Our Child Has Top Grades — What Do Nueva, Menlo School, Crystal Springs Uplands and Sacred Heart Each Look For, and Should We Buy Before Decisions Come Out?

Quick Answer

The four schools are not looking for the same kind of strong student. Nueva looks for a child who asks their own questions when there is no right answer. Menlo School looks for active participation. Crystal Springs Uplands looks for a child who shines in a small community. Sacred Heart looks for a family that shares its commitment to faith and service. Decisions come out around March 12, 2027. The house should wait for them.

That is the core judgment of an October 2026 video by Marie Wang, co-founder of MK Group, on her YouTube channel (@MarieWang, 44K+ subscribers). Marie is also a parent. Her child attended BASIS Independent Silicon Valley, and she has talked about moving from private to public school (see that article). Most parents, she says, already know which schools are good. What worries them is placing a capable child in the wrong environment, where the advantage never compounds and the child spends every day catching up. Her sequence has three steps: decide which school fits the child, apply, and only then decide where to buy.

Who this article is for

• Families with a strong student who plan to apply to Nueva, Menlo School, Crystal Springs Uplands or Sacred Heart for the 2027–28 school year
• Families already touring Peninsula homes who want to know whether to buy before admissions decisions or after
• Families planning a year or two of public school while they keep applying, who need to know which grades actually have openings

Three core dimensions

Dimension one: start with how your child learns, then ask what the school does best

Marie's first rule is to ignore the rankings at the start. Ask what the school does best, and whether that is what your child loves and needs right now. A curious child who likes to build things and resists having every step laid out may light up at an open, inquiry-driven, project-based school. A child who needs clear structure, a steady pace set by the teacher and time to feel secure may find that same openness stressful. A school with a fast academic pace works the same way: an accelerant for one child, a burden for another. By Marie's account, tuition at these schools often runs $50,000, $60,000, even $70,000 a year. Her point is that the question isn't whether it's expensive but whether the school fits. For a broader comparison of philosophy, tuition and parent community, see how to choose among Silicon Valley's top private schools. This article covers only what each admissions process screens for.

Dimension two: the grade you apply for decides whether there is a seat

These schools do not take new students in every grade. Nueva's admissions pages list its main entry points as PreK, kindergarten, and grades 5, 6 and 9. Other grades average 0 to 3 openings a year, and grades 11 and 12 are considered only in special circumstances. Menlo School's main entry points are grades 6 and 9. It accepts transfer applications for grades 7, 8, 10 and 11, but does not consider mid-year transfers. In Marie's experience, the surest path is to enter at an entry grade and move up from there. Seats in other grades are scarce and usually come off the waitlist. A year or two of public school first can work. Plan it around the next entry grade.

Dimension three: the decision date sets the purchase date

Nueva, Menlo School and Crystal Springs Uplands all release decisions on March 12, 2027, and families must reply by March 19. That is seven days. Private schools do not admit by attendance zone. Living near campus makes the school run easier, but it does not make admission more likely. Marie's advice: if your child's school is not settled, avoid buying in October or November. And if the answer turns out to be no, know in advance whether the assigned public school works as a fallback.

What each school's admissions process actually screens for

The Nueva School: does the child ask their own questions?

Marie calls Nueva a true gifted school. She cautions parents that gifted does not mean very high test scores. Per Nueva's admissions pages, applicants for PreK through grade 8 submit Wechsler results: WPPSI-IV or WISC-V by age for PreK through grade 4, and WISC-V for grades 5–8, due January 5, 2027. For the upper school (grades 9–12), the pages state that the ISEE and SSAT are neither required nor accepted, and no IQ assessment is needed. Applicants attend an on-campus activity session instead: hands-on collaborative work with teachers, plus a math exercise and a timed writing sample. Per the same pages, applicants who complete the first-step materials by November 3, 2026 are guaranteed a place in an on-campus activity session.

In Marie's reading, Nueva is watching whether a child poses their own questions, can take on a task with no single right answer, and grows more excited or more anxious when the teacher has not mapped out every step. For a child who keeps asking why, enjoys hypotheses, likes to design and make things, and will dig into one project for a long time, Nueva deserves serious consideration. For a child who leans on right answers, needs a parent checking homework every night and panics at open-ended projects, her advice is not to apply on reputation alone.

Menlo School: does the child want to take part?

