HSPT Test Dates

Regions below are ordered by when their testing season arrives. Confirmed dates show a live countdown; where a diocese hasn't published yet, we note the pattern from recent years so you can plan, and update this page when the official date lands. Last season's dates stay archived under each region to help you spot each area's rhythm for the season ahead.

Jump to: Philadelphia · New York · New Jersey · Connecticut · Florida · Washington, DC · Chicago · Cincinnati · Phoenix · Portland · Los Angeles · Bay Area

Philadelphia

The earliest season on this page. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia runs a single collaborative HSPT for its 15 high schools, taken once, with scores sent to up to three archdiocesan schools. The area's independent Catholic schools set their own October–November dates.

• Archdiocesan collaborative HSPT: 2026–27 dates TBA. Pattern from recent years: eighth graders at archdiocesan and Independence Mission elementary schools test at their own school in late September; the main date for everyone else falls in October (free), with later fall make-up dates for a small fee.
• Independent schools (St. Joseph's Prep, La Salle College High School, Devon Prep, Merion Mercy Academy): 2026–27 dates TBA; typically October–November.

HSPT prep for Philadelphia families →

New York

In New York the HSPT belongs to the selective independent Catholic schools (diocesan schools use the TACHS), and the season runs in November.

• Regis High School (entrance and scholarship exam; one sitting can send scores to Xavier, Fordham Prep, Loyola School, and St. Peter's Prep): Saturday, November 14, 2026
• Archdiocese of Newark COOP/HSPT (St. Peter's Prep and other New Jersey schools; Manhattan schools coordinate with this sitting): Friday, November 6, 2026; see New Jersey below.
• Other schools (Xavier, Xaverian, Fontbonne Hall, St. Joseph Hill) set their own dates; verify with each school.

HSPT prep for New York families →

New Jersey

North Jersey runs one coordinated sitting, the COOP/HSPT, covering the Archdiocese of Newark, the Diocese of Paterson, and Rockland County, NY; one November test covers every participating school, including Bergen Catholic, Don Bosco Prep, Paramus Catholic, and St. Peter's Prep. South Jersey's Diocese of Camden sets its own fall dates.

• Archdiocese of Newark & Diocese of Paterson COOP/HSPT: Friday, November 6, 2026
• Make-up date: Saturday, November 14, 2026
• Registration: opens September 1 at njcoopexam.org
• Diocese of Camden (Paul VI, Camden Catholic, Gloucester Catholic): fall dates set by the diocese; verify this season's dates directly.

HSPT prep for New Jersey families →

Connecticut

Connecticut's HSPT market centers on Fairfield County, where the Diocese of Bridgeport Testing Cooperative, Fairfield Prep, Notre Dame Prep, St. Joseph's, Immaculate, Kolbe Cathedral Prep, and Cardinal Kung Academy, shares one exam. Students test once at any Cooperative school and designate up to three additional Cooperative schools for scores; an applicant can only take the test once among Cooperative schools.

• Bridgeport Testing Cooperative: 2026–27 dates TBA. Pattern from recent years: two fall sittings, late October and early November, with a December make-up; register through the applicant's admissions account at the testing school.

HSPT prep for Connecticut families →

Florida

Three markets, two windows: the Gulf Coast tests in November, while Miami and Tampa Bay test in early December. Note that Belen Jesuit in Miami uses the ISEE, not the HSPT.

• Christopher Columbus High School (Miami): Saturday, December 5, 2026
• Other Archdiocese of Miami schools and Jesuit High School (Tampa): 2026–27 dates TBA; pattern from recent years: early December.
• Cardinal Mooney (Sarasota) and the Gulf Coast: 2026–27 dates TBA; the Gulf Coast tests in November, the earliest window in the state. Verify with the school.

HSPT prep for Florida families →

Washington, DC area

Three coordinating dioceses, three schedules. Northern Virginia tests first, then Washington and Baltimore in December.

