San Diego Private School Open Houses Fall 2026: Dates for 11 Schools and How to Plan Four Weekends

Short answer: Fall 2026 San Diego private school open houses cluster across three weekends, October 31 to November 15: Bishop's and Parker Lower School on October 31; Parker Middle/Upper, Pacific Ridge, and Grauer all on November 7; OLP and St. Augustine on November 8 with partially overlapping times; LJCDS on November 14; and the SDJA Expo on November 15. Most events require advance registration—confirm times on each school's official site before you go. All dates below were checked against official school pages on October 24, 2026.

This is EdCommGlobal. We clarify one San Diego school-planning or local-support decision at a time—and turn the next step into a practical plan.

"Our child is applying to San Diego private schools for fall 2027. We hear we should visit open houses in the fall, but there are so many schools and the dates all pile up. Which ones should we go to first?"

This guide is for families preparing for fall 2027 entry. More open houses is not better: first check whether your child's grade has an entry point, then check for date conflicts, then go in with questions. The schedule comes first; the trade-offs come after.

First, a distinction: private open houses are not SDUSD Choice

The two are easy to confuse but run on separate tracks:

• The open houses in this article are admissions visiting events run by San Diego private schools themselves. Private admissions follow their own timeline: member schools of the local consortium set a February 1, 2027 priority application deadline, March 10, 2027 decision release, and March 24, 2027 enrollment confirmation.
• SDUSD Choice is the San Diego Unified School District's public school choice program. Its priority window for 2027–28 runs October 5 to November 15, 2026, and it covers public schools inside the district—not the private schools in this article.

If you are considering both public and private options, keep the two deadlines on separate lists; one calendar does not cover the other.

Events still open after October 27, 2026

In date order, only events after this article's publication date (October 27) that are confirmed on official school pages:

Two more series are worth booking even though they are not in the table: Grauer's Discover Grauer Tours (Nov. 17, Dec. 3, Jan. 12, Jan. 20, Jan. 28, Feb. 4, Mar. 3, all 9:15–10:30 a.m., RSVP required), and Maranatha's Tuesday 9 a.m. campus tours (October through May, by appointment).

School by school: how to register and what to note

The Bishop's School (La Jolla, grades 6–12). October 31 Admissions Open House; the official page currently lists only the date, with details marked "more details to come"—check the page again before you go. School profile: The Bishop's School.

Francis Parker School (JK–12). Two campuses, two dates: Lower School on October 31 at the Mission Hills campus, Middle/Upper School on November 7 at the Linda Vista campus, both starting at 9 a.m. with registration required. School profile: Francis Parker School.

Pacific Ridge School (Carlsbad, grades 6–12). November 7 Open House, for grades 6–12. School profile: Pacific Ridge School.

The Grauer School (Encinitas, grades 7–12). November 7, 11 a.m.–2 p.m., Discover Grauer Day; if you miss it, Discover Grauer Tours run through March. The school has rolling admissions, with priority application and financial aid deadlines on February 1, 2027. School profile: The Grauer School.

St. Augustine High School (North Park, boys' school, grades 9–12). November 8, 11 a.m.–2 p.m., Fall Open House; Student Shadow Days run throughout November by email appointment. School profile: St. Augustine High School.

Academy of Our Lady of Peace (Normal Heights, girls' school, grades 9–12). November 8, 1–3 p.m., Open House. Note that this school runs earlier than the consortium: Early Decision applications close December 1, 2026, and regular admission and financial aid close January 5, 2027. School profile: Academy of Our Lady of Peace.

La Jolla Country Day School (La Jolla, K–12). November 14, 10 a.m.–1 p.m., Open House, on a single campus. School profile: La Jolla Country Day School.

San Diego Jewish Academy (Carmel Valley, K–12). November 15, 11 a.m.–1 p.m., SDJA Expo Live—an interactive Middle & High School experience (STEM, humanities, arts, Jewish life), not a traditional lecture-style open house. Regular visits are one-on-one tours by appointment. School profile: San Diego Jewish Academy.

Santa Fe Christian Schools (Solana Beach, K–12). October 28 Eagle Expo for grades 9–12 families, November 2 Middle School Group Student Visit Day, November 18 A Day In The Nest high school experience day—three different formats, registered separately. School profile: Santa Fe Christian Schools.

Maranatha Christian Schools (San Diego, K–12). No fall event called "Open House": November 17 brings two information nights (Kindergarten at 4 p.m., Junior High & High School at 6 p.m.), Tuesday 9 a.m. campus tours run October through May by appointment, and the school's actual Open House falls on March 18, 2027, at 5 p.m.—part of the next admissions cycle, so families applying this year need not wait for it. School profile: Maranatha Christian Schools.

Cathedral Catholic High School (Carmel Valley, grades 9–12). The school's admissions timeline page lists no fixed open house; visits run through information sessions and tours by appointment, with dates on the official admissions page. School profile: Cathedral Catholic High School.

