Mater Dei Catholic High School is an amazing place to continue your education and to learn, live and grow as an individual and a member of the global community. With hundreds of applicants every year for 9th grade, we count on a wide variety of students who demonstrate academic excellence, promising leadership skills, commitment to service, and diverse talents. We strongly encourage you to visit our campus and set up a personal family tour or a virtual tour. Click on any one of the photos below to contact our admissions team directly.
Open House
Please plan on joining us for our annual Open House on Sunday, October 27th, 2024. Click the link below to register!
Families can schedule a private family tour with a member of the admissions team. Tours will be approximately 45 minutes in length and cover all departments, facilities, functions, and important elements of Mater Dei Catholic.
Students from local parochial, public, charter, private, and home schools can now attend our on-campus visitation days. Students must be accompanied by a parent unless coming as a group then 1-2 parents must attend with the group. Email the Admissions Director, Mr. Ted Drummond at Tdrummond@materdeicatholic.org, for more details. If you are from a local Parochial/Catholic School please check with your school principal or 8th grade teacher.
Current 8th-graders can accompany a Mater Dei student around campus for a truly unique experience to see a day in the life of a crusader. The experience will last all day, from 8:00 AM-2:35 PM on Thursdays and 8:00 AM-1:00 PM on Fridays. Students will be provided with a meal.
*Students with Learning Differences: Parents must provide current documentation of an IEP, 504 Plan, or private Neuropsychological or Psychoeducational evaluation (3 years or less) when the Admissions Application is completed. Documents must be submitted directly to the Admissions Office.
Current Crusaders
Crusaders come from all over San Diego County, Mexico, and 17 other Countries. We are proud that our Crusader families, from near and far, make the commitment daily to attend school. In San Diego County alone, our students come from over 120 zip codes.
Car Pool
Mater Dei Catholic High School recommends a free, voluntary carpool matching service for our families. Please download the GoKid App if you are looking for a family to carpool within your area, or if you are able to provide transportation for a student in your area.
***Mater Dei Catholic High School abides by the laws of the State of California regarding provisional licenses for underage drivers. By offering this courtesy service, Mater Dei Catholic High School in no way assumes any responsibility related to anyone’s carpool arrangements. By using or participating in this service, you expressly agree to release, indemnify, defend and hold harmless Mater Dei Catholic High School and their respective employees, directors, officers, agents, and representatives from any and all liability arising from any use or participation in this service, including but not limited to any lawsuits, claims, or causes of actions brought by you or any third party alleging any injuries or damages of any kind, whether relating to personal injury, damage to property, remedies in equity, attorneys’ fees, or court costs.
Families begin the admission process in the fall the year before planned enrollment. For entry in Fall 2024, application will open on September 1, 2023.
Am I able to return to my application to upload documents?
Unfortunately, you are unable to go back to the application to upload documents once you have submitted and paid for the applications. Please note that all documents should be uploaded prior to submitting.
What is the application deadline?
Mater Dei Catholic has rolling admissions, meaning families can submit applications up to the week prior to the first day of school. To receive your decision with our first group of priority students please submit your application by January 15, 2023.
What are the application requirements?
To complete an application, applicants must submit the required information asked in our application, submit previous report cards, and recommendation from current principal or vice principal.
Who do I list for the recommendation part of the application?
There are two different types of recommendation in our application. The first is a required academic recommendation from your child’s current principal or vice principal. The second is an optional character recommendation from your child’s coach, a business professional, a clergy member, or anyone else you feel can speak to your child’s character (nonfamily member).
Enrollment and registration begin in the month of March and continue into August, depending on when you apply, and the process is completed. Enrollment is done online using the FACTS family portal. Enrollment packets must be completed and submitted for students to have their schedules created. Additionally, all health documents and forms must be uploaded to MAGNUS as part of the enrollment process. Health documents needed are a physical form dated after June 1st, up-to-date immunization records, and a health questionnaire filled out on MAGNUS. Optional items include a medication form should your child require medication while at school.
How will I know to register?
Once your child is accepted, you will receive an email from the school with a registration link to begin the enrollment process. Once that packet is complete and the registration fee is paid, your child is fully enrolled for the upcoming school year.
Admission decisions are made using 4 elements by Mater Dei Catholic’s admissions team. The four components are: High School Placement Test (HSPT), transcripts from 7th and 8th grade, recommendations from school administrators (optional character reference is used if submitted), and the in-person interview. Students will find out their admissions decisions via email on March 1st. Please note that admissions for a transfer student are different. Transfer students need to submit all grades from any completed years of high school and then complete the in-person interview.
What is the inquiry form for?
Our inquiry is a way for us to get to know a potential future Crusader and Crusader family. It is also used for families to submit any questions they may have about the school.
Does my child need a recommendation letter?
