Best California Boarding Schools (2021)

For the 2021 school year, there are 23 college-prep and junior boarding schools serving 6,848 students located throughout California.
You can also browse our full boarding school directory or specify additional search criteria.
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Stevenson School Photo - Outdoor Education: Afternoon surfing, day hikes, weekend camping trips, and an 11-day wilderness trek introduce students to the wilderness environment while emphasizing the development of a positive attitude toward challenging situations.
Ojai Valley School Photo - OVS students enjoy time hanging out with friends on the 195-acre high school campus, located in a stunning canyon overlooking the Ojai Valley. Throughout the year, student life is punctuated with fun events to balance the academic schedule. These include camping trips, prom and other socials, themed dress days, community service projects, and countless weekend excursions.
Lake Tahoe Preparatory School Photo - Lake Tahoe is a premier world-renown resort destination year-round. The blue skies, clear water, dense forests, and deep snow make it a haven for for everyone - from outdoor enthusiasts to authors and explorers.
Army and Navy Academy Photo
Midland School Photo - Midland's 10-acre certified organic garden. It currently provides 80% of the produce that our community consumes in the dining hall.
Idyllwild Arts Academy Photo - Idyllwild Arts Academy is home to 310 students from 35 countries and 26 US states, all devoted to intensive study of the arts. Located 2 hours from Los Angeles, 2 hours from San Diego, and 1 hour from Palm Springs, the Academy is an artistic crossroads for Southern California.
Amerigo San Diego Mater Dei Catholic High School Photo
St. Andrew's Academy Photo - Students watching a solar eclipse
Amerigo Napa Valley Justin-Siena High School Photo - Amerigo Napa Valley partners with Justin-Siena High School to provide boarding students with a premier university-preparatory education.
Southwestern Academy Photo - A unique learning environment
Excelsior School Photo
Amerigo Los Angeles, Bishop Montgomery High School Photo - Students at Bishop Montgomery High School have access to an array of advanced-level courses, extracurriculars and athletics - all located just one mile away from the Pacific Ocean.
Dunn School Photo - The STEM quad at Dunn, housing the math classrooms, tinker space, makers lab and more.
Cate School Photo - Day Walk
Santa Catalina School Photo - Volleyball in the Gym
The Athenian School Photo - Athenian students
EF Academy Pasadena Photo - Our campus is located in the cozy Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena, California.
Besant Hill School Photo - A spectacular view of the Topa Topa mountains from the common room in our Phoenix dorm. Students gather here for study sessions, snacks and social activities.
San Domenico School Photo - The San Domenico Dance department offers an in depth training program in ballet, modern dance, jazz and choreography with professional master teachers and choreographers. The four-year program offers opportunities to explore dance from the beginning to the advanced level. Courses may include homework such as, journaling, book reports, field trips, performance critiques, resumes, biographies, grant proposals and choreography.
The Webb Schools Photo - Although community service hours are not required at Webb, many of our students voluntarily choose to participate in one or more of our numerous service activities. In the past few years, our students have traveled to Costa Rica, Thailand, Romania, Australia, Nepal, Fiji and three countries in Africa on service trips.

Top California Boarding Schools (2021)

  • School Location Grades Students
  • Amerigo Los Angeles, Bishop Montgomery High School
    Amerigo Los Angeles, Bishop Montgomery High School Photo - Students at Bishop Montgomery High School have access to an array of advanced-level courses, extracurriculars and athletics - all located just one mile away from the Pacific Ocean.
    (Catholic)
    5430 Torrance Blvd
    Torrance, CA 90503

