Admissions FAQs

List of 22 frequently asked questions.

• When will Ninth Grade Applications for the 2025-2025 school year be available?

  Ninth-grade application forms are available now!  Visit www.immaculateheart.org/apply for instructions on how to submit an application.

• When are applications due?

  All ninth-grade applications are due Friday, January 10, 2025.

• What is the application fee?

  The application fee of $100 is due on January 10, 2025. Upon receipt of your application and application fee, a place will be reserved for you at the Entrance Exam (HSPT).
  

• When are transcripts due?

  Transcripts (sixth, seventh, and first quarter of eighth-grade report cards, and all standardized tests) and the three Student Evaluation Forms from the Principal or Counselor, eighth-grade English Teacher, and eighth-grade Math Teacher are due on Friday, January 17, 2025.
  

• Does IH offer a practice Entrance Exam (HSPT)?

  Yes, we offer a Practice HSPT (High School Placement Test) on campus on Saturday, October 12, 2024 prior to the official exam in January. The Practice HSPT is open to ALL rising 8th-grade girls.
  
  Prospective Pandas take the HSPT in January when applying to Immaculate Heart as a part of our admissions process. Students can familiarize themselves with the timing of the exam, and the types of questions asked by joining us on campus for the October practice test. This practice version is the same test offered by IH and is a part of many Catholic high schools' admissions and placement processes. Take the exam with IH and get a taste of the rhythm of the test (and a sneak peek of our campus!) Snacks and pencils will be provided.
  
  There are two testing options:

  • Test Only: $65
  • Combo Test & Book:* $85

  *If you wish to purchase a study guide that you can use to review (after the practice exam, but before the January exam), this is the separate registration option for the Exam & Guide Combo.
  
  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our admissions office at admissions@immaculateheart.org.

• Can we schedule a campus tour?

  Campus tours are available as a part of our Shadow Days, Panda Preview Days, and Open House. For more information about these events, please check out our Visiting the School page. You can also contact our admissions team at 323-461-3651 x800 or admissions@immaculateheart.org for more information about high school tours and events. 
  
  We encourage you to explore the Immaculate Heart campus map to preview our garden setting, school facilities, and classrooms. Clicking on designated map locations will reveal galleries of photos and snapshots of student life.
  

• Which scholarships are offered?

  Merit, Leadership, Academic Excellence, Community Service, and Heart scholarships, in the form of tuition reduction, may be awarded to incoming ninth graders who qualify based on their application, transcripts, and scores on the Entrance Exam (HSPT), which will be given on Saturday, January 11, 2025. Recipients must also meet all of the school’s admission requirements. Scholarships are not transferable, but they are renewable each year, provided that the student remains in good standing during their time at Immaculate Heart.

• How do families apply for financial aid?

  Funds from the school’s scholarship program are available to students who qualify for ninth-grade admission to Immaculate Heart and who need some financial assistance. Parents applying for financial aid must complete an application at FACTS online application and send a copy of their 2023 tax returns to FACTS by January 10, 2025. Applications will become available in the fall of 2024. For more information, please visit our Tuition and Financial Aid page.

   

• What happens at the Admissions Interview?

  As part of the admissions process, students may be invited to an interview with a member of the faculty, counseling staff, or administration. At least one parent must come with the student to the meeting. It is important to get to know each student's interests and goals for attending Immaculate Heart, and to learn more about potential contributions to our school community. Priority for interviews will be given to those students who apply before December 1. 

• How much weight does the Admissions Committee place on test scores?

  The Entrance Exam (HSPT) is only one part of a larger admissions process. The Admissions Committee reviews test scores alongside transcripts, the application forms, and the Student Evaluation Forms completed by the Principal or Counselor, eighth-grade English Teacher, and eighth-grade Math Teacher. We encourage students to continue to do well in their 8th-grade year.

• How many spaces are available?

  It varies by year but our freshman class is generally around 125 students.

• What tests are required for admission?

  For admission to the high school, we administer the High School Placement Test (HSPT) – an assessment that reviews what a student will have learned all throughout her middle school years. If your daughter has taken the ISEE or SSAT, we can accept those scores to satisfy our entrance exam requirement.

