Catholic high schools in Tampa, FL
4 Roman Catholic schools serve high-school grades in Tampa. Use the school pages below for location, grade range, enrollment, and verified HSPT information where available.
If a school on this list uses the HSPT, start with the free 25-question HSPT practice test before you compare campuses or decide how much prep the fall needs.
For HSPT dates, admissions, and prep notes for schools that use the exam, see Catholic high schools in Tampa & the HSPT. This page is the NCES directory listing, not a ranking.
Tampa Catholic school overview
- Schools
- 4 serving high-school grades
- Students listed
- 2,827 across 4 schools reporting enrollment
- Average enrollment
- 707 students among schools with published NCES enrollment
- Grade ranges
- 9-12, PK-12
- County
- Hillsborough
- Verified HSPT guides
- 2
Tampa schools with verified HSPT information
These schools connect to source-reviewed HSPT admissions pages:
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HSPT & admissions at Tampa Catholic high schools
Tampa's Catholic high school set is four schools in the city itself — Jesuit High School (all-boys), Tampa Catholic (coed), the Academy of the Holy Names (all-girls, PK-12), and Cristo Rey Tampa (coed, corporate work-study) — with Clearwater Central Catholic, St. Petersburg Catholic, and Bishop McLaughlin in nearby Spring Hill. None of them has a source-reviewed HSPT record in our directory yet, so Catholic affiliation alone does not tell you which entrance test a school requires — confirm the current policy with each school's admissions office before registering.
Tampa Catholic high schools and their admissions pages
Each school sets its own admissions and testing process. Link opens the school's own page for the current cycle.
Most Catholic high schools give the HSPT between mid-November and mid-January of 8th grade, and Tampa-area schools test during the fall admission cycle. Each school posts its own date, usually by early fall, so confirm with each school and plan prep around the earliest date on your list rather than assuming one shared sitting.
How to prepare for the HSPT in Tampa
Start with the free diagnostic to establish a baseline, then build a study plan around the date your schools post. These guides cover the practical questions Tampa families ask:
When to start HSPT prep
How far ahead to start, based on your test date, school list, and how much prep your child can sustain.
Best order to prep for HSPT sections
Which sections to attack first for the fastest score gains instead of random practice.
4-week HSPT study plan
A realistic one-month plan for families starting late but still wanting to move the score.
How should my 8th grader prepare for the HSPT?
When to start, what to practice, how much daily work, and how to keep it sustainable.
HSPT scholarships by city
Where school-list width, selectivity, and tuition make scholarship research matter most.
What is a good HSPT score?
What different percentile bands actually mean to a family, admissions-wise.
Tampa's Catholic high schools sit in the Diocese of St. Petersburg, and each school runs its own application process. The city has a notable single-gender set — Jesuit (all-boys) and the Academy of the Holy Names (all-girls) — alongside coed Tampa Catholic and Cristo Rey Tampa. Ask each school whether one HSPT sitting can be shared across the schools you are applying to, and whether the test is used for admission only or also for placement and scholarship consideration.
For the fall admission cycle, Tampa families typically research schools in the spring of 7th grade, visit during 8th-grade fall, and test between November and January. Application, financial-aid, and scholarship deadlines differ by school, so collect them in one place early and treat them as planning inputs, not reasons to choose one school over another.
Planning a Catholic high school application
Entrance-test rules are set by the school or diocese and can differ even within the same city. Check each school’s admissions site before registering. If a school is confirmed in our HSPT guide, its directory page links directly to the current admissions and preparation notes.
- Confirm whether each school requires the HSPT or another entrance test for the current cycle.
- Record application, transcript, recommendation, financial-aid, and scholarship deadlines separately.
- Ask whether one HSPT sitting can be shared with other schools in the same diocese.
- Compare the daily commute as well as tuition, aid, academic programs, and school size.
Explore Catholic high schools near Tampa
Questions about Catholic high schools in Tampa
How many Catholic high schools are in Tampa, FL?
NCES lists 4 Roman Catholic schools in Tampa that include grade 9. The directory uses 2023–24 school data.
Do Catholic high schools in Tampa require the HSPT?
2 Tampa schools have HSPT information confirmed in our reviewed school records. Requirements can differ by school and application year, so families should confirm the current test policy directly.
What should families compare between Catholic high schools in Tampa?
Compare grade range, commute, enrollment size, admissions deadlines, entrance-test policy, tuition and aid, academic programs, student support, and whether test scores affect scholarship consideration.
What are the best Catholic high schools in Tampa?
The schools Tampa families most often shortlist are Jesuit High School (all-boys), Tampa Catholic (coed), the Academy of the Holy Names (all-girls), and Cristo Rey Tampa (work-study), with Clearwater Central Catholic and St. Petersburg Catholic a short drive away. There is no official ranking — compare on fit: commute, single-gender versus coed, size, programs, and aid.
When do Tampa Catholic high schools give the HSPT?
Tampa Catholic high schools that use the HSPT typically test in the fall of 8th grade, most commonly between November and January, ahead of spring admission decisions. Each school posts its own date, usually by early fall, so confirm with each school and build prep around the earliest date on your list.
How much does a Catholic high school in Tampa cost?
Tuition is set annually by each school and varies across the metro; most schools run financial aid, and entrance-exam scores sometimes factor into merit scholarship consideration. Ask each school's admissions and financial-aid offices for current numbers — policies differ by school and year.
Does Jesuit High School in Tampa require the HSPT?
Jesuit is a Catholic school, but we do not yet hold a source-reviewed HSPT record for it, and Catholic affiliation alone does not establish which entrance test a school requires. Ask the admissions office directly which test it uses for the current cycle, and what date.
Compare the full statewide list of Catholic high schools in Florida.
Source: NCES Private School Locator 2023–24. Inclusion does not establish that a school uses the HSPT.
Building a Catholic high school shortlist in Tampa?
Use the free parent checklist to compare entrance tests, score expectations, scholarship rules, and deadlines before narrowing the list.
Free and parent-friendly. Then use the HSPT diagnostic when your shortlist is ready.