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Sacred Heart Cathedral

“Enter to learn, leave to serve”

AKA: SHCathedral HillCatholic (co-ed)

Students
~1,440
Ratio
16:1
Tuition
$30k

Base tuition as published for 2026–27.

Admissions

Applications open
Mid-September
HSPT entrance exam
December 5, 2026
Application due
Mid-December
Decisions released
Mid-March
admissions@shcp.edu
Visit admissions site

What makes this school special

  • Carries a rare double Catholic lineage, the De La Salle Christian Brothers and the Daughters of Charity, with roots back to 1852
  • One half of the Bruce-Mahoney rivalry with St. Ignatius, SF's oldest sports tradition (1893), with the basketball games now played at Chase Center

Academics

Curriculum

AP, Honors, and college-prep tiers

World languages

Spanish, French, Mandarin, Japanese

Schedule

Block (75-minute periods)

Signature programs

  • Lasallian Vincentian service learning (four years)
  • De Paul Scholar Program (honors track)
  • Inquiry & Innovation (i2) STEM + service
  • Bruce-Mahoney rivalry with St. Ignatius

College matriculation

Stanford, UC Berkeley, Boston College, Georgetown, NYU, Yale, Brown, Cornell, Notre Dame, Santa Clara, USC, Northwestern, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, Pomona

See the full list

Athletics, arts & activities

Athletics · West Catholic Athletic League (WCAL)

BaseballBasketballCross CountryFlag FootballFootballGolfLacrosseSoccerSoftballSwimmingTennisTrack & FieldVolleyballWrestling

Arts

TheaterChorusDanceInstrumental MusicVisual ArtPhotography

Clubs & activities

Student CouncilModel United NationsRoboticsSpeech & DebateCoding & App DevelopmentBlack Student UnionLatinos UnidosAsian American Student UnionTEDxYouth@SHCCalifornia Scholarship FederationDrama ClubDance TeamFinance ClubFilm AppreciationEngineering ClubWomen's Empowerment
See all clubs

Life there

Food

On-campus dining hall (for purchase)

Learning support

Academic Support Center — tutoring, study skills, extended-time testing

Notable alumni

  • James J. Corbett (boxing champion)
  • Joe Cronin (Baseball Hall of Famer)
  • Joseph Alioto (SF Mayor)
  • Frank Jordan (SF Mayor)
  • Shannon Rowbury (Olympic runner)

Often on the same list

St. Ignatius College Preparatory

Catholic (co-ed)

Archbishop Riordan High School

Catholic (co-ed)

Abraham Lincoln High School

Public

George Washington High School

Public

Galileo Academy of Science & Technology

Public

Sources

  1. SHC Academics — academic model, schedule, scholar programs
  2. Departments & Courses — world languages, AP courses
  3. Service Learning — four-year Christian service
  4. Campus Ministry — Catholic identity, religious life
  5. College Placements — college matriculation
  6. Visual & Performing Arts — arts disciplines
  7. Clubs & Organizations — clubs
  8. Counseling & Academic Support — learning support
  9. SHC Athletics Quick Facts — sports, WCAL league
  10. Wikipedia — Sacred Heart Cathedral — founding, notable alumni
  11. Tuition & Aid and Parent Pledge Program — tuition, registration & digital fees, mandatory $1,750/child pledge
  12. California Private School Affidavit 2024-25 | CDE — official enrollment (1,438; grades 9–12) and faculty (61 full-time + 54 part-time teachers); student:teacher ratio estimated at ~16:1 (1,438 ÷ ≈88 FTE, counting part-timers as half). CDS 38684786939748, downloadable affidavit data file.

Last reviewed July 2026