Diocese of Arlington (Northern Virginia)

• Public and non-diocesan students: Saturday, November 14, 2026 at Bishop Ireton, Bishop O'Connell, St. Paul VI, and Saint John Paul the Great
• Diocesan elementary students: Thursday, December 3, 2026 at their own schools
• Weather chain: if November 14 is cancelled, testing moves to December 5, then December 12. Accommodations documentation is due November 13, 2026.

Archdiocese of Washington (DC & Maryland suburbs)

• 2026–27 dates TBA. Pattern from recent years: registration opens in early October; Catholic-school eighth graders test at their schools in early December; two Saturday dates follow in December, with a final January make-up.

Archdiocese of Baltimore

• Registration opens Tuesday, September 15, 2026 ($45, covering up to three Baltimore schools)
• Test dates TBA. Pattern from recent years: Catholic-school students test in mid-November; the main dates fall on the first two Saturdays of December.

HSPT prep for DC-area families →

Chicago

The Archdiocese of Chicago runs one citywide sitting on the first Saturday of December, administered at Catholic high schools across the archdiocese. Where a student tests matters here: several top schools, including St. Ignatius College Prep and Loyola Academy, consider only applicants who test on their campus, and scholarship consideration is commonly tied to testing at that school, so students should test at their first-choice school.

• Archdiocese of Chicago citywide HSPT: Saturday, December 5, 2026
• Registration: handled by each school in the fall; register and test at your first-choice school

HSPT prep for Chicago families →

Cincinnati

The Archdiocese of Cincinnati requires the HSPT of every 8th grade applicant and administers it on one archdiocese-wide date, the third Saturday of November, at Catholic high schools across the archdiocese. Students test at any school they're eligible to attend and designate up to three schools to receive scores; a school can only consider your child for admission, honors, or scholarships if it receives the scores, so designate every school you're applying to, including where you test.

• Archdiocese of Cincinnati HSPT: Saturday, November 21, 2026
• Registration: opens August 1 through the archdiocese's online portal ($30); deadline November 18, 2026
• Make-up date: offered for students who miss the main sitting; register through the archdiocese portal

HSPT prep for Cincinnati families →

Phoenix

The Valley's Catholic high schools, including Brophy College Preparatory and Xavier College Preparatory, administer the same HSPT on the same coordinated dates. Students test once, at one school, and scores are shared.

• Coordinated Phoenix administration: Saturday, December 5 and Saturday, December 12, 2026 (tentative, per Brophy)
• Registration: handled by each school; the fee varies by school, and one sitting shares scores with the others

HSPT prep for Phoenix families →

Portland

La Salle Catholic College Preparatory requires the HSPT of every eighth-grade applicant and hosts it in late January; students may test at any school and share scores with La Salle. St. Mary's Academy and Central Catholic also use the HSPT in early December, and Jesuit High School runs its own placement testing in the same window.

• Jesuit High School placement test: Friday, December 4 and Saturday, December 5, 2026
• St. Mary's Academy and Central Catholic: 2026–27 dates TBA. Pattern from recent years: early December.
• La Salle Catholic College Preparatory HSPT: 2026–27 date TBA. Pattern from recent years: hosted on campus in late January, with a priority application deadline in early January.

HSPT prep for Portland families →

Los Angeles

• 2027 dates TBA; announced in the fall. Generally LA Archdiocese high schools administer the HSPT in January, though some schools may test on other dates.

HSPT prep for Los Angeles families →

Bay Area

• St. Ignatius College Preparatory (San Francisco): Saturday, December 5, 2026
• Extended time & accommodations sitting at St. Ignatius: Saturday, December 12, 2026; reserve through the online application
• Other Bay Area Catholic high schools: 2026–27 dates TBA; schools set their own dates, generally in January, with San Francisco schools testing earlier in December. Verify directly with each testing school.

HSPT prep for Bay Area families →

School, diocese, and archdiocese names are referenced for informational purposes only. Saso Prep is an independent test-prep provider and is not affiliated with, authorized by, or endorsed by any of these schools, dioceses, or archdioceses. Test dates and policies change every year and can shift after publication; always verify directly with your testing school before making plans.