How to get into Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton: Admission Tips

Overview of Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton

Sacred Heart is a Catholic, independent, co-ed private school known for its well-rounded education that blends high academic standards with a strong focus on community service. Nestled in Atherton, California, the campus sits on 63 acres of land that houses eight academic buildings, state-of-the-art gymnasiums, an aquatics facility, and other spaces. It serves students from Preschool through high school. 

The school’s Catholic identity shapes its inclusive community that fosters intellectual curiosity, compassion, and social responsibility. Sacred Heart encourages its students, whom they call Gators, to help other people and to lead with love. The intellectual journey of every Gator is valued highly, and members of its community have a deep respect for intellectual and Christian values. Besides getting into the most elite schools and universities and having scholastic achievements, SHP also highlights the value of relationships and self-expression in its programs. 

Is it Hard to Get Into Sacred Heart? 

Sacred Heart, Atherton, is a competitive and challenging private school. Admission is very selective, and students must meet a set of academic and personal standards to be accepted. The school considers each applicant thoroughly and looks for well-rounded students with a variety of interests and talents who will contribute to the school community.

As trusted admissions consultants, our mission is to guide you in navigating the application process successfully. Cardinal Education has a dedicated team of educational consultants, tutors, and academic coaches who will help you strategize and map out your family’s vision of success!

Sacred Heart School Admissions Process

The Sacred Heart application process begins by creating your Student Profile in Ravenna, where you will be able to check and track deadlines of every admissions requirement. Remember that the deadlines listed vary between grade levels. Here are the application requirements: 

Preliminary Application Form

The preliminary application form contains basic information about you and your child, your household, siblings, and the schools attended. This is also where learning differences, disabilities, and other medical conditions may be stated. There is also a checklist of special interests, hobbies, and sports, some of which may require short explanations of 300 characters.  

Prep Preview (Open House) 

Families are invited to attend the Prep Preview (Open House) to meet department heads, teachers, and students while exploring the different areas of the campus. You may register for this event on Ravenna. This is an optional activity, but as admissions consultants, we highly encourage you to participate. Take advantage of this opportunity to know more about the school’s culture and determine if it’s a good fit for your family. But more importantly, it is your chance to show admissions officers your deep interest in attending Sacred Heart. 

If you’re not sure what to do and how to ask questions to make yourself stand out during the Open House, our admissions consultants can guide you. Read here to understand The Role of Campus Visits in choosing a School.

Parent/Guardian Statement

Parents or guardians of applicants are required to submit 1000-character responses to short-answer questions that can be found on Ravenna. The questions elicit responses that show your child’s strengths, weaknesses, as well as your goals as a family. 

Admissions officers are not only focused on your child but on your whole family as well. After the family interview, they would want to know more through the parent/guardian statement. Simple, truthful, and authentic answers will never go wrong. However, you should know which responses will increase or harm your chances or admission. As we get to know you through our holistic admissions process, we can guide you in identifying your strengths and values that will appeal to the admissions committee because we know what they value most.

Parent/Guardian Video Questionnaire

After you submit the application, you’ll receive an email from Kira with a link to their online platform to record a few short video answers. You’ll need a laptop or desktop with a camera and a microphone for this activity. If you have more than one child applying, you’ll need to answer separate questionnaires using a unique link for each one. If you’re a two-household family and want to submit separate videos, or if you prefer to answer in Spanish, you may email the admissions team. 

As experienced admissions consultants, we know what schools are looking for and understand the kind of families they want to admit. With our expertise, we will guide you in crafting truthful and authentic responses that highlight your child’s strengths, passions, and unique qualities in a way that resonates with admissions officers. 

Student Video Questionnaire & Written Statement

Similar to the parent video questionnaire, you will also receive an email with a link where your child will record short video answers. On top of that, there will also be a writing prompt that you child has to answer within a limited time. 

Our Proctored Writing Sample Preparation teaches students thought organization and writing skills to help them produce well-written and compelling responses under time pressure. We offer free writing assessments to identify where your child needs help and then provide writing exercises with different prompts to improve writing skills.   

Recommendation Letters

Applicants must submit recommendation letters from their current teachers in English and math, and also from the principal or school counselor. Sacred Heart Prep will not accept additional letters of recommendation from other teachers, coaches, or mentors. 

As we have been helping students get into Sacred Heart Prep for almost two decades, we know what the admissions officers value the most! Our admissions consultants will help obtain shining recommendation letters that highlight your child’s strengths, academic achievements,  differentiating characteristics, and unique qualities. However, these must be supported by other credentials, including GPA, test scores, and active participation in extracurricular activities. 

Do letters of recommendation really matter?

Recommendation letters should be able to differentiate your child from other applicants. In our experience, a lot of students are usually convinced that they can get into their dream school as they believe themselves to be outstanding students. However, being an outstanding student is different from being an exceptional applicant. You should keep in mind that there could be a whole lot of other applicants applying with the same or, even better, GPAs and accomplishments as your child’s. As experts in private school admissions, we developed, improved, and mastered strategies that will help you gain strong recommendations from the counselor, principal, and teachers. 

