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The Nueva School tuition & admissions

San Mateo, CAGrades Pre-K–12Day, coednuevaschool.org

Tuition

—

Application deadline

—

Students

966

7 students per teacher

Admission test

—

Tuition

The school doesn't publish tuition on its website.

Financial aid: $8,405,831 to 201 students (about $41,820 each) in 2024, per the school's IRS Form 990.

How to apply
Entry grades—
Admission test—
Interview—
Apply through—
Application fee—
Deadline—
Decisions released—
College results, class of 2026
Seniors113
Go to a 4-year college100%
SAT (middle 50%)—
ACT (middle 50%)34–35
AP courses—
AP exams scored 3+—
National Merit semifinalists23
School facts
Students966
Teachers (full-time equivalent)134
Students per teacher7.1
School days per year175
Endowment$57,975,386 (FY2025)
Annual revenue$87,642,273 (2024)
Head of school pay$872,579
Where graduates went to college (2021-2024)

10 or more

Brown University, Carnegie Mellon University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Harvard University, Northeastern University, Northwestern University, Princeton University, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania

5 or more

Amherst College, California Institute of Technology, Carleton College, Case Western Reserve University, Dartmouth College, Duke University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New York University, Pomona College, Rice University, Tufts University, University of California, Los Angeles, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, University of Michigan, University of Southern California, Washington University in St. Louis, Wellesley College, Yale University

1 or more

Barnard College, Boston University, Bowdoin College, Brandeis University, Bryn Mawr College, California Institute of the Arts, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California State University, Long Beach, Carleton College, City College of San Francisco, Claremont McKenna College, Colorado College, Colorado School of Mines, Connecticut College, Drexel University, Georgetown University, Harvey Mudd College, Haverford College, Johns Hopkins University, Lehigh University, Loyola Marymount University, Macalester College, Oberlin College, Occidental College, Olin College of Engineering, Pacific Northwest College of Art at Willamette University, Penn State University, Pitzer College, Pratt Institute, Purdue University, Reed College, Rhode Island School of Design, San Jose State University, Santa Clara University, Sarah Lawrence College, School of Visual Arts, Scripps College, Skidmore College, Smith College, Southern Methodist University, St. John's College (Annapolis), Swarthmore College, The University of Texas at Austin, Trinity College Dublin, Tulane University, United States Naval Academy, University of British Columbia, University of California, Davis, University of California, Irvine, University of California, Riverside, University of California, San Diego, University of California, Santa Cruz, University of Maryland, College Park, University of Miami, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of St Andrews, University of Toronto, University of Utah, University of Vermont, University of Washington, University of Waterloo, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Vassar College, Villanova University, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Wesleyan University, Whitman College, Willamette University, William & Mary, Williams College, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

From the school's college counseling profile.

What families and students say on Reddit

Few posts are really about The Nueva School; most mentions are in lists of Bay Area private schools or in college-stat threads. Commenters who discuss it praise its breadth of STEM and elective courses and its self-directed, flexible learning style. Former students and others are skeptical that it guarantees top college outcomes, and one attributes its Ivy admit rates largely to legacy admissions.

  • AcademicsOne commenter says Nueva offers many STEM classes not found elsewhere, and another says its course breadth is unusual for a US high school, with 11 different CS courses in one year. [1][2]
  • AcademicsOne commenter describes Nueva as less structured, suited to self-motivated students, with advanced core courses and the ability to test out of and skip ahead in math and language. [1]
  • OtherOne commenter compares the schools in the group as Harker being externally driven, Nueva being Montessori-like, and Crystal Springs being writing-focused, and another says Nueva and Harker have become less different recently. [1][2]
  • OtherOne commenter who says they attended all three schools in the group reports having had a great time. [1]
  • AdmissionsOne former student says they transferred out of Nueva and then struggled in the college process, which they attribute to the schools' different reputations. [1]
  • AdmissionsOne commenter says legacy admissions explain why Nueva and Harker have the Ivy admit rates they do, since their students otherwise resemble those at nearby schools. [1]
  • AdmissionsOne poster summarizing a UC report says Nueva students face high academic standards from UCSD, as do students at other competitive Bay Area schools. [1]
  • WorkloadOne commenter, describing schools like Nueva in general, says they offer small class sizes, strong electives and counseling, but also less diversity, more academic pressure and higher stress. [1]

Summarized by AI from 10 Reddit posts since 2019. Opinions are the posters', not ours.

Reviews from families

No reviews of The Nueva School yet. Parents, students and alumni: yours would be the first.

    The Nueva School FAQ
    Does The Nueva School offer financial aid?
    Yes. The Nueva School reported $8,405,831 in financial aid to 201 students on its 2024 IRS Form 990.
    How many students attend The Nueva School?
    The Nueva School enrolls 966 students in grades Pre-K–12, with about 7 students per teacher (NCES Private School Survey, 2023-24).

    More private schools in San Francisco Bay Area

    Sources: tuition and admissions from nuevaschool.org (checked Oct 2026); enrollment from the NCES Private School Survey 2023-24; finances from the 2024 IRS Form 990. “—” means we couldn't find it.

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