Sage Hill School

Last updated

Sage Hill School
Location
Sage Hill School
20402 Newport Coast Drive

,
92657

United States
Coordinates 33°37′5″N117°49′33″W / 33.61806°N 117.82583°W / 33.61806; -117.82583
Information
Type Private, secondary school, high school, middle school
Opened2000
Head of schoolPatricia Merz
Teaching staff57 (on an FTE basis)
Grades7-12
Enrollment595 (2025-26) [1]
Student to teacher ratio7:1
Color  
Athletics CIF Southern Section
Athletics conference Pacific Coast Conference (California)
Nickname Lightning
Accreditation Western Association of Schools and Colleges California Association of Independent Schools
NewspaperThe Bolt
YearbookStorm
Website www.sagehillschool.org

Sage Hill School is an independent, co-educational college preparatory day school for students in grades 7-12, located in Newport Coast, California. The school first opened in September 2000 with a freshman and sophomore class of 120 students. [2]

Contents

About

Sage Hill has been accredited by the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges since 2003. [1] [3] In 2026, Sage Hill School ranked 12th in Niche's Best Private High Schools in California, [4] and 30th in the United States.[ citation needed ]

The school has an average enrollment of 700 students with an 8:1 student-teacher ratio, [5] and class size of 14 students. It offers more than 40 advanced placement (AP), honors, and post-AP classes. [6] The school's student to college counselor ratio is 37:1 The Lisa Argyros and Family Science Center houses learning and teaching space for biology, chemistry, physics, interdisciplinary study of science, and long-term research, [7] and the 30,000 square-foot studio features the Kazu Fukuda Black Box Theater. [8]

Middle school

In 2023, Sage Hill announced its plan to develop a middle school and expand to grades 7 and 8, set to become the first 7-12 independent school in Orange County. The opening date for the middle school is August 2026. Sage Hill announced that it would start accepting applications for its inaugural middle school classes during the 2025-2026 school year. [9]

On December 7, 2023, Newport Beach Planning Commission unanimously voted to approve the development of Sage Hill’s middle school, allowing construction of the three-story middle school building and increasing Sage Hill’s maximum student enrollment from 600 to 750 students. [10] The project will also add a second gymnasium a seating capacity of over 1,000.[ citation needed ]

Effective July 1, 2024, Joseph Moody was named as the inaugural director of the middle school. [11] The school sold approximately $54 million of municipal bonds to finance the building of the middle school as well as athletic facilities. [12]

In March 2026, Sage Hill announced it accepted students for seventh, eighth and ninth grade for the first time. [13]

Athletics

The school offers 22 interscholastic sports totaling 54 teams at all levels of competition.[ citation needed ]

References

  1. 1 2 "Find a CAIS School". www.caisca.org. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  2. "Sage Hill School's Legacy". www.sagehillschool.org. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  3. "Mission & Vision". www.sagehillschool.org. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  4. "2025 Best Private High Schools in California". Niche. Archived from the original on October 8, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  5. "Sage Hill School in Newport Beach, CA". Niche. Archived from the original on July 16, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  6. "Sage Hill Difference". www.sagehillschool.org. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  7. Hall, Sara (August 29, 2014). "Campus: Sage Students Start School, Celebrate Science Center". Newport Beach News. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  8. "The Kazu Fukuda Black Box Theater". Sage Hill. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  9. "Private Middle School | 7th & 8th Grades | Orange County - Sage Hill School". www.sagehillschool.org. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  10. Newport Beach Commission OKs Middle School, Second Gym Project
  11. Director Tapped to Open Sage Hill Middle School
  12. Hudson, Erin (November 12, 2024). "A $54,000-a-Year School in Pimco's Hometown Eyes Own Foray Into Bond Market". Bloomberg News . Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  13. https://www.sagehillschool.org/news-detail?pk=1669927&fromId=312905