The Nueva School

The Nueva School is an independent school for gifted learners from preschool through grade 12. It has two campuses on the Peninsula: a 33-acre hillside campus in Hillsborough for the lower and middle schools and an upper school campus in San Mateo's Bay Meadows neighborhood. The Hillsborough campus is about 14 miles from downtown Palo Alto in a straight line and the San Mateo campus about 10.

Nueva's upper school is reachable from Palo Alto by Caltrain. This page covers the school's history, campuses, the admission steps and deadlines for fall 2027 and its 2026 to 2027 tuition and aid as published. We do not repeat commercial rankings. Our private schools guide lists schools closer to Palo Alto.

From Menlo Park to Hillsborough

Nueva's history page says the school's founder spent five years meeting educators, scientists, physicians and business people to study the needs of gifted learners before opening the school. Nueva opened in 1967 with only kindergarten, first and second grades, in an old house and portable buildings in Menlo Park.

In 1971 the school moved to the former William W. Crocker "Skyfarm" estate on 33 acres in Hillsborough. The Crocker mansion, built in the 1930s, still houses the lower school. Its former ballroom serves as a gathering room for concerts and assemblies. The Hillside Learning Complex opened in 2007 as the middle school building and the school's first LEED Gold building. A Science and Environmental Center followed in January 2020.

The high school came later. Nueva's first ninth graders met in fall 2013 in classrooms at the College of San Mateo. The San Mateo upper school campus opened in August 2014. The Diane Rosenberg Wing, named for the head of school from 2000 to 2020, opened in fall 2019. The school received U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon awards in 1987 to 1988, 1996 to 1997 and 2010 and a Green Ribbon award in 2021. The head of school named on Nueva's leadership page in 2026 is Lee Fertig.

Campuses and size

• Hillsborough, 6565 Skyline Boulevard: lower school (preschool to grade 4) in the former Crocker mansion and middle school (grades 5 to 8) in the Hillside Learning Complex. The campus has playgrounds, science labs, a library, a gym, an athletic field, an Innovation Lab, a garden and the "forts" that alumni remember.
• San Mateo, 131 East 28th Avenue: upper school (grades 9 to 12) at Bay Meadows, the former racetrack site. The building is LEED Gold certified and designed to use 65 percent less energy than a typical high school, according to the school.

Nueva says it serves 967 students with about 260 faculty, staff and administrators. The state's private school affidavit for 2025 to 2026, which counts only kindergarten through grade 12, lists 952 students: 203 in kindergarten to grade 4, 299 in grades 5 to 8 and 450 in grades 9 to 12.

Admission for fall 2027

All applications run through Ravenna, with a $100 nonrefundable fee that can be waived for families applying for aid. The main entry points are preschool, kindergarten and grades 5, 6 and 9. Nueva's FAQ gives these approximate openings:

Preschool to grade 8: IQ testing first

Lower and middle school applicants must submit a Wechsler IQ assessment from a licensed psychologist. The results must fall within Nueva's target range before the rest of the application proceeds. Nueva offers vouchers toward the cost for families who qualify, valid only with psychologists on its resource list. After the IQ step, families complete a written questionnaire and a parent and student video questionnaire through Kira. Applicants attend an on-campus activity session with a timed writing sample and submit a student questionnaire and a "Nueva Creative Project" in any medium.

Upper school: no tests

Ninth grade applicants follow similar steps without the IQ test. Nueva says entrance testing is "not required and not accepted," so ISEE and SSAT scores play no part. The activity session includes hands-on group work, a math exercise and a timed writing sample. The applicant's current school submits recommendations from a principal or counselor, an English teacher and a math teacher, plus grades. Nueva asks families not to send extra letters of support.

Families who met the prerequisites by November 3, 2026 were guaranteed an in-person activity session. Later applicants are scheduled as space allows.

Tuition and financial assistance

Nueva's affording Nueva page lists these 2026 to 2027 rates. Tuition for 2027 to 2028 had not been posted in early November 2026.

Nueva says it meets 100 percent of each family's demonstrated need with grants, not loans. Its published guidelines:

• Households earning under $150,000 with typical assets receive full grants covering tuition, transportation, lunch, trips, enrichment and after-school care.
• Households earning $150,000 to $250,000 contribute 1 to 10 percent of income toward tuition.
• Households above $250,000 can still qualify. In 2026 to 2027 they made up 51 percent of families receiving aid.

The school says 195 students receive assistance in 2026 to 2027. Aid applications go through Clarity, with a $65 fee that can be waived. They are due with all documents by February 3, 2027. A financial assistance workshop is scheduled for Monday, December 14, 2026. Decisions on admission and aid arrive together on March 12, 2027 at 4 p.m. Contracts are due March 19, 2027.

How it compares

Nueva differs from most schools near Palo Alto in two published ways. It requires an in-range Wechsler IQ assessment all the way through grade 8, while Harker requires one only for transitional kindergarten to grade 2. Its upper school also refuses ISEE and SSAT scores outright, while Harker asks middle school applicants for them and Menlo School requires its own STAR test. Nueva's high school tuition with trips, $69,465, sits close to Crystal Springs Uplands ($68,600) and Harker ($66,950) for 2026 to 2027. Its upper school, with 450 students in the state's count, is larger than Crystal's 350.

Programs and athletics

Nueva describes inquiry and project-based teaching with a strong social and emotional learning thread. Programs listed on its site include the Menuhin-Dowling music program, a trips program for every division, a middle school Quest project in eighth grade, an Intersession, an internship program, a Writing and Research Center and Innovation Labs on both campuses.

Nueva Athletics offers 11 sports in four seasons in the middle school and 10 sports in three seasons in the upper school, under the motto "Make It Matter." Upper school teams compete in the West Bay Athletic League and Central Coast Section playoffs.

Getting there from Palo Alto

The upper school is the easy one. Take Caltrain north from Palo Alto to Hillsdale station in San Mateo; the school describes the campus as a short walk from the station. Nueva says Caltrain has recognized the campus for its Go Pass program. By car, Highway 101 or El Camino Real north to the Hillsdale area works.

The Hillsborough campus sits high on Skyline Boulevard near Interstate 280. From Palo Alto, drive north on 280 and exit toward Hillsborough. Our San Mateo and Hillsborough guides cover the surrounding towns.

Frequently asked questions