer than 3

UC withholds counts this small to protect students’ privacy.

What these numbers can and can’t tell you

Athletics, arts & activities

Athletics · West Bay Athletic League (WBAL), CIF Central Coast Section

BasketballCross CountryFlag FootballGolfLacrosseSoccerSoftballSwimmingTennisTrack & FieldVolleyballWater Polo

Arts

Visual ArtDanceTheatreMusic

Often on the same list

Menlo School

Independent

Crystal Springs Uplands School

Independent

Convent High School

Catholic (girls)

Sources

  1. Applying to Castilleja — the 2026-27 cycle dates (opens September 1, due January 5, decisions March 12), Ravenna, $100 fee with waivers, "Testing is not Required," entry points
  2. Tuition and Affordability — 2026-27 tuition and fees ($67,750; books and laptop separate), 1 in 5 students on aid, $4M+ aid budget, awards to $67,700
  3. Transportation Options — the free Caltrain shuttle and the Peninsula bus stops, carpool program
  4. Our Disciplines — the advanced-courses-not-AP model with optional AP exams, French/Mandarin/Spanish
  5. Athletics — WBAL/CCS membership, sports by season, three-quarters participation
  6. Mission and Values and History — mission, the 5Cs (the motto line), founded 1907, the tie tradition
  7. CDE Private School Affidavit, 2024-25 — enrollment (231 in grades 9-12; 416 whole school). The school is absent from the 2025-26 filing, so this is the freshest state record
  8. Transportation schedules and Transportation options — the free morning and afternoon buses, the Caltrain shuttle from Palo Alto University Ave between 7:30 and 8:15 am, and the full route list, whose stops are all Peninsula: no San Francisco route
  9. UC A-G course list — Castilleja School — the 2026-27 course list the school files with the University of California: 52 UC-approved honors courses. The same filing names the languages the school teaches: American Sign Language, Chinese, French, Spanish. UC's list doesn't distinguish Mandarin from Cantonese; we carry the school's own name for the course

Details checked August 2026