• Do we have to take the Entrance Exam (HSPT) at Immaculate Heart?

  Students must take the Entrance Exam (HSPT) at Immaculate Heart on Saturday, January 11, 2025, to be considered for Immaculate Heart scholarships and Honors at Entrance.  
  
  To receive Honors at Entrance*, students must earn a composite score of 90 or above on the Entrance Examination (HSPT). 
  
  Upon receipt of your application and application fee, a place will be reserved for you at the Entrance Exam (HSPT) on Saturday, January 11, 2025, at no additional cost - no reservations are required. 
  
  Alternatively, students may take the ISEE (Testing Code: 571057) in lieu of the HSPT Entrance Exam - additional fees will apply from ERB. Please check www.erblearn.org/ISEE for testing sites and dates.  Immaculate Heart must receive ISEE scores no later than January 31st.
  
  *HSPT scores also serve as a placement tool for honors English, Science, and Social Studies classes. Honors placement tests in math and foreign language will be administered in May.

• When will we be notified of Immaculate Heart's admission decision?

  Admission decisions for ninth grade will be posted on Friday, March 7, 2025.

• What are the class sizes?

  Class sizes are on average 16 students per class.

• What is the school schedule?

  Our school day begins at 8:30 a.m. each morning and ends at 2:45 p.m. each day. We have a rotating blocks schedule and students take 7 classes annually. Class periods are 75 minutes.
  
  

• Do you offer transportation?

  Immaculate Heart has a one-way and round-trip rideshare program called IH Rides that offers regular daily rides through Hop Skip Drive.  IH Rides is an optional program and families are billed separately.

  GoKid is a carpool platform offered to families as another transportation alternative.  Through GoKid, parents can connect with other families and create their own neighborhood carpool.
  
  Immaculate Heart is also proud to partner with LA Metro in the GoPass Fareless Pass program. All IH students are eligible to receive a GoPass TAP card for unlimited rides on buses and trains run by LA Metro and other participating transit systems, at no cost to families. 
  
  Please visit the transportation page for more information.

• Where do graduates go to college?

  Today, more than a century after the school’s founding and 11,000 graduates later, virtually 100 percent of our students matriculate to college, including some to the most prestigious universities in the country. Many receive significant scholarships based on their academic performance. All are prepared to make a difference in the world. Click here for a list of recent college acceptances.

• Do you have to be Catholic to attend?

  While Immaculate Heart is a Catholic school, the student body reflects many faith traditions.

• Do you accept transfer students?

  Students who wish to transfer to Immaculate Heart for 10th or 11th grade must contact the Admissions Office. Transfer Applications for the 2025-2026 school year will open in November 2024 and be considered on a case-by-case basis. Acceptance is based on a student’s application as well as spaces available in her grade level.
  

• Do you require parent service hours?

  We are very fortunate to have parents who willingly volunteer to assist with different events on campus. Parents show their support for their daughters by continually being an active part of their daughters’ high school life. With such a gracious parent community, we do not require service hours. All parents of Immaculate Heart Middle & High School students are members of the Panda Parent Association, and they are encouraged to attend the monthly meetings listed in the school calendar.

• Why choose an all-girls' school?

  In a recent commission by the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools, Dr. Linda Sax looked at the annual, nationwide study of the renowned UCLA Higher Education Research Freshman Survey of students entering their first year of college. In Dr. Sax's study, Women Graduates of Single-Sex and Coeducational High Schools: Looking for Differences in their Characteristics and the Transition to College, some of her results include:

  • Women graduates of all girls’ schools exhibit higher academic engagement and tend to outscore their coeducational counterparts on the SAT.
  • Graduates from all-girls’ schools demonstrate higher levels of academic self-confidence in their writing and public speaking abilities and show greater confidence in their mathematical and computer abilities. They are much more likely to pursue careers in engineering than their co-ed counterparts.
  • Graduates from all-girls’ schools are more likely to participate in student groups and have greater political engagement.