Transcripts

All applicants are required to submit the official transcript from the previous academic year and the first semester of the current year plus a complete attendance record. 

Aside from academic prowess, transcripts also show readiness to take on Sacred Heart Prep’s coursework. If your child’s grades are not that great, we advise that you start tutoring on the most challenging subjects early because improving grades takes time. Our tutoring services are the most sought-after in the Bay Area. Our tutors will make sure that your child’s grades improve and meet all the requirements. We offer in-person or online tutoring for a variety of subjects as well as academic coaching to help develop executive function skills and prepare your child for challenging tasks and eventually achieve academic success.

Sacred Heart School’s Notable Alumni

A lot of Sacred Heart Prep graduates have pursued various professions and have become successful in their respective fields, but Sacred Heart really values its alumni athletes. Some notable alumni athletes in the SHP Hall of Fame include: 

1. Tierna Davidson – a soccer player for the Chicago Red Stars of teh NWSL and the youngest player on the USA’s 2019 World Cup team
2. Abby Dahlkemper – a professional soccer player for the San Diego Wave FC of the NWSL and the US national team
3. Ben Burr-Kirven – a National Football League player
4. Caroline “KK” Clark – a water polo player and part of the American team at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro
5. Kelly Crowley – a 17-time Disability Swimming National Champion, 2-time Paralympic swimming gold medalist, and champion of the Time Trial World Championship 
6. Drue Kataoka – a famous Japanese American visual artist chosen as the Young Global Leader for the World Economic Forum summit at Davos
7. Melissa Pritchard – an award-winning short story writer, novelist, essayist, and journalist

Student Life at Sacred Heart

At the core of campus life at Sacred Heart are the school’s deep-rooted commitment to faith, leadership, service, collaboration, and self-discovery. Sacred Heart strives to provide its students with a perfect balance of school and personal life. It offers a wide array of co-curricular opportunities and enrichment programs that serves as a creative and innovative outlet for students. Besides clubs and activities, students are encouraged to participate in the school’s faith and spiritual activities, which include liturgies and prayer services, daily prayers and meditation, Espacios or community prayer, and retreats.

Sacred Heart Academics

Founded in the strong Catholic faith, the Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton provides a rigorous curriculum from preschool through high school. The school emphasizes a “whole child” approach, fostering intellectual growth alongside spiritual and emotional development. The curriculum is designed to challenge students to think critically adn act compassionately, with a strong focus on social justice and  community service. Sacred Heart Prep, its high school program offers a wide range of subjects, including  six academic courses each semester and religious studies for a total of eight semesters. AP courses in 20 subjects as well as Honors classes in math, science, and world languages are part of its preparatory program with a high school program that prepares students exceptionally well for college and beyond.  

Sacred Heart Activities

SHS values social awareness and service. They encourage students to ponder human suffering and to actively find ways to help others. With compassion and consciousness, Sacred Heart’s aspiration includes students’ lifelong pursuit of justice. Sacred Heart education is about putting out love in public as another form of justice. Students can choose from various clubs related to student media, cultural identity, student government, creative process, technology, global emphasis, spiritual ministry, and other special interests. SHS offers extensive and diverse list of student-run clubs that cover a broad range of interests, including academics, creative arts, social justice, and special interests. 

Sacred Heart Athletics

Known as the Gators, Sacred Heart has a very successful and competitive athletics program. It is the school’s goal to provide all students with a positive, challenging, and fun athletic experience. The school fields teams in a wide array of sports, with many teams regularly winning league and section championships. SHS teams compete in the West Bay Athletic League (WBAL), West Catholic Athletic League (WCAL), and Peninsula Athletic League (PAL). Many student-athletes from SHS go on to play at the collegiate level. The school has a “no-cut” policy for some of its programs, ensuring that any student who wants to participate can do so. The SHP athletics field JV and varsity sports, as well as additional “freshman only” teams in girls’ volleyball and boys’ basketball. Sportsmanship, leadership, and self-discipline are at the core of SHP athletics. Its programs uphold the school’s belief that high school athletics is woven into fundamental life lessons. Coaches and training staff alike are dedicated to providing students with a meaningful and memorable experience.

Sacred Heart Arts

Beyond sports and traditional clubs, SHS also has a vibrant arts program. SHP has music, theatre, dance, and visual arts programs. In Music, SHP offers a variety of programs including Concert Band, SHP Jazz Band, Symphony, Chorus, Strings, and other music courses and clubs. SHP visual arts, on the other hand, includes Digital Arts, Photography, and Studio Art. SHP also takes pride in its own theater productions, such as Shrek – All School Musical, Emma, Picasso at the Lapin Agile by Steve Martin, Alice in Wonderland, and many more.

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