Choosing a School
All-Girls & All-Boys Catholic High Schools: a parent’s guide
If you are searching for an all-girls Catholic school or an all-boys Catholic high school, the honest starting point is that the category is smaller than “Catholic high school” — but the schools in it are often among the strongest in their regions. This guide lists the single-gender Catholic high schools in our directory, explains how admissions and the HSPT work at these schools, and points you to the state and city pages for every metro families actually search — Ohio, Massachusetts, Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Oregon.
The short answer
- All-girls and all-boys Catholic schools are a real, growing search: families look for them by gender and by geography, and few directories organize them that way.
- Most take the HSPT: single-gender schools sit inside the same diocesan systems as co-ed schools, so the High School Placement Test is usually the entrance exam.
- Choose on fit, plan around dates: the school’s culture and commute matter more than the category; HSPT dates and deadlines are planning inputs, not reasons to pick a school.
- Prep changes the math: a strong HSPT score is often what turns “accepted” into “accepted with merit aid” at single-gender schools too.
All-Girls Catholic High Schools
Families searching for an all girls Catholic high school — including all girls high school near me — are usually looking for strong academics in a focused environment. The all-girls schools in our directory span San Diego, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Chicago, and Boston:
Resurrection College Prep High School
Chicago, IL
All-girls Catholic college prep on Chicago’s Northwest Side.
The Catholic High School Of Baltimore
Baltimore, MD
All-girls Catholic college preparatory school in Baltimore, founded in 1939.
Academy of Our Lady of Peace
San Diego, CA
All-girls Catholic college prep in San Diego, educating young women since 1882.
Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School
Philadelphia, PA
All-girls Catholic college prep in Gwynedd Valley, in the Mercy tradition.
Mount Notre Dame High School
Cincinnati, OH
All-girls Catholic high school in Reading, Ohio, sponsored by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.
Notre Dame Preparatory School
Baltimore, MD
All-girls Catholic school (grades 6–12) in Towson, sponsored by the School Sisters of Notre Dame.
Maryvale Preparatory School
Baltimore, MD
All-girls Catholic school in Brooklandville, north of Baltimore.
Notre Dame Academy Girls High School
Los Angeles, CA
Catholic high school in Los Angeles, CA with an admissions process that explicitly uses the HSPT.
St Hubert Catholic High School For Girls
Philadelphia, PA
Catholic high school in Philadelphia, PA with an admissions process that explicitly uses the HSPT.
Fontbonne Academy
Milton, MA
Catholic high school in Milton, MA with an admissions process that explicitly uses the HSPT.
Each card links to the school’s full page with admissions steps, HSPT dates, and requirements. Schools are added to this directory as their single-gender status is confirmed; see your state directory for the complete local list, which includes co-ed options.
All-Boys Catholic High Schools
For families searching for an all boys Catholic high school — including boys Catholic high school near me — the directory below covers Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Mateo, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Chicago, and the Boston metro:
St. Joseph's Preparatory School
Philadelphia, PA
All-boys Jesuit prep in North Philadelphia, founded 1851.
Loyola High School
Los Angeles, CA
All-boys Jesuit school near downtown LA; 9th-grade applicants take the HSPT.
La Salle College High School
Philadelphia, PA
Lasallian college prep for young men just outside Philadelphia.
Junipero Serra High School
San Mateo, CA
All-boys Catholic high school in San Mateo on the Peninsula.
Archbishop Moeller High School
Cincinnati, OH
Marianist Catholic high school for young men in Cincinnati.
Calvert Hall College High School
Baltimore, MD
Lasallian Catholic college prep for young men in Towson, Maryland.
Loyola Blakefield
Baltimore, MD
Catholic college preparatory school for boys in Towson, Maryland.
Mount Saint Joseph High School
Baltimore, MD
Xaverian Brothers-sponsored school for young men in Baltimore.
St. Augustine High School
San Diego, CA
Catholic high school for young men in San Diego, in the Augustinian tradition.
Archbishop Curley High School
Baltimore, MD
Franciscan Catholic high school for boys in northeast Baltimore.
Marmion Academy
Chicago, IL
Benedictine Catholic college prep for boys in Aurora, west of Chicago.
Cathedral High School (Los Angeles)
Los Angeles, CA
Lasallian Catholic high school for boys near downtown Los Angeles.
Xaverian Brothers High School
Boston, MA
Catholic high school in Boston, MA with an admissions process that explicitly uses the HSPT.
Xaverian Brothers High School (Westwood, MA) and Fontbonne Academy (Milton, MA) were verified as single-gender directly on the schools’ own sites in August 2026 so Massachusetts families have real coverage; every other entry’s gender comes from the school’s own page in our dataset.
Single-gender Catholic schools by state and metro
Most of the single-gender searches we see are geographic — all boys Catholic high school in Ohio, all boys schools in Massachusetts, all girls Catholic high school Los Angeles, and so on. The state and city pages below are the fastest way to see every Catholic high school in the metro, single-gender and co-ed, with HSPT dates and requirements:
Catholic high schools in Ohio
State directory — including Cincinnati and Cleveland.
Catholic high schools in Massachusetts
State directory — Boston metro and beyond.
Catholic high schools in Houston
Houston metro directory.
Catholic high schools in Los Angeles
LA metro directory.
Best Catholic high schools in California
Statewide ranking — top 10 plus LA, Bay Area, San Diego, and San Jose shortlists.
Catholic high schools in Philadelphia
Philadelphia metro directory.
