This is not an official school page; confirm requirements on each school’s admissions page.
What this page covers
This section answers which schools are included and what the table records. The page covers independent schools in the San Francisco Bay Area, from the Peninsula and the South Bay to San Francisco, the East Bay and Marin, whose admissions pages were checked for their entrance-test requirements. For each school the table lists the grades enrolled, the tests the school accepts, whether a test is required, the ISEE level that corresponds to each entry grade, and whether the school offers boarding. The counts shown above the table are calculated from these records rather than written into this text, so they change as records are added or re-checked.
The table includes schools that list the SSAT only, because families who are deciding which test to take need to see the full picture before registering. A school that lists the SSAT only does not accept an ISEE score, and that fact matters more than the number of schools on either side.
How to read the table
This section explains the columns. The grades column is the span the school enrolls, which is not the same as the grades open for applications; a school enrolling grades K–12 may admit most new students at kindergarten, grade 6 and grade 9. The ISEE levels column lists the levels that follow from the school’s entry grades, using the grade-to-level mapping published by E3n: applicants to grades 2, 3 and 4 take Primary 2, 3 or 4; applicants to grades 5–6 take the Lower Level; applicants to grades 7–8 take the Middle Level; applicants to grades 9–12 take the Upper Level.
The policy column records what the school states: required, optional or not required. A school marked “See admissions page” has a page that does not name a test, and the family should confirm the requirement with the admissions office before registering for any test. The table never records minimum scores, and ISEEPrep lists no score cutoffs for any school.
Matching the entry grade to the level
This section explains the one decision that comes before everything else. The ISEE level is fixed by the grade the student is applying to enter, not by the grade the student currently attends. A student in grade 5 who is applying to grade 6 takes the Lower Level, and a student in grade 8 applying to grade 9 takes the Upper Level. Choosing the wrong level is not a small error: the score report names the level taken, and admission offices read it against the entry grade. The levels guide sets out all six entry points, and each level page describes the sections and timing for that level.
Many Bay Area schools have their largest intake at grade 6 and grade 9, so the Lower Level and the Upper Level are the levels most Bay Area applicants take. The entry-grade table below the school list shows how many schools in the area have an entry point at each level.
Timing an application in this area
This section covers the order in which the pieces fall. A student may take the ISEE once per testing season and up to three times in a school year, so the practical plan is to test in the fall season and keep the winter season in reserve. Each school’s deadline is recorded in the table as the school publishes it, and the test dates page explains the seasons and how far in advance to register. Score reports are sent to the schools the family selects, so the list of target schools should be settled before the first test.
How to confirm a school
This section gives a four-step check that works for any school on the list. First, open the school’s admissions page from the link in the table. Second, confirm the grade the student is applying to enter and whether that grade is open for applications this year. Third, read which tests the school accepts and whether the test is required or optional for that grade. Fourth, note the deadline and the score-sending method. The schools guide describes these steps in more detail, and the ISEE vs. SSAT page helps when the target schools split between the two tests.
Preparation support for Bay Area families
Families applying to Bay Area schools work with ISEEPrep online: a diagnostic to confirm the level and find the weakest section, a plan that counts back from the earliest deadline on the family’s list, and one-to-one tutoring or the online learning system from there. The consultation is free and involves no admission promises.
Schools in this area that accept the ISEE
43 schools in this area are in the directory. 8 accept the ISEE (all of them accept either the ISEE or the SSAT); 14 state that they neither require nor consider standardized test scores; 7 use only the school’s own assessment; 14 have admissions pages that do not state a test, so families should confirm with the admissions office. Confirm with each school’s admissions page for the current year; this is not an official school page and no cut-off scores are listed.