How to handle the conflicts

November 7 and November 8 are the worst collision days. Our advice:

• November 7, three events on one day (Parker Middle/Upper, Pacific Ridge, Grauer): pick one. Filter first by whether your child's grade has an entry point: Grauer covers grades 7–12, Pacific Ridge 6–12, Parker Middle/Upper 6–12. If all three are on your list, go to the top choice and book a regular tour for the other two (Grauer tours run through March; Pacific Ridge offers regular visits too).
• November 8, partially overlapping times (St. Augustine 11 a.m.–2 p.m., OLP 1–3 p.m.). Both are near central San Diego, so in theory you can do St. Augustine in the morning and reach OLP after 1 p.m.—but the 1–2 p.m. overlap means you only catch half of each. If you must choose one, decide by school type first (boys' vs. girls' school), then by timeline: OLP's regular deadline of January 5 runs earlier than St. Augustine's.
• October 31, two events (Bishop's, Parker Lower School) on one day. Bishop's covers grades 6–12 and Parker Lower covers JK–5, so most families will only need one of the two.

Our take: six questions to settle before any open house

1. Does your child's grade have seats this year? Some schools admit heavily only at grade 6 or grade 9; other grades depend on openings. Ask directly how many seats each grade has this year.
2. How is English support arranged? For a child returning from China, ask what the school actually provides for non-native English speakers (ESL, reading support, adjustment period)—answers from teachers beat web pages.
3. How are transcripts from China read? How the school converts domestic grades, whether ISEE or SSAT is required, and when testing closes—admissions officers explain this in more detail in person than on the web.
4. Commute and after-school arrangements. Drive the route on open house day and check morning rush-hour timing; ask whether busing and after-school care cost extra.
5. Financial aid deadlines. Many schools share the February 1, 2027 aid deadline with the application deadline, but OLP closes January 5 and St. Augustine January 15—do not apply one date to every school.
6. How to register. Nearly every event requires advance registration; walk-ins may not get a spot. Bishop's open house details are still unpublished—confirm again before going.

If you are still overseas and cannot attend in person

Being abroad is not a dead end: Pacific Ridge runs virtual sessions (The Joy of Middle School on November 18, among others), Parker runs parent information sessions, and regular tours can be booked into a U.S. trip. The practical approach: attend the virtual sessions first, prepare your question list, then book two or three regular tours in a single trip—small tours often give you deeper time with an admissions officer than a crowded open house does.

Related reading

• San Diego Private School Application Deadlines 2027–28: 10-School Calendar, Open Houses, Decision Dates
• San Diego Private K–8 Admissions 2027: Parker and LJCDS Checklists Compared
• San Diego School Visit Questions for Parents
• San Diego Private Schools: 10 K-12 Schools by Grade, Campus, Tuition, and How to Apply

FAQ

When do San Diego private school open houses usually happen?

For fall 2027 entry, open houses cluster across three weekends, October 31 to November 15, 2026, with a few experience days and information sessions running into December and January. Dates change every year—always check the school's official admissions page.

Do open houses require registration?

Nearly all of them do. Parker, Grauer, Pacific Ridge, and the SDJA Expo all require signup; Maranatha's weekly tours and St. Augustine's Shadow Days require email or phone appointments. Bishop's open house details are still unpublished—confirm before going.

What is the difference between an open house, a tour, and a shadow day?

An open house is a large event for all prospective families, with presentations, student guides, and department booths. A tour is smaller and quieter, with one-on-one time with an admissions officer. A shadow day lets your child spend a day in real classes. They combine well: open house for the big picture, tour for depth, shadow day for your child's own feel.

Is SDUSD Choice the same thing as a private open house?

No. SDUSD Choice is the San Diego Unified public school choice program, with a priority window of October 5 to November 15, 2026, for 2027–28. The open houses in this article are private schools' own admissions visiting events, on a different timeline and a different application system.

Can we still apply if we miss the open houses?

Yes. An open house is not an application requirement—book a regular tour or a virtual session instead. But the February 1 priority application deadline and March 10 decision release are hard dates; do not let visit planning slip past January.

Sources and verification notes

Sources below were checked against official school pages on October 24, 2026. Schools may update dates at any time—confirm once more before traveling:

• Bishop's: 2027–2028 Important Admissions Dates & Deadlines
• Francis Parker: Visit
• Pacific Ridge: Admissions Events
• Grauer: Admissions Timeline
• St. Augustine: Admissions Update
• OLP: Admission Dates
• LJCDS: official school calendar
• SDJA: Admissions
• Santa Fe Christian: Admissions Events
• Maranatha: K-12 Admissions
• Cathedral Catholic: Incoming 9th Graders (this page lists no fixed open house, so no date is given for this school)
• Consortium timeline: San Diego Consortium of Independent and Private Schools admissions information (checked October 18, 2026: priority deadline February 1, 2027; decisions March 10, 2027; enrollment confirmation by March 24, 2027)

This article was prepared by EdCommGlobal from public sources. The "Our take" section reflects our own view. Specific dates and registration details are governed by each school's official site and admissions office.