Marie describes Menlo School as unusually well-rounded and, in her view, one of Atherton's most sought-after schools. Per Menlo School's admissions pages, the school serves grades 6–12. Local applicants must take the school's STAR assessment, with multiple-choice math and reading plus a writing sample, and no other standardized test can substitute. Grade 9 applicants also complete a student interview, which the pages describe as required. Marie's reading is that the school uses many points of contact to judge whether a child fits its philosophy.

The fit is a child who wants to be involved: beyond academics, willing to play a sport, speak up, show up for campus activities and work alongside classmates, with a wide range of interests. Marie is direct about the other case. If a family's goal is singular — the strongest academics, the fastest pace, the most direct path to college — she would point them to Harker, where Menlo School may not be the best match.

Crystal Springs Uplands: will the child shine in a small community?

Crystal Springs Uplands runs its middle school (grades 6–8) in Belmont and its upper school (grades 9–12) in Hillsborough. Its admissions pages state that the ISEE and SSAT are not required for 2027–28. The application includes student statements, a timed written response, a student interview (an in-person group interview for middle school, an online group discussion for upper school) and a parent video interview.

Marie thinks more families should take a close look at this school. It is small and selective, academically demanding, and no child gets lost in the crowd; ties between teachers and students run close. The trade-off is scale: fewer resources spread across fewer programs, relatively few competition offerings and a smaller peer group. The question she leaves parents with: will your child shine in a small setting, or feel short of room?

Sacred Heart Schools: does the family share the school's values?

Sacred Heart Schools describes itself as a Catholic, independent school founded by the Society of the Sacred Heart. It is coeducational, runs from preschool through grade 12, and sits in Atherton. For the upper school (grades 9–12), its pages state that standardized tests are not required, with materials due January 5, 2027.

Many parents see Sacred Heart as gentler and more well-rounded, and Marie thinks that is partly right. The more important point is the weight the school places on faith, service and community, so whether the family shares that philosophy matters a great deal. For a family that wants strong athletics alongside academics (Marie singles out Sacred Heart's athletics), a commitment to community service and leadership that develops over time, the school is worth serious consideration. A family that does not want religious coursework or a service ethos in its child's education should think carefully. Marie adds that schools like this in the U.S. do not require students to be Catholic, and non-Catholic families can apply.

The numbers: four schools, four screens, one decision date

The short version: parent materials for 2027–28 at all four schools are due January 5, 2027. Nueva, Menlo School and Crystal Springs Uplands release decisions on March 12, with replies due by March 19; Sacred Heart's pages say decisions come in March. By Marie's account, tuition runs $50,000 to $70,000 a year. The buying sequence has three steps: choose the school, apply, and decide on the house after decisions are in.

Basis: campuses, grades, assessments and dates come from each school's admissions pages (reviewed October 2026) and may change each year; the schools' websites and the Ravenna application system govern. "Best fit" reflects Marie Wang's views in the video, not the schools' official language. Admission rates and score thresholds are not covered.

What to remember: the same high-achieving child can get very different outcomes across these four screens. Nueva's upper school does not accept the ISEE or SSAT at all, and Crystal Springs Uplands does not require them for 2027–28. A high score cannot stand in for how a child comes across in activities, writing and interviews. The second thing to remember is March 12. Before that date, a family does not know which campus the child will travel to every day for the next several years. After it, the family has seven days to reply. Where to buy should wait for that date.

October to March: run the application and the home search in parallel

Marie says many parents research schools with great care, then stall on timing. Based on the schools' published dates, the 2027–28 calendar runs roughly like this:

1. September 2026: applications open. Menlo School opened on September 1; Sacred Heart opened in early September.
2. October to December: visits, assessments and interviews. Attend open houses and information sessions, and book assessments and interviews. At Nueva, complete the first-step materials by November 3 to guarantee a place in an on-campus activity session.
3. January 5, 2027: parent materials due. Same day at all four schools. At Menlo School, transcripts, recommendations and the STAR assessment are due by January 31.
4. March 12: decisions released; replies due by March 19. Nueva, Menlo School and Crystal Springs Uplands release on the same day; Sacred Heart's pages say March.

From October on, Marie suggests working through a second track at the same time. Which grade are you applying for? What drop-off and pick-up times can the family actually manage each day? Is there a backup school if the answer is no? Could the public school serve as that backup? Would you move for a school? Where would the family live if the child is admitted, and where if not? With those answers settled, the seven days after decisions in March are enough to act.