| School | City | Grades | Tests accepted | Policy | ISEE levels | Boarding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Menlo School | Atherton | 6-12 | School’s own assessment | Not required | Lower Level, Upper Level | No |
| Marin Country Day School | Corte Madera | K-8 | School’s own assessment | Not required | Primary 2, Primary 3, Primary 4, Lower Level, Middle Level | No |
| The Athenian School | Danville | 6-12 | ISEE or SSAT | Required | Lower Level, Upper Level | Yes |
| Prospect Sierra School | El Cerrito | TK-8 | See admissions page | — | Primary 2, Primary 3, Primary 4, Lower Level, Middle Level | No |
| Crystal Springs Uplands School | Hillsborough | 6-12 | No admission test | Not required | Lower Level, Upper Level | No |
| The Nueva School | Hillsborough | PK-12 | School’s own assessment | Not required | Lower Level, Upper Level | No |
| Pinewood School | Los Altos Hills | K-12 | See admissions page | — | Primary 2, Primary 4, Lower Level, Upper Level | No |
| Hillbrook School | Los Gatos | JK-12 | School’s own assessment | Not required | Lower Level, Upper Level | No |
| Santa Catalina School | Monterey | PK-12 | ISEE or SSAT | Optional | Lower Level, Upper Level | Yes |
| Bentley School | Oakland | K-12 | ISEE or SSAT | Required | Primary 2, Primary 3, Primary 4, Lower Level, Upper Level | No |
| Head-Royce School | Oakland | K-12 | See admissions page | — | Lower Level, Upper Level | No |
| Julia Morgan School for Girls | Oakland | 6-8 | See admissions page | — | Lower Level | No |
| Redwood Day School | Oakland | K-8 | School’s own assessment | Not required | Primary 2, Primary 3, Primary 4, Lower Level, Middle Level | No |
| St. Paul's Episcopal School | Oakland | K-8 | See admissions page | — | Lower Level | No |
| The College Preparatory School | Oakland | 9-12 | ISEE or SSAT | Required | Upper Level | No |
| Castilleja School | Palo Alto | 6-12 | No admission test | Not required | Lower Level, Upper Level | No |
| Kehillah Jewish High School | Palo Alto | 9-12 | See admissions page | — | Upper Level | No |
| Keys School | Palo Alto | K-8 | See admissions page | — | Lower Level | No |
| The Girls' Middle School | Palo Alto | 6-8 | No admission test | Not required | Lower Level | No |
| Stevenson School | Pebble Beach | PK-12 | ISEE or SSAT | Required | Upper Level | Yes |
| Woodside Priory School | Portola Valley | 6-12 | ISEE or SSAT | Required | Lower Level, Middle Level, Upper Level | Yes |
| The Branson School | Ross | 9-12 | No admission test | Not required | Upper Level | No |
| San Domenico School | San Anselmo | K-12 | School’s own assessment | Not required | Primary 2, Primary 3, Primary 4, Lower Level, Middle Level, Upper Level | Yes |
| Children's Day School | San Francisco | Preschool-8 | See admissions page | — | Primary 2, Primary 3, Primary 4, Lower Level, Middle Level | No |
| Convent & Stuart Hall | San Francisco | K-12 | No admission test | Not required | Primary 2, Primary 3, Primary 4, Lower Level, Middle Level, Upper Level | No |
| Drew School | San Francisco | 9-12 | No admission test | Not required | Upper Level | No |
| Jewish Community High School of the Bay | San Francisco | 9-12 | No admission test | Not required | Upper Level | No |
| Katherine Delmar Burke School | San Francisco | K-8 | See admissions page | — | Primary 2, Primary 3, Primary 4, Lower Level, Middle Level | No |
| Lick-Wilmerding High School | San Francisco | 9-12 | No admission test | Not required | Upper Level | No |
| Live Oak School | San Francisco | K-8 | School’s own assessment | Not required | Primary 2, Primary 3, Primary 4, Lower Level, Middle Level | No |
| San Francisco Day School | San Francisco | K-8 | See admissions page | — | Lower Level | No |
| San Francisco Friends School | San Francisco | K-8 | No admission test | Not required | Lower Level | No |
| San Francisco University High School | San Francisco | 9-12 | No admission test | Not required | Upper Level | No |
| The Bay School of San Francisco | San Francisco | 9-12 | No admission test | Not required | Upper Level | No |
| The Hamlin School | San Francisco | K-8 | See admissions page | — | Primary 2, Primary 3, Primary 4, Lower Level, Middle Level | No |
