Independent · Hillsborough (Peninsula) · AKA: Crystal, Crystal Springs
Crystal Springs Uplands
“We empower kind, curious learners to thrive together”
Independent · Hillsborough (Peninsula) · AKA: Crystal, Crystal Springs
Crystal Springs Uplands School
“We empower kind, curious learners to thrive together”
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- Students
- ~350
- Ratio
- 9:1
- Tuition
- $69k
- Enrollment
- ~350
- Student:teacher
- 9:1est.
- Base tuition
- $68,600
- Real cost
- $70k–$74k
- Flexible tuition
- ~24%
What makes this school special
- A Hillsborough upper school; the middle school sits on a separate Belmont campus
- Dropped APs in 2012 in favor of faculty-designed honors and capstone courses — students may still sit AP exams on campus
- The Explorations Program sends students on study trips, cultural homestays, and international internships; the GPS program certifies multilingual scholars with study abroad
- Tuition is unusually inclusive: daily snacks and lunches, most field trips and retreats, transportation, and the PE uniform are all covered
- College counseling runs three full-time counselors with caseloads around 30 students
Academics
World languages
Spanish, French, Mandarin
Schedule
Semester
Signature programs
- Explorations Program (study trips, homestays, internships)
- Global Program for Scholars of Languages (GPS)
- Honors capstone courses
College matriculation
Brown, Stanford, UC Berkeley, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Harvard, MIT, Northwestern, Pomona, Princeton, Rice, USC, Vanderbilt, Yale
See the full listUC admissions
In fall 2025, 59 students applied to the UC system from this school; 36 were admitted to at least one campus, and 6 enrolled.
What these numbers can and can’t tell youAthletics, arts & activities
Athletics · West Bay Athletic League (WBAL)
Baseball (boys)BasketballBeach Volleyball (girls)Cross CountryFlag Football (girls)Football (boys)GolfLacrosse (girls)SailingSoccerSquashSwimmingTennisTrack & FieldVolleyball (girls)
Arts
CeramicsDanceDramaMusicVisual ArtTechnical TheaterVideo Production
Clubs & activities · 50+
Gryphon RoboticsThe Gryphon GazetteAsian CultureAstronomyBiomedical ResearchBlack Student UnionBring Change to MindChessCrystal Sports MediaFrench ClubGryphon BusinessInvesting ClubMath ClubPre-MedRock ClimbingTEDx
See all clubsLife there
Food
Included in tuition (daily snacks and lunch)
Learning support
Academic support with a dedicated Upper School Director of Academic Support
Notable alumni
- Polly Draper (actress and producer)
- Jack Herrick (wikiHow founder)
- Daniel Naroditsky (chess grandmaster)
Often on the same list
Sources
- Crystal Springs Uplands School — mission, academics, programs, athletics, arts
- Tuition & Tuition Assistance — tuition, what's included, financial aid
- How to Apply — deadline, test policy
- Experiential Learning — Explorations, GPS
- Athletics — Teams — sports by season and gender, WBAL
- NCES Private School Universe Survey — faculty; ratio estimated across the full grades 6–12 school (569 ÷ 64.8 FTE = 8.8). The upper-school (9–12) enrollment is carried from the 2025-26 CDE affidavit (350).
- Crystal Springs Uplands School | Wikipedia — founding, AP history, notable alumni
- Curriculum — semester schedule
- Mission & Core Values — motto ("we empower kind, curious learners to thrive together," from the school's mission statement)
- California Private School Affidavit 2025-26 | CDE — upper-school enrollment (350, grades 9–12, 2025-26 filing; the middle-school campus files separately).
Details checked August 2026