Aurora Central Catholic High School: Admissions, Tuition & HSPT

Aurora Central Catholic High School admits through the High School Placement Test (HSPT), a five-section exam covering verbal skills, quantitative skills, reading, mathematics, and language, taken in the fall or winter of 8th grade.

The school's website listed December 5 or December 12, 2026 (alternate: Saturday, January 9, 2027 at 8:00 a.m.) when we last checked (2026-08-25). Dates change every admissions cycle, so confirm with the admissions office before planning around them.

Start 8–12 weeks before the exam date with short daily practice, and focus first on question types middle schools don't teach — analogies, number series, and logic problems. Most schools accept one sitting, so the first attempt counts.

HSPT registration is generally handled through Aurora Central Catholic High School's admissions process rather than through a national family registration site. Use the school's current checklist and confirm the test location, arrival time, fee, and required identification directly.

The standard HSPT has about 298 questions across five sections and usually takes about two and a half hours, not including check-in or breaks. Ask Aurora Central Catholic High School for its test-day arrival and dismissal window because local administration details can differ.

The standard HSPT mathematics and quantitative sections are designed to be completed without a calculator. Families should still read Aurora Central Catholic High School's current test-day instructions so the student brings only permitted materials.

Score-sharing rules vary by school and diocese. Ask Aurora Central Catholic High School whether one sitting can be sent to the other schools on your list, whether additional codes or forms are required, and which school should be selected as the testing site.

Students with an IEP, 504 plan, ADHD, dyslexia, anxiety, or another documented need should contact Aurora Central Catholic High School before registration closes. Ask what documentation is required and whether extended time, small-group, separate-room, or other arrangements are available.

The school's website listed Financial aid applications due March 1, 2027 (notified by April 15); freshman registration in February after the exam when we last checked (2026-08-25). Deadlines can shift each admissions cycle, so confirm the current application cutoff with the admissions office.

For 2026-27, tuition is $8,100 for students from a supporting parish and $9,100 for non-parish families, with reduced per-student rates when two or more children enroll at the same time. Fees (registration, books/activities, athletics, laptop) are additional, and payments run through FACTS Tuition Management. Need-based aid applications are due March 1, and a $1,000 Tuition Transfer Grant applies to students entering grades 9–11 from public, non-Catholic private, or charter schools.

The official name is Aurora Central Catholic High School (ACC) — 'Aurora Catholic Central' is a common flipped-word search for the same school. Families in the area also search 'Aurora Catholic schools' or 'Aurora Catholic high school' when comparing ACC, Marmion Academy (all-boys, south Aurora), and Rosary High School (all-girls).

ACC requires every incoming freshman to take its Placement Exam — the High School Placement Exam (HSPT) — before registration. Results are used in the admissions process and to place students in freshman classes. The exam costs $50 and is offered December 5 or December 12, 2026 (taking it at ACC on one of these dates is required for scholarship eligibility), with an alternate date Saturday, January 9, 2027 at 8:00 a.m. Transfer students do not take the exam.

Both are Catholic high schools in Aurora, but they fit different families. Aurora Central Catholic is co-ed and diocesan (Diocese of Rockford), founded in 1968, on a 43-acre campus at 1255 N Edgelawn Dr on the west side of Aurora. Marmion Academy is an all-boys Benedictine college prep in south Aurora. If a co-ed, diocesan setting is the priority, ACC is the Aurora Catholic school to compare.

ACC's 2026-27 open houses are Thursday, October 29, 2026 (6:00–7:30 p.m.), Sunday, November 15, 2026 (12:30–2:00 p.m.), and Thursday, April 15, 2027 (6:00–7:00 p.m.). Eighth graders and potential transfer students can also schedule a Shadow Day through the Admission Office, and 8th Grade VIP Day and the 7th Grade Charger Challenge give younger students an earlier look at the school.

Aurora Central Catholic High School lists tuition aid or financial assistance as a separate admissions step. Families using aid should ask the school for the exact forms and timing instead of waiting until after the exam.