Crystal Springs Uplands
“We empower kind, curious learners to thrive together”
AKA: Crystal, Crystal SpringsHillsborough (Peninsula)Independent
Crystal Springs Uplands School
“We empower kind, curious learners to thrive together”
AKA: Crystal, Crystal SpringsHillsborough (Peninsula)Independent
- Students
- ~350
- Ratio
- 9:1
- Tuition
- $69k
Base tuition as published for 2026–27.
Admissions
- Applications open
- Late August
- Application due
- Beginning of January
- Decisions released
- Mid-to-late March
- Enrollment
- ~350
- Student:teacher
- 9:1est.
- Base tuition
- $68,600
- 2026–27 school year
- Real cost
- $70k–$74k
- Flexible tuition
- ~24%
What makes this school special
- A Hillsborough upper school (grades 9-12; the middle school sits on a separate Belmont campus) of about 350 students
- 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
Curriculum
No APs since 2012 — faculty-designed honors and capstone courses
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 listAthletics, arts & activities
Athletics · West Bay Athletic League (WBAL)
Cross CountryFootballGolfSailingTennisVolleyballBasketballSoccerSquashBaseballLacrosseSoftballSwimmingTrack & Field
Arts
CeramicsDanceDramaMusicVisual ArtTechnical TheaterVideo Production
Clubs & activities · 58+
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 enrollment shown (351) is the upper school (9–12) only.
- 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)
Last reviewed July 2026