Castilleja School

Castilleja School is an independent girls' school for grades 6 to 12 on Bryant Street, between downtown and Old Palo Alto. It has been in town since 1907, longer than almost any other school here except Paly. It is also one of the most discussed institutions in local politics, because of a campus rebuild that took more than a decade to approve and is now under construction.

This page covers the founding, grades and location, the admission steps and 2026 to 2027 tuition the school publishes, its programs and traditions and a factual account of the campus project. Our private schools guide lists other options. We do not rank schools or repeat commercial rankings.

Founding and history

Mary Ishbel Lockey founded Castilleja in 1907. Wikipedia notes that she came from Montana and graduated from Stanford in 1902 with a degree in English. Stanford's first president, David Starr Jordan, encouraged her to start a school that would give girls a full college preparatory education. In its early years some boys took classes too, but Castilleja has long been a girls' school.

Lockey started a tradition of planting a tree or shrub on campus each Arbor Day. In 1940 Arbor Day at Castilleja became Founder's Day in her honor. It is still marked each spring with a lunch and program on the campus Circle. Other traditions the school lists include the Tie Ceremony on opening day, when older buddies tie the ties of new sixth and ninth graders, a fall Spirit Week and a spring Junior and Senior Rivalry.

The school's core values, called the 5Cs, are conscience, courtesy, character, courage and charity.

Location and campus

The address is 1310 Bryant Street, Palo Alto 94301. The campus fills the block bounded by Bryant Street, Kellogg Avenue, Emerson Street and Embarcadero Road, a few blocks south of Professorville and on the edge of Old Palo Alto. The Bryant Street bike boulevard runs past the front door.

Castilleja says it enrolls students from more than 50 ZIP codes across the Bay Area, though most live near Palo Alto. Wikipedia lists enrollment at 426.

Getting there

Many students walk, bike or carpool. The school runs free morning and afternoon buses from San Carlos, Los Altos, West Menlo Park, Burlingame and Woodside, Portola Valley and East Palo Alto, plus free shuttles from the University Avenue Caltrain station. Our guide to Palo Alto station covers the train side. Starting in the 2026 to 2027 school year, drop-off and pickup take place inside the school's new underground garage on Bryant Street.

The campus modernization and the controversy

Castilleja announced plans in 2016 to replace most of its buildings, add an underground parking garage and raise enrollment to 540 students. Wikipedia and local press describe years of opposition from neighbors, who argued that the scale of the project did not fit a residential R-1 neighborhood and worried about traffic. In 2019 an environmental report found significant traffic effects, according to Palo Alto Online and the Daily Post. The plan then went through several redesigns and long hearings.

In June 2022 the City Council approved the school's permit to increase enrollment, rebuild the campus and build the garage. The school broke ground on the garage in September 2024.

Where construction stands

The school's construction page, updated October 30, 2026, says the underground garage is complete. By summer 2026 daily school life had moved into Casti Village, a set of temporary classrooms with turf decks built for the two-year rebuild. Over the summer and early fall of 2026, crews salvaged fixtures, relocated trees to a holding farm in Morgan Hill and took down Rhoades Hall, the Arrillaga Family Campus Center, the Ely Fine Arts Building and the Okawa Pool. By late October they were drilling foundations along Bryant Street for the new library and academic buildings.

The Gunn Family Administration Building, the Elizabeth Hughes Chapel Theater and the Joan Z. Lonergan Fitness Center stay open during the work. The school says the new campus is designed for LEED Platinum certification. Its 2024 groundbreaking announcement projected that the modernized campus would open during the 2027 to 2028 school year, while noting that timelines can change. Neighbors get a twice-monthly construction newsletter and trucks use an approved route via Emerson Street.

Programs

Castilleja divides into a middle school for grades 6 to 8 and an upper school for grades 9 to 12. Programs the school highlights in its news and campus pages include:

• Gatorbotics, the robotics team, which competes in FIRST Robotics.
• ACE, a long-running Castilleja program that the construction page says will be housed in the new library building.
• Global and civic projects, such as a sixth grade mini Model UN and National History Day work.
• Athletics, including a flag football team the school launched recently.
• A sixth grade building project where students use power tools.

Castilleja's gender statement says it considers any applicant who identifies as a girl. A student who transitions away from identifying as a girl while enrolled may stay and will be supported.

How admission works

Castilleja uses Ravenna, the online platform many Bay Area independent schools share. The steps for fall 2027 entry are:

1. Create a Ravenna account and register for Discover Castilleja events in fall 2026.
2. Submit a preliminary application with a $100 fee, or ask for a waiver, ideally early in the fall. Some events require it.
3. Schedule a campus visit and interview. Middle school interviews last about 15 minutes after a campus visit. High school interviews last about 20 minutes on Zoom.
4. Complete an online writing sample of 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Finish student and parent questionnaires.
6. Request recommendations. Middle school applicants need a principal or counselor and two homeroom or language arts teachers. High school applicants need a counselor plus current English and math teachers.
7. Send transcripts for 2025 to 2026 and the first grading period of 2026 to 2027.

The full application is due January 5, 2027 and decisions post March 12, 2027 at 4 p.m. The school does not use ISEE, SSAT or STAR scores. It says sixth grade has about 60 openings and it also accepts applicants to grades 7 to 11. International students may apply but must live with immediate family in the Bay Area.

Tuition and aid for 2026 to 2027

Castilleja's tuition page lists tuition and fees of $67,750 for every grade in 2026 to 2027. It estimates $650 to $1,100 for books and uniforms and $1,500 to $2,000 for a laptop. Tuition for 2027 to 2028, the year current applicants would start, had not been posted in late October 2026. Expect it to be higher.

The school says about one in five students receives tuition assistance from an annual budget of more than $4 million. Awards range from $4,490 to $67,700. Applications go through Clarity with a $65 fee, which can be waived. New families must apply by January 5, 2027. Castilleja says applying for aid has no effect on admission decisions. Tuition assistance information sessions on Zoom are set for November 11, 2026 in Spanish and November 12 in English.

Visiting for admission events

Castilleja's admission events run through the fall, with interviews after the January deadline. Families flying in can stay downtown, about a 20 minute walk or a short bike ride from campus. You can compare hotels near downtown Palo Alto or read our guide to staying downtown. During construction, visitors park in the Admin Lot on Bryant Street or on the school side of surrounding streets.

Frequently asked questions