| The International School of San Francisco | San Francisco | 9-12 | See admissions page | — | Upper Level | No |
| Town School for Boys | San Francisco | K-8 | See admissions page | — | Primary 2, Primary 3, Primary 4, Lower Level, Middle Level | No |
| Urban School of San Francisco | San Francisco | 9-12 | No admission test | Not required | Upper Level | No |
| The Harker School | San Jose | TK-12 | ISEE or SSAT | Required | Primary 2, Primary 3, Primary 4, Lower Level, Upper Level | No |
| Episcopal Day School of St. Matthew | San Mateo | PK-8 | See admissions page | — | Lower Level | No |
| Marin Academy | San Rafael | 9-12 | No admission test | Not required | Upper Level | No |
| Sonoma Academy | Santa Rosa | 9-12 | No admission test | Not required | Upper Level | No |
| Stanford Online High School | Stanford | 7-12 | ISEE or SSAT | Optional | Middle Level, Upper Level | No |
Source: each school’s own admissions page, with a check date recorded per school; the levels column is derived from each school’s entry grades and the level-to-grade mapping used by E3n. 14 schools whose admissions page does not state a test requirement are marked “See admissions page”.
Entry grades across the area
The table counts how many ISEE-accepting schools in this area have an entry point at the grades each level covers. A school can appear under more than one level.
| Level | Applying to | Schools with an entry point |
|---|---|---|
| Primary 2 | grade 2 | 2 |
| Primary 3 | grade 3 | 2 |
| Primary 4 | grade 4 | 2 |
| Lower Level | grades 5–6 | 5 |
| Middle Level | grades 7–8 | 2 |
| Upper Level | grades 9–12 | 8 |
4 of the ISEE-accepting schools offer boarding.
Frequently asked questions
Do all Bay Area private schools require the ISEE?
No. Some schools list the ISEE alone, some accept either the ISEE or the SSAT, some list the SSAT only, and a few require no standardized test at certain entry grades. The policy column in the table records what each school states; a school whose admissions page does not name a test is marked for the family to confirm directly.
Which ISEE level does a student take for a Bay Area school that enrolls grades 6–12?
The level follows the grade the student is applying to enter. An applicant to grade 6 takes the Lower Level, an applicant to grades 7–8 takes the Middle Level and an applicant to grades 9–12 takes the Upper Level. A school's grade span only shows which entry points exist; the admissions page states which of those grades are open for applications in a given year.
When do Bay Area schools need ISEE scores?
Each school sets its own deadline, and the deadline column in the table records the date as the school publishes it. Because a student may test once per season and at most three times in a school year, families usually schedule a first test in the fall season so that the winter season remains available if a second attempt is needed.
Can a student who has taken the SSAT apply to a school that lists the ISEE?
Only if the school accepts either test. The tests-accepted column shows which schools take both. When every target school accepts both tests, one test is enough; when one target school lists the ISEE only and another lists the SSAT only, the family should compare the full list before deciding whether a second test is worth the time.
Why is a Bay Area school missing from the table?
The directory covers independent schools whose admissions pages were checked for this area. A school may be missing because it has not been checked yet or because it does not use a standardized admission test. The school's own admissions page is the authority, and a family can ask the teaching team to check a specific school.
How current is the information?
Each record carries the date it was checked against the school's admissions page, and this page is scheduled for review every three months. Admission policies change by year, so the school's page for the entry year governs, including whether a test is required and when scores must arrive.
Sources2 sources · checked 2026-10-01
Last reviewed 2026-10-01 · Next review 2027-01-01 · Reviewed by ISEEPrep teaching team