We have two recommendation letters in our application, one is required and the other is optional. The recommendation that is required is an academic recommendation from your child’s current principal or vice principal. The optional recommendation is a character recommendation from your child’s coach, a business professional, a clergy member, or anyone else you feel can speak to your child’s character (non-family member).
Do you accept international students?
International applicants are required to submit the Amerigo application. Please be prepared to submit the following documents:
Official Transcript in Original Language Certified
How do I apply for tuition assistance? When can I apply for tuition assistance and what is the process?
Mater Dei’s tuition assistance program is available to all families and is awarded based on need. Families must complete the tuition assistance application on the school website in order to receive any award. The application will ask for employment and financial documents which must be verified through FACTS. Families can begin to apply for tuition assistance for the 2024 –2025 school year starting November 1st. Families must submit all documents required by FACTS and then they will go through a verification process which takes up to 2 weeks. After verification the committee will review the application and decide if an award will be given.
Do I need to reapply every year?
As of now, families will not need to reapply for tuition assistance. However, if finances change drastically, families can submit a new application or appeal.
What is the tuition cost? What does tuition cover? Are there additional costs?
The tuition cost for Mater Dei Catholic high school for the year 2023-2024 will be $19,800. There is an additional registration/enrollment fee that varies depending on the student’s grade. Tuition and enrollment fees cover all textbooks and online platforms required for enrolled students. Additionally, tuition also covers potential tutoring needed by students.
Are there scholarships available?
Mater Dei Catholic has 2 different scholarship programs. The first is our HSPT scholarship program. This is available to any freshmen who take the HSPT with us in January. There are 2 levels, Presidential and Principal. The Presidential scholarship is at 80% for 7 students scoring in the 99th percentile. The Principal scholarship is at 60% for the next 10 highest-scoring students scoring above the 95th percentile. HSPT scholarships are for a student’s 4 years at Mater Dei Catholic. The second program is the alum and donor scholarships. These scholarships are awarded each year to new recipients and each scholarship has its own set of requirements that can be found on the scholarship page under Admissions & Aid. Applications for these scholarships start _______ and closes April 30th.
Family tours can be scheduled using the Mater Dei Catholic website. Go to the Admissions & Aid page then click the Family Tours button and you will be directed to a Calendly link to schedule your family tour. Tours are given by a member of the admissions team on Tuesdays – Thursdays at either 3:00 or 3:30 pm and last approximately 30 minutes.
When is Open House?
Open House will be Sunday, October 29th from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm. You will schedule a time slot for your individual family tour through Open House with a staff member or student leader. You also have the option to have the tour given by a Spanish speaking staff or student.
What is Crusader for a Day? How do I sign up my child for them?
The Crusader for a Day program is for current 8th grade students to experience a day in the life of a high school student. 8th grade students will accompany a current Mater Dei Catholic 9th grader of their choosing, the admissions team can choose one for a student if they do not know a current 9th grader. Families can sign up for Crusader for a Day on the school website under the Admissions & Aid page.
Are there other visit days?
Mater Dei Catholic will host 2 separate opportunities for 8th grade students to visit campus outside of the Crusader for a Day program. We will host 8th grade Catholic schools and have signups for public school students and parents. Catholic schools will be signed up by their 8th grade teachers/principals, public school students can sign up using our online registration system. Public school students must be accompanied by a parent during the visit. Lunch will be provided.
Can I attend other school functions? (sporting events, presentations, academic competitions, theater performances)
During the school year, families can attend a variety of sporting events. Tickets, if needed, can be purchased using GoFan. The Visual and Performing Arts department will also be performing a Winter and Spring show available to the public. Additional events may also be available and can be found on our social media pages and website.
9th grade applicants can take the High School Placement Test (HSPT) on Saturday, January 20th, 2024, at Mater Dei Catholic. You can register your child for the HSPT by completing and submitting the admissions application.
Is there a study guide for the placement test?
While not official, Mater Dei Catholic recommends the Peterson’s Master the Catholic High School Entrance Exam book. This can be found on Amazon or any major online bookstore retailer.
Does my child need to take the placement test?
Yes, all incoming 9th grade applicants will need to take the placement test. The school will host additional makeup test dates throughout the Spring if needed.
What are the components of the placement test?
The HSPT consists of a written essay and multiple choice scantron. The English essay is mandatory but does not affect a student’s HSPT score for a possible scholarship. The multiple choice scantron consists of 5 individual subject areas: reading, language, verbal, quantitative, and mathematics. There is also an OPTIONAL Spanish placement test.
Your admissions team.
Please contact us with any questions.
Mr. Ted Drummond
Director of Admissions
tdrummond@materdeicatholic.org
(619) 423-2121 x 335
Ms. Margarita Hernández
Associate Director of Admissions | Registrar
mhernandez@materdeicatholic.org
(619) 423-2121 x 128
