Apply

If you’ve decided that Stanford Online High School is a good fit for you, here are the requirements and next steps to submit an application.

Application Dates and Deadlines

APPLICATION DEADLINE

January 8, 2026, at 11:59 pm Pacific Time

FINANCIAL AID APPLICATION DEADLINE

January 15, 2026, at 11:59 pm Pacific Time

OPTIONAL ONLINE INTERVIEW DEADLINE

November 10, 2025, 11:59 pm Pacific Time

FINANCIAL AID DOCUMENT DEADLINE

January 22, 2026, at 11:59 pm Pacific Time

DECISION NOTIFICATION

March 2026

ENROLLMENT CONTRACT DUE

10 days after decisions released

Steps to Apply

1. Learn More About Stanford OHS

Stanford OHS has full-time, part-time, and single course enrollment options. Explore our enrollment options and admission outcomes to see which option is best for you. Please note: the desired enrollment status you indicate in your application is not binding.
Take our Virtual Tour to learn more about our school.
Learn about our course schedule.
Review our course offerings.
Review Admissions Events and Recordings.
Contact the Office of Admissions for help with questions about our school, student resources, and admissions process.

Admissions Inquiry Form

2. Review Data Security and Privacy

In order to evaluate an application, we must collect personal information about the student and their parents and legal guardians. Parents and legal guardians are required to submit the application with their minor student. Stanford Online High School defines a minor as a student that has not reached the age of 18 years old.

Before families start the student’s application, they should review the Stanford Online High School Applicant Privacy Notice that explains how we collect, use, disclose and process their information. By starting the application, parents and legal guardians are consenting to the collection of their student’s data and the parent or legal guardian’s data described in our privacy notice.

Applicant Privacy Notice

3. Start Your Online Application

A complete application consists of the following:

Online application form
Academic records (transcripts from this year and the past two years)
Two essays, each 400 words
One sample of analytical writing (work samples must have been completed within the past year and must demonstrate a student’s best effort)
Two online recommendation forms (one Humanities/Social Science and one Mathematics/Science)
Parent questionnaire
Standardized test score (Review the testing policy to determine if a test is required for your application)
Application fee: $100 USD (fee waivers by request)
- Non-payment of application fee will result in the application being withdrawn.

All responses, essays, and work submitted in the application must be the student's own. Start an application using the student's legal name and birthdate.

Start Your Application

4. Select and Notify Your Recommenders

Recommendations are required of all applicants regardless of their desired enrollment level.

All applicants to Stanford OHS must submit at least two recommendation forms (one Humanities/Social Science teacher and one Mathematics/Science teacher).
The teachers completing the recommendation forms are not required to be current teachers, and may be teachers from a previous school year. We prefer if the teacher taught the student recently, within the past 1-2 years.
Helpful recommendations don’t always come from teachers in the courses where you earned a high grade. The best recommenders can provide details about your academic and personal growth.
Parents, guardians, or other family members are not permitted to submit recommendation forms on behalf of students. Close family friends or neighbors who don't know you in an academic context are not advised.
Be sure to give recommenders ample time to complete the recommendation form.

5. Register for a Test

For the 2026-2027 application cycle, a test score from an approved standardized test is required for applicants who are homeschooled this year or last year, or who attend a school that is taught in a language other than English. The score report must reflect a testing date between September 2024 and December 2025. An application cannot be evaluated unless we have received a test score report by the application deadline.

Submitting a test score is optional for applicants who are not homeschooled, or who attend a school taught in English. Applicants for whom a test score is optional may submit a test score from an approved test if they wish, but there will be no advantage in the evaluation process.

6. Review and Submit Your Application

Return to the Application Status and Materials Checklist page to make sure all of your application materials have been uploaded. Check each page of your application to ensure that you have answered all questions accurately and completely before submission of your application. The application fee must be paid or waived in order for your application to be considered. An incomplete application fee will cause your application to be withdrawn. When your admissions decision is ready, you will receive an email notification that prompts you to log in to the Application Status page for the decision.

Log in to Your Application

International and Homeschooled Applicants

Students who live outside of the United States or who are homeschooled should reference our resources page for answers to common questions.

Visit Our Resources Page

Apply by November 10 for an Optional Online Interview

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, only applicants who apply by November 10, 2025, will be guaranteed an interview via our online webinar platform. Interviews are available to students in all grade levels. Applicants solely interested in single course enrollment are not eligible for an interview.

Applicants and their families will be required to be on camera for the interview. You can only schedule an interview once you have submitted your application with required materials. Applicants who submit a completed application after November 10, 2025 are welcome to submit an optional video essay in their applications.

NOTE: Recommendations and test scores do not need to be submitted until the admission deadline on January 8, 2026. Interviews are not required.

Application Outcomes

Full Admission

Students admitted to Stanford OHS may enroll each subsequent year without reapplying, may change enrollment status, and may take any course offered at the school contingent on placement.

Admission Restricted to Mathematics/Science or Humanities

Students may be admitted to take courses in only one subject area. Acceptance into courses outside that focus area in a subsequent year requires reapplication.

Admission Restricted to an Enrollment Status

Students may be restricted to part-time or single-course enrollment when the Admissions Committee believes that they may benefit from a reduced course load. Reapplication is required to change that status.

Admission Without Graduation

Students who apply to Stanford OHS late in their high-school careers may be unable to graduate from the school. The Admissions Committee may make this determination after an assessment of the student's academic record.

Waitlist

Students invited to the waitlist receive a final application decision by the end of June, determined by available space for new students. Only students who applied by stated deadlines may be invited to join the waitlist.

Deny

Admission to Stanford OHS is competitive, and we cannot accept all qualified students.

Take the Tour of Stanford OHS

Virtual Tour