Campus geography is the hardest constraint to change on this track. Menlo School and Sacred Heart are both in Atherton. Nueva's PreK–8 campus is in Hillsborough and its upper school is in San Mateo. From Cupertino or Los Altos, the daily drive is long. Once the house is bought, the school run, the commute and enrollment all follow from it, and they are hard to undo. Marie says she has lived with a punishing commute herself and knows how draining the daily drive becomes. For morning rush-hour routes and school bus stops from each community to these campuses, see where to buy when your child attends a Peninsula private school. If the plan becomes public school first while you keep applying, public school assignments around Atherton and Menlo Park are complicated; start with this explainer.

What MK Group sees on the ground: when an off-market home appears, check it against the school calendar first

In the video, Marie describes a family MK Group worked with. They had school-age children, and the children's schooling and the purchase were tied together. For several weeks the open market in Palo Alto showed them nothing that truly fit. Marie was careful about the distinction: there were homes for sale, just none that suited this family.

Marie Wang and Kevin Mo then found an opportunity through an off-market channel. The team did not push the clients to act simply because the home was off-market. They first laid the school, the neighborhood, the floor plan and the timeline side by side, and asked whether this choice would genuinely hold up in the family's life for years to come. The family bought in Old Palo Alto, a home north of $10 million (the full deal review is in this MK case). Marie uses the purchase to make one point. A family with children is buying more than a house. It is buying the daily routine it will live with for years: what time everyone leaves in the morning, who handles school pick-up, where weekends are spent, who lives next door.

Common Misconceptions

Misconception 1: "My child's grades are strong enough for any of these four"

The four schools screen in very different ways. Nueva's upper school does not accept the ISEE or SSAT and looks at the on-campus activity session and writing. Menlo School uses its own STAR assessment plus a grade 9 interview. Crystal Springs Uplands does not require the ISEE or SSAT for 2027–28 and looks at student statements and group interviews. Sacred Heart also weighs the family's alignment with its values. Grades are one threshold. They are not the whole picture.

Misconception 2: "Nueva is a gifted school, so a high IQ score settles it"

The Wechsler assessment is only one part of a PreK–8 application, and Nueva's pages state plainly that upper school applicants need no IQ assessment. Marie's caution is that Nueva cares more about whether a child can pose their own questions and handle tasks with no single right answer. A child who leans on right answers and panics at open-ended projects may not have an easy time there, however high the score.

Misconception 3: "Buying a house next to the school will improve our chances"

Private schools do not admit by attendance zone or by address. Living close changes the daily drive. It has no bearing on admission. Buying first and applying second can leave a family in a home near Atherton while the child ends up on a campus in San Mateo or Hillsborough.

Misconception 4: "We can start in public school and switch to private whenever we like"

Public school first can work, but aim for an entry grade. Nueva's main entry points are PreK, kindergarten, and grades 5, 6 and 9, with an average of 0 to 3 openings a year in other grades. Menlo School's main entry points are grades 6 and 9, and it does not consider mid-year transfers. Miss the entry grade and the usual route is the waitlist.

Misconception 5: "Sacred Heart is Catholic, so non-Catholic families can't apply"

Sacred Heart's official identity is a Catholic, independent school, and faith, service and community are central to its educational philosophy. As Marie understands it, schools like this in the U.S. do not require students to be Catholic, and non-Catholic families can apply. The real question is whether the family is comfortable with religious coursework and a service ethos as part of the child's education.

Next Steps

1. Start with an honest read of how your child learns. Do open-ended tasks excite them or make them anxious? Do they want to take part beyond academics? Would they shine in a small community or feel short of room? Does the family share a commitment to faith and service? Use these four questions to narrow the list to two or three schools.
2. Confirm whether the grade you are applying for is an entry grade. At Nueva, that means PreK, kindergarten, and grades 5, 6 and 9; at Menlo School, grades 6 and 9. If it is not an entry grade, prepare for the waitlist and line up a public school fallback early.
3. Put the key dates on the family calendar. Nueva first-step materials by November 3; parent materials due January 5, 2027; Menlo School transcripts, recommendations and STAR completed by January 31; decisions on March 12, with replies due by March 19.
4. Tour homes now, but hold any offer until March decisions are in. Prepare two housing plans, one if the child is admitted and one if not, each paired with its public school fallback.
5. Drive the route from each candidate neighborhood to the target campus at morning rush hour. The Atherton, Hillsborough, San Mateo and Belmont campuses sit in different directions, and the school run should be measured day by day, over years.