How to Get Into Woodside Priory: Ace the Admissions Process

Everything your family needs to know about day and boarding admission to Priory for 2027–2028

Quick Answer for Busy Parents

Woodside Priory is a Catholic Benedictine day and boarding school for Grades 6–12 in Portola Valley, California. Families apply through Ravenna, where the application opened September 1, 2026. Day and standard boarding applications are due January 5, 2027, and early boarding applications are due December 11, 2026. Every applicant completes a Parent Supplement, a Student Supplement, teacher recommendations, a transcript release, STAR testing, and an interview. Day decisions arrive March 12, 2027.

Why Do Families Choose Woodside Priory?

Hungarian Benedictine monks founded Woodside Priory in 1957, and the school has offered a boarding option for high school students from the start. In 1974, the monks affiliated with Saint Anselm Abbey in New Hampshire, and that Benedictine connection still shapes daily life. Priory describes itself as California’s only coeducational Catholic Benedictine college-preparatory school, and it’s home to Silicon Valley’s only high school boarding program.

Its mission is to help students create meaningful, balanced lives, grow as lifelong learners, and serve a world in need of their gifts. Five Benedictine values, roughly 1,500 years old, carry that mission: spirituality, hospitality, integrity, individuality, and community. Many day students enter in sixth grade and stay for seven years, which gives the school an unusually close-knit feel.

Woodside Priory at a Glance

Academic Snapshot

Students by Grade

Source: National Center for Education Statistics

Community and College Counseling

Sixty-three percent of students identify as students of color, and 20% identify as Catholic. Three counselors guide students through college admissions.

How Hard Is It to Get Into Woodside Priory?

Priory doesn’t publish an acceptance rate. Boarding School Review estimates it at about 30%, which makes Priory selective, especially in its small boarding program and in grades where few seats open. The process is holistic. Priory says STAR results are only one part of the picture, and its interview formats are designed to show how a student thinks, collaborates, and treats others.

Families applying to Priory often look at other Bay Area and California schools at the same time. Boarding families commonly compare it with Stevenson School, while Peninsula day families often consider Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton and Menlo School. Each has a different culture, so visiting several helps clarify fit.

Top Tips for Applying

• Choose day or boarding before you start. The timelines and requirements differ.
• Apply early if boarding is your first choice. The early deadline is December 11, 2026.
• Sign up for STAR testing promptly once it opens in Ravenna.
• Attend an Open House or shadow day so your child can speak specifically about Priory.
• Know the five Benedictine values and where your child already lives them.

Best Practices for Families

• Register each parent separately in Ravenna.
• Write the Parent Supplement with concrete stories, not adjectives.
• Let your child own the Student Supplement.
• Request teacher recommendations early in the fall.
• For boarding, line up a Bay Area local guardian before enrollment.

Priory Admissions Questions Parents Ask Early

What grades can apply to Woodside Priory?

Day students can apply for Grades 6 through 12, and boarding is available for Grades 9 through 12. Many day students start in sixth grade.

Are Woodside Priory admissions events required?

Most aren’t. Priory says attendance is optional except where explicitly noted, but every event requires registration through Ravenna.

The Woodside Priory Admissions Process

Priory’s process runs entirely through Ravenna. A strong private school application treats each of these steps as part of one consistent story.

1. Create a Ravenna account. Required for every family, including boarding applicants who use the SAO.
2. Attend events. Open Houses, parent tours, and Campus Visit (shadow) Days.
3. Submit the application and fee. Biographical information completed in Ravenna.
4. Complete the Parent Supplement. Short essay questions for parents or guardians.
5. Complete the Student Supplement. Essay questions for the applicant.
6. Request recommendations and transcripts. Teacher requests through Ravenna and a transcript release form to your school.
7. Complete STAR testing. On campus for day applicants; virtual for boarders, who may also send ISEE or SSAT scores.
8. Interview. A group activity for middle school applicants, a one-on-one for high school day applicants, and a residential conversation for boarders.

Woodside Priory Admissions Calendar for 2027–2028

Fall 2026 International Admissions Travel

Woodside Priory Application Requirements

Day vs. Boarding Requirements

Standardized Testing

Priory added STAR testing to help gauge readiness and identify where a student may need support. Boarding applicants can also submit ISEE or SSAT results, and our ISEE prep and SSAT prep programs help students show what they know.

Parent and Student Supplements

Both supplements are completed in Ravenna. The Parent Supplement asks short essay questions of parents or guardians, and the Student Supplement asks the applicant to write in their own voice. Priory doesn’t publish the questions outside the application, so families see them once they begin.

Recommendations and Transcripts

Teacher recommendation requests are emailed through Ravenna, and families send a transcript release form to their current school.

Plan Your Child’s Priory Application

From STAR testing to the interview, we’ll build a plan that fits your family.

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Inside the Woodside Priory Interview

What happens in the middle school interview?

Middle school applicants take part in a group activity led by a member of Priory’s teaching faculty. It shows how a student collaborates and engages with peers.

What happens in the high school and boarding interviews?

High school day applicants have a one-on-one interview focused on their interests and aspirations. Boarding applicants speak with residential faculty or the admissions team about why boarding at Priory fits them. Our tips on preparing for boarding school interviews apply directly.

Student Life at Woodside Priory

Academics

Students study Computer Science, English, History & Social Sciences, Mathematics, Performing Arts, Physical Education, Science, Theology, Visual Arts, and World Language. The Upper School offers 13 honors courses, 10 AP courses, 14 Advanced Topics courses, and 7 post-AP courses, and seniors complete a Senior Project. The Learning Commons provides academic support across both divisions.

Activities

A dedicated activity period, H Block, gives students time for clubs, tutoring, and enrichment during the school day. Upper School clubs include Model United Nations, the Sustainability Club, the Priory Honors Society, and the ASL Club (Priory Signs!), while middle schoolers can join MS Robotics and the Priory Book Club. Service and justice work is a graduation requirement, and class retreats are part of campus spiritual life.

Athletics

Priory fields 47 teams across 13 sports: Cross Country, Flag Football, Football (Tackle), Water Polo, Volleyball (Indoor), Beach Volleyball, Tennis, Basketball, Soccer, Baseball, Lacrosse, Swimming, and Track & Field. In March 2025, the boys’ basketball team won the California Division IV state championship.

Arts

The Performing Arts Center includes the Rothrock Performance Hall and the Marquart Family Set Shop. The Kriewall-Haehl Gallery, founded in 2007, shows work by students, staff, alumni, and Bay Area artists.

Summer Programs

Priory runs summer enrichment programs on campus, including an English Language Institute for students building English skills.

Notable Woodside Priory Alumni

1. Taylor Eigsti: Grammy-winning jazz pianist and composer.
2. Mark Fiore: Political cartoonist who won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning.

Is Woodside Priory the Right Fit for Your Child?

Priory is built for students who want rigor without losing balance, and who will take hospitality and community as seriously as grades. If that sounds like your child, our private school admissions consultants, boarding school specialists, and Bay Area team can help you prepare with clarity.

Ready to Begin?

Talk with a Cardinal advisor about Woodside Priory and the right path for your child.

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Related Articles:
Boarding at Woodside Priory: Inside Silicon Valley’s Only High School Boarding Program
Woodside Priory Admissions Process 2027–2028: A Step-by-Step Guide for Day and Boarding Families

Frequently Asked Questions