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Crystal Springs Uplands School, usually called Crystal, is an independent coeducational day school for grades 6 to 12. It runs on two San Mateo County campuses: the upper school at 400 Uplands Drive in Hillsborough and the middle school at 10 Davis Drive in Belmont. From downtown Palo Alto the Hillsborough campus is about 12 miles away in a straight line and the Belmont campus about 9.
Palo Alto families often compare Crystal with Menlo School, Castilleja and Nueva. This page covers what Crystal publishes about its history, campuses, admission for fall 2027 and 2026 to 2027 tuition and aid. We do not repeat commercial rankings or the school's own ranking claims.
History
Crystal's history page says the idea came from Aylett and Martha Jane Cotton, who began planning a girls' school for San Mateo County at their dinner table in 1948. The school was incorporated on Christmas Eve 1952 as a private, nonprofit, nonsectarian day school. On January 1, 1953 the founders' committee announced Crystal Springs School for Girls.
The school then acquired the Uplands Mansion, which had been at risk of demolition, with more than five acres of land and help from donations of stock and cash by the Crocker family. Wikipedia says the mansion was built for Templeton Crocker and designed by architect Willis Polk as a Renaissance palazzo. Boys were admitted later. The school became the coeducational Crystal Springs Uplands School. Wikipedia ties that change to the late 1970s under head of school Richard Loveland.
The middle school campus in Belmont opened on August 29, 2017, according to Wikipedia, with an academic building, a cafe and music building and a gym. The school calls its approach "One Crystal on two campuses."
The school today
Kelly Sortino became Crystal's seventh head of school in July 2019, according to the school's head of school page. Before that she led the upper school and college counseling.
The state's private school affidavit for 2025 to 2026 lists 570 students: 220 in grades 6 to 8 at the Belmont campus and 350 in grades 9 to 12 in Hillsborough. Crystal reports average classes of 14, a 9 to 1 student to teacher ratio and 69 percent of students identifying as people of color.
No AP track
Crystal replaced typical AP classes with its own Advanced Topics courses. Its site credits the head of school with leading that shift and with a partnership with Challenge Success, the program that also has a teacher and student group at Gunn. Every student has an advisor through the advisory program. Traditions include Convocation, Homecoming and PoP! Week, short for Pursuit of Passion.
Admission for fall 2027
Crystal's how to apply page lays out nine steps through Ravenna:
- Create a Ravenna account and select Crystal.
- Attend a Why Crystal info session, a family tour, a Connect with Crystal weekend event or an Inside Crystal event. In-person events and family tours are limited to sixth grade applicants because of space.
- Submit the preliminary application.
- Write a student statement with a common essay and Crystal-specific short answers. Fill out the activity and interest form too.
- Request recommendations and transcripts. Sixth grade applicants need their fourth and fifth grade teachers. Older applicants need current math and English teachers. All need a principal or counselor recommendation.
- Complete a timed written statement on the Kira platform.
- Schedule interviews. Sixth grade applicants attend an in-person group interview. Upper school applicants join a virtual group discussion.
- Record the parent or guardian video share on Kira.
- Add optional materials such as extra recommendations or portfolio links.
| Date | Step |
|---|---|
| January 5, 2027 | Application deadline |
| March 12, 2027 | Notification date |
| March 19, 2027 | Decision date for families |
The state enrollment count suggests the main entry points: grade 6 had 72 students and grade 9 had 84 in 2025 to 2026, compared with 74 in grade 8, so the school adds students in ninth grade. Crystal's page does not give a seat count.
Tuition and tuition assistance
Crystal's tuition page lists $68,600 for 2026 to 2027. Tuition for 2027 to 2028 had not been posted in early November 2026. Tuition includes iPads for middle schoolers, buses and shuttles to trains, BART and park and ride lots and a PE uniform. Families also pay for books (about $400 to $600 a year in middle school and $600 to $800 in upper school, by the school's estimates) and a laptop (up to $1,500).
The Tuition Assistance Program is need-based only. Crystal says more than 22 percent of students receive awards ranging from $1,000 to full tuition, with the average award covering 72 percent of tuition. Assistance extends to books, computers, athletic gear, BART buses and events such as homecoming, prom and graduation. Families apply through Clarity, which charges a $65 fee that can be waived. They also complete an IRS tax transcript check. The page's sample family awards appear to be based on an earlier tuition figure, so use them only as rough guides.
How it compares
On published 2026 to 2027 high school tuition, Crystal ($68,600) sits between Harker ($66,950) and Nueva ($69,465 with trips). It is slightly above Menlo School ($67,792) and Castilleja ($67,750). Crystal and Nueva both split their students between two San Mateo County campuses. Crystal's upper school, at 350 students in the state's 2025 to 2026 count, is smaller than Nueva's (450) or Harker's (795). Crystal, Castilleja, Menlo, Harker and Nueva all list January 5, 2027 as the application deadline and March 12, 2027 as the decision date for fall 2027, so families can compare offers side by side. Because Crystal does not offer AP, ask how it describes advanced courses on its transcript.
Athletics and arts
The teams are the Gryphons. Crystal says students choose among 26 teams in 9 sports in the middle school and 24 teams in 11 sports in the upper school. The upper school competes in the West Bay Athletic League, per Wikipedia, with badminton and baseball also playing against Peninsula Athletic League schools. Crystal's athletics page counts state and Central Coast Section titles since 2020. Wikipedia records state cross country titles for the girls' team in 2022. The Fine Arts Department runs an experiential curriculum in visual and performing arts.
Getting there from Palo Alto
Crystal runs buses and shuttles for both campuses, with separate routes for middle and upper school. Routes are clustered around where students live and connect with train, BART and park and ride stops. The school's transportation page posts the 2026 to 2027 schedules and notes that routes are near capacity.
By car, both campuses are reached from Highway 101, El Camino Real or Interstate 280, then local streets. The Belmont middle school campus is the closer of the two to Palo Alto. Morning traffic north on 101 can be slow, which makes the school buses worth a look. Our guides to Belmont and Hillsborough cover the two towns.
Good to know
- Grades 6 to 8 are in Belmont, not Hillsborough.
- In-person tours are for sixth grade applicants only.
- Applications are due January 5, 2027.
- Crystal teaches Advanced Topics courses instead of AP.
Frequently asked questions
How much is Crystal Springs Uplands tuition?
Crystal lists tuition of $68,600 for 2026 to 2027. It includes iPads for middle schoolers, buses and shuttles and a PE uniform. Books run about $400 to $800 a year and a laptop up to $1,500, which tuition assistance also covers for families who qualify.
What is the Crystal Springs Uplands application deadline?
For fall 2027 the application deadline is January 5, 2027. Crystal notifies families on March 12, 2027 and the decision date for families is March 19, 2027. Applications go through Ravenna.
Where is the Crystal Springs Uplands middle school?
The middle school is at 10 Davis Drive in Belmont, on a campus that opened in August 2017. The upper school is at 400 Uplands Drive in Hillsborough, in and around the Uplands Mansion.
Does Crystal offer AP classes?
No. Crystal says it uses Advanced Topics courses instead of typical AP classes. The head of school's biography credits her with leading the move away from the AP curriculum.
How many Crystal students receive financial aid?
Crystal says more than 22 percent of students receive need-based tuition assistance, with awards from $1,000 to full tuition and an average covering 72 percent of tuition. There are no merit scholarships.