Catholic high schools in Baltimore
Baltimore metro directory.
Catholic high schools in Maryland
Statewide directory — all-girls and all-boys options included.
Catholic high schools in Oregon
State directory — including St. Mary’s Academy, Oregon’s only all-girls Catholic high school.
Ohio
Ohio families searching for a all boys Catholic high school in Ohio or all boys Catholic high school Cleveland will find Cincinnati’s Archbishop Moeller in the boys’ directory above and Mount Notre Dame in the girls’ directory — and the Cleveland city page for the rest of the metro. The Archdiocese of Cincinnati requires all 8th-grade applicants to take the HSPT, so single-gender schools there share one test calendar with the co-ed schools.
Massachusetts
For all boys schools in Massachusetts and all boys high school Needham MA, the Boston metro is the center of gravity: Xaverian Brothers High School (all-boys, Westwood) is in the boys’ directory above, and the Needham city page plus the Massachusetts state page cover the rest. Girls’ families start with Fontbonne Academy (all-girls, Milton) in the directory above.
Oregon
For all girls Catholic high school Oregon and all girls high school Portland, St. Mary’s Academy in Portland is Oregon’s only all-girls Catholic high school — about 600 students serving grades 9–12, right in the Portland metro. See its St. Mary’s Academy directory page for grades and enrollment, and the Oregon state directory for the full list of Catholic high schools across the state, including co-ed options in Beaverton, Eugene, Salem, and Medford.
How admissions works at single-gender Catholic high schools
The admissions pattern at an all-girls or all-boys Catholic school looks like any other Catholic high school in its diocese, with a few things worth knowing:
1. The HSPT is usually the entrance exam
Single-gender schools sit inside the same diocesan systems as co-ed schools, which is why the High School Placement Test is the norm — the HSPT covers Verbal, Quantitative, Reading, Mathematics, and Language in about 2.5 hours. Confirm each school’s test date on its page; some dioceses run one sitting that all member schools accept.
2. Applications mirror the co-ed schools
Expect an application, transcripts, often an essay, and sometimes recommendations — the same stack as neighboring co-ed schools. Some single-gender schools add a shadow day, and many weigh the HSPT score alongside grades rather than alone.
3. Merit aid is frequently tied to the HSPT
At many single-gender Catholic schools, the HSPT score sets merit scholarship offers — so test prep is a financial decision, not just an admissions one. Ask each school what score range earns merit aid and whether need-based aid needs a separate application. Our scores & scholarships guide breaks down how the numbers work.
Why HSPT prep matters for single-gender admissions
Single-gender Catholic high schools in popular metros often have strong applicant-to-seat ratios, which makes the HSPT score a real differentiator. A student who walks into the exam having seen every question type (analogies, number series, logic items) scores measurably better than an equally able student seeing them for the first time. The 8-week study plan is the realistic way to do it, and a free baseline test is the right first step.
Frequently asked questions
Why do families choose an all-girls or all-boys Catholic high school?
Usually for fit, not for ideology: single-gender schools tend to produce strong academics, tight communities, and a different classroom dynamic. Many families also value the all-girls or all-boys environment for its own sake — fewer social distractions, more leadership opportunities, and classmates who are all in the same stage of life at the same time. Visit a campus and let your child react; the feel of the place matters more than the category.
Do single-gender Catholic high schools take the HSPT?
Most do. The High School Placement Test is the standard entrance exam across Catholic high schools in most dioceses, and single-gender schools are no exception — St. Joseph’s Prep, Loyola High School, Mount Notre Dame, Resurrection College Prep, and Fontbonne Academy are examples from this directory. Confirm each school’s test date and score policy on its school page, because dates and policies vary by school and diocese.
Are single-gender Catholic high schools harder to get into?
Not systematically. Admission difficulty tracks the school, not the category: a highly selective all-boys Jesuit school can be harder to get into than a nearby co-ed school with more seats. What single-gender schools often share is a strong applicant-to-seat ratio in popular metros, which makes the HSPT score matter more. Prep for the score, apply to a range, and treat selectivity as a school-level question.
Are there all-girls and all-boys Catholic schools near me?
Yes, but they are spread unevenly — a metro with a strong diocesan system (Philadelphia, Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston) usually has several single-gender options, while smaller cities may have one or none. Start with your state or city directory page to see every Catholic high school in your area, then look for the ones that describe themselves as all-girls or all-boys.
What is the difference between a girls’ Catholic school and a boys’ Catholic school in practice?
Less than families expect academically — both use the same curriculum standards and, in most dioceses, the same HSPT for admissions. The real differences show up in culture: how classrooms are run, what leadership and service opportunities look like, and how students describe the social environment. Talk to current students and parents at open houses; those conversations reveal the differences brochures can’t.
Do all-girls or all-boys Catholic schools offer scholarships and financial aid?
Yes — many single-gender Catholic schools run the same merit scholarship programs as co-ed schools, and merit offers are frequently tied to HSPT performance. Some also have donor-funded aid specific to their school. Ask each admissions office what score range earns merit aid and whether need-based aid requires a separate application (it usually does, often via FACTS).
Can my son or daughter apply to a single-gender Catholic school if we are not Catholic?
Usually yes. Most Catholic high schools — single-gender included — accept students of other faiths, sometimes with different priority or catechetical requirements. Check each school’s admissions page for its non-Catholic policy, and ask the admissions office directly if the policy is unclear.
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