How to Get Into Archbishop Riordan High School: What You Need To Know

Brought to you by Cardinal Education, independent admissions consultants for San Francisco Bay Area families

Quick Answer for Busy Parents

Getting into Archbishop Riordan as a day student means submitting a complete online application, including a student personal statement and a parent or guardian statement, and taking the HSPT. The Class of 2031 application is due November 20, 2026, the HSPT at Riordan is December 5, and decisions are released March 12, 2027. Boarding and international applicants apply on a rolling basis and complete a required interview.

Why Do Families Choose Archbishop Riordan?

Founded in 1949, Archbishop Riordan is an Archdiocesan Catholic high school in San Francisco’s Ingleside neighborhood that prepares young men and women for leadership and lifelong success through an education imbued with the Catholic Marianist values of faith, community, inclusivity, service, and justice. Once San Francisco’s all-boys Marianist school, it welcomed young women starting in fall 2020 and now enrolls 1,211 students. Families choose it for a 13:1 student-teacher ratio, 30 AP and Honors classes, and three four-year specialty tracks in Honors Engineering, Biomedical Sciences, and Business. They also choose it for community: a four-House system that mixes every grade, and a boarding program that is one of the only urban boarding programs in the nation.

Archbishop Riordan at a Glance

Student Demographics

How Hard Is It to Get Into Archbishop Riordan?

Riordan doesn’t publish an acceptance rate or a fixed number of new spots each year. What it does make clear is the process: for day applicants, one standardized test (the HSPT) plus a personal statement and a parent or guardian statement. That means the committee is weighing fit and voice alongside test performance. Families researching similar Bay Area Catholic schools often also consider Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, St. Ignatius College Preparatory, and Marin Catholic High School.

Top Tips for Riordan Applicants

• Focus test prep on the HSPT, the test Riordan uses for day applicants.
• Treat the personal statement and parent statement as seriously as the test.
• Boarding applicants should prepare thoroughly for the required interview.
• Select Riordan in the HSPT section before the November 20 deadline to test on campus.

Best Practices for Families

• Book Crusader for a Day early in the fall.
• Attend the Open House on November 12, 2026.
• Explore the specialty tracks with your child before applying.
• Check the portal checklist regularly after submitting.

Common Questions Parents Ask About Riordan’s Admissions

Is Archbishop Riordan an all-boys school?

Not anymore. Riordan welcomed young women starting in fall 2020 and is now fully coeducational.

The Archbishop Riordan Admission Process

1. Inquire: Complete the Inquiry and Events Form to join the mailing list and register for Crusader for a Day and the Open House.
2. Visit: Experience a school day, tour campus, and meet students and teachers.
3. Apply: Submit the online application by November 20, 2026, at midnight.
4. Test: Take the HSPT; to test at Riordan on December 5, select Riordan in the HSPT section of the application.
5. Decide: Admissions decisions are released March 12, 2027.
6. Enroll: Complete enrollment by March 19, 2027.

Riordan’s Admissions Calendar and Key Dates

Boarding and international applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Transfer students may apply any time for fall enrollment, with applications reviewed in April.

Application Requirements

Testing: The HSPT

Day applicants take the High School Placement Test, which covers verbal skills, quantitative skills, reading, mathematics, and language. Riordan administers it on campus on December 5, 2026.

Personal Statement and Parent/Guardian Statement

Applicants submit a personal statement, and families submit a parent or guardian statement, through the admissions portal. Riordan has used a short video format for the student statement in past cycles, so check the portal for this year’s format and prompts.

Transcript

Riordan reviews the applicant’s academic record from their current school as part of a complete file.

Boarding and International Applicants

Boarding and international day applicants submit the online application, a passport copy, and transcripts from their current school, with recommendation letters optional. A required interview takes place in person, via Skype, or via Zoom. International students are encouraged to submit TOEFL or TOEFL Junior scores (TOEFL code 0975), and accepted boarding families must designate an adult guardian living in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Applying to Riordan? Get Every Piece Right.

Between the HSPT, the statements, and (for boarding applicants) a required interview, a coordinated strategy matters.

Schedule a Consultation

Student Life at Archbishop Riordan

Academics

Riordan’s departments cover art, computer science and technology, English, history, mathematics, music, physical education and health, science, theater, theology, and world languages. The core college-prep curriculum is joined by 30 AP and Honors classes and three four-year specialty tracks. Riordan also offers a Resource Specialist Program for learning support.

Activities and the House System

Launched in fall 2017, the House System places every student in one of four Houses, Cana, Bolts, Pilar, or Russi, for all four years. Houses meet in R-Time groups of 25 to 30 students for 15 minutes, four days a week, and compete all year for the Chaminade Cup through events like Frosh Olympics, House Games, the Senior Gauntlet, and the Crusader Games. Riordan also offers more than 40 clubs in 2026–27, from Robotics, Rocketry, Mock Trial, and Model UN to the Asian Student Association and Latinos Unidos.

Boarding

Riordan’s boarding students live on two fully furnished dorm floors with study hall, a recreation room, free laundry, and Wi-Fi, and Epicurean provides all three daily meals. Weekends bring trips like hiking, Santa Cruz surfing, Lake Tahoe ski trips, and college visits to Stanford and UC Berkeley, plus support for students far from home from resident advisors and Director of Boarding David Lin.

Athletics and Arts

The Crusaders field 40 teams across baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, rugby, skiing, soccer, squash, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling, with 14 on-campus coaches and 70 championships historically. The Fine Arts program includes theatre and band.

Notable Archbishop Riordan Alumni

1. Warren Hinckle (Class of 1956): San Francisco journalist and editor of Ramparts magazine.
2. Alton Byrd (Class of 1975): Basketball standout drafted by the Boston Celtics in 1979, later a sports executive.
3. Eric Wright (Class of 2003): NFL defensive back drafted by the Cleveland Browns, who played from 2007 to 2013.
4. Tomás Aragón: Director of the California Department of Public Health.

Getting Into Riordan: What Actually Matters

Riordan’s process rewards a different balance than many Bay Area schools: one test for day applicants, paired with statements that carry real weight, and a required interview for boarding families. We help families get the writing right and prepare boarding students for their interview.

Start Your Riordan Application With a Plan

Cardinal Education helps families prepare for the HSPT, strengthen the statements, and get boarding applicants ready for their interview.

Schedule a Consultation

Related Articles:
Inside Riordan’s House System: School Spirit Like Never Before
Why Archbishop Riordan’s Boarding Program Stands Out in the Bay Area

Frequently Asked Questions