    Grades: 9-12 | n/a students
  • Amerigo Napa Valley Justin-Siena High School
    Amerigo Napa Valley Justin-Siena High School Photo - Amerigo Napa Valley partners with Justin-Siena High School to provide boarding students with a premier university-preparatory education.
    (Catholic)
    4026 Maher St.
    Napa, CA 94558
    (312) 416-1955
    Grades: 9-12 | 580 students
  • Amerigo San Diego Mater Dei Catholic High School
    Amerigo San Diego Mater Dei Catholic High School Photo
    (Catholic)
    (1)
    1615 Mater Dei Drive
    Chula Vista, CA 91913
    (312) 416-1955
    Grades: 9-12 | 869 students
  • Army and Navy Academy
    Army and Navy Academy Photo
    All-boys 
    (4)
    2605 Carlsbad Blvd.
    Carlsbad, CA 92008
    (888) 762-2338
    Grades: 7-12 | 320 students
  • The Athenian School
    The Athenian School Photo - Athenian students
    (1)
    2100 Mt. Diablo Scenic Blvd.
    Danville, CA 94506
    (925) 362-7223
    Grades: 9-12 | 6-12 (day) | 530 students
  • Besant Hill School
    Besant Hill School Photo - Besant Hill School is located in the Ojai Valley, on 500 acres of private land with beautiful vistas in every direction. Facilities include four dormitories, outdoor sports facilities including a new aquatic center, indoor theater, atelier, and classrooms nestled along winding paths and oak trees. We also have an eight acre organic farm.
    (1)
    8585 Ojai Santa Paula Road
    Ojai, CA 93023
    (805) 646-4343
    Grades: 9-12, PG | 100 students
  • Cate School
    Cate School Photo - Day Walk
    (19)
    1960 Cate Mesa Road, P.O. Box 5005
    Carpinteria, CA 93013
    (805) 684-4127
    Grades: 9-12 | 300 students
  • Dunn School
    Dunn School Photo - In 2020 the new Leadership Center was completed. Overlooking the open space known as Munger Common, the center provides state of the art meeting rooms and learning facilities, is home to the student-run Earwig Cafe, and hosts our college counseling team. Students can be found gathering both indoors and outside the center for conversation and relaxation.
    P.O. Box 98, 2555 W. Highway 154
    Los Olivos, CA 93441
    (800) 287-9197
    Grades: 9-12 | 6-12 (day) | 249 students
  • EF Academy Pasadena
    EF Academy Pasadena Photo - Our campus is located in the cozy Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena, California.
    1539 E Howard St.
    Pasadena, CA 91104
    (914) 495-6028
    Grades: 9-11 | 250 students
  • Excelsior School
    Excelsior School Photo
    41 W Santa Clara St.
    Arcadia, CA 91007
    (626) 623-6339
    Grades: 9-12 | 110 students
  • Idyllwild Arts Academy
    Idyllwild Arts Academy Photo - InterArts and Fashion Design offers students the chance to explore and combined multiple art forms or to focus in Fashion Design. Students present their work in two fully choreographed Fashion Shows each year.
    (17)
    52500 Temecula Road
    Idyllwild, CA 92549
    (951) 468-7223
    Grades: 9-12, PG | 320 students
  • Lake Tahoe Preparatory School
    Lake Tahoe Preparatory School Photo - Lake Tahoe Prep is a coeducational boarding school for students in grades 9-12 located in Olympic Valley, California. With a student body of 70 and student to teacher ratio of 7:1, we lead a program built upon personalized attention. Our students benefit from our robust curriculum approved by the University of California.
    255 Squaw Valley Road | P.O. Box 2180
    Olympic Valley, CA 96146
    (530) 583-8665
    Grades: 9-12, PG | 70 students
  • Midland School
    Midland School Photo - Marine Biology class exploring tide pools on the Gaviota coast.
    (4)
    PO Box 8 / 5100 Figueroa Mountain Road
    Los Olivos, CA 93441
    (805) 688-5114
    Grades: 9-12 | 87 students
  • Ojai Valley School
    Ojai Valley School Photo - The fine & performing arts curriculum at OVS includes drawing, advanced studio arts, music theory & composition, voice, ceramics, photography, graphic design, music history, film, and 3 AP art courses. Students have the opportunity to explore costume and set design. They can also participate in electives such as dance and chorus. OVS produces several productions each year.
    (2)
    723 El Paseo Road
    Ojai, CA 93023
    (805) 646-1423
    Grades: 3-12 | Pre-K-12 (day) | 275 students
  • St. Andrew's Academy
    St. Andrew's Academy Photo
    (Anglican)
    (2)
    PO Box 3050, 198 Main St.
    Chester/Lake Almanor, CA 96020
    (530) 596-3343
    Grades: 5-12 | Pre-K-12 (day) | 16 students
  • San Domenico School
    San Domenico School Photo - Boarding creates closer bonds with friends, and more focused discipline for music, sports, student council, and theatre. SD provides a nurturing environment and safety guidelines that ensure our students are carefully supervised while also feeling a strong sense of community and comfort. Our favorite compliment is hearing that our dorms feel like a second home.
    1500 Butterfield Road
    San Anselmo, CA 94960
    (415) 258-1905
    Grades: 9-12 | K-12 (day) | 680 students
  • Santa Catalina School
    Santa Catalina School Photo - Come visit our beautiful campus in Monterey, California! Call the admission office at 831.655.9356 or email admission@santacatalina.org to schedule your visit.
    All-girls  (Catholic)
    (1)
    1500 Mark Thomas Drive
    Monterey, CA 93940
    (831) 655-9356
    Grades: 9-12 | 209 students
  • Southwestern Academy
    Southwestern Academy Photo - A unique learning environment
    (1)
    2800 Monterey Road
    San Marino, CA 91108

    Grades: 6-12, PG | 144 students
  • Stevenson School
    Stevenson School Photo
    (11)
    3152 Forest Lake Road
    Pebble Beach, CA 93953
    (831) 625-8300
    Grades: 9-12 | Pre-K-12 (day) | 500 students
  • The Thacher School
    The Thacher School Photo - In courses designed for intellectual and creative expansion, students and teachers meet in seminar circles, studios, and laboratories to create a learning environment that is vigorous and supportive, galvanizing and nurturing.
    (26)
    5025 Thacher Road
    Ojai, CA 93023
    (805) 640-3210
    Grades: 9-12 | 254 students
  • Villanova Preparatory School
    Villanova Preparatory School Photo - Founded in 1924, Villanova Prep is the only Catholic boarding school in the Augustinian tradition. In this supportive environment steeped in Catholic values, students are comfortable taking risks and learning more about themselves throughout their Villanova experience.
    (Catholic)
    (1)
    12096 N. Ventura Ave
    Ojai, CA 93023
    (805) 646-1464
    Grades: 9-12 | 200 students
  • The Webb Schools
    The Webb Schools Photo - Webb enjoys a 100% admit rate to selective 4-year colleges and universities.
    (29)
    1175 West Baseline Road
    Claremont, CA 91711
    (909) 482-5214
    Grades: 9-12 | 410 students
  • Woodside Priory School (Priory)
    Woodside Priory School (Priory) Photo - The Priory is a Benedictine Catholic, independent college preparatory school. Founded by Hungarian monks in the 1950's, Priory has been an international school from its very beginning.
    (Catholic)
    (2)
    302 Portola Road
    Portola Valley, CA 94028
    (650) 851-8223
    Grades: 9-12 | 6-12 (day) | 375 students
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