Loyola High School: A Full Week of Faith, Work, Service, and Los Angeles Traffic

An ordinary school day

Five classes, a rotating week, and a real final help period

A standard day runs from 8:15 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Boys attend five 55-minute classes, a 17-minute recess, a 37-minute lunch, and Academic Time from 2:15 to 2:45.

Other days use four periods for faculty meetings, liturgy, rallies, Cura programming, or half-day schedules. Seven courses rotate, so a family should ask to see an actual two-week freshman calendar.

A legacy FAQ still describes four 60-minute periods. The current bell schedule shows five 55-minute periods on a standard day.

Use the current schedule and verify the rotation for Fall 2027.

Phones and smartwatches must be powered off and stored inside the backpack. Headphones and earbuds are normally prohibited inside buildings.

The phone consequences become stricter after each confiscation.

The school publishes no trustworthy nightly homework range. Its advanced humanities courses include substantial writing and research.

Ask how work changes when honors courses, athletics, service, and travel meet in one week.

Jesuit and all-boys life

Catholic formation is part of the timetable, not a backdrop

Every student takes theology in every semester. Schoolwide liturgies are required, and a 7:15 a.m. Mass is available daily.

Reconciliation is offered during Advent and Lent.

Freshman Retreat and Sophomore Retreat are required. Junior and senior retreats are strongly encouraged.

A transfer retreat helps new students enter the community before classes begin.

Loyola welcomes students from different faith backgrounds, but the program remains explicitly Catholic and Christ-centered. Non-Catholic families should ask what participation means in theology, prayer, liturgy, and retreat reflection.

A Big Brother program pairs seniors with freshmen beginning around orientation and retreat. That can make a large school feel smaller, but families should ask how mentors are chosen, trained, and supervised.

Liturgy days require a dress shirt, tie, dress pants, belt, dress socks, and dress shoes. Regular days also follow a defined Loyola dress code.

These are ordinary expectations, not occasional ceremony.

The word ‘brotherhood’ is meaningful only when families can see how boys treat one another. Ask how Loyola teaches healthy masculinity, friendship, sexuality, consent, and respect across difference.

Courses and academic pace

There is real breadth, but advanced placement is earned

Graduation requires eight semesters each of English and theology. Boys also complete six semesters each of one language, math, science, and social science, plus arts, PE, Health, Senior Magis, and Senior Project.

A typical freshman takes seven courses. The mix may include English I, placed math, Physics 9, first-year language, Theology I, PE or Health, and enrichment or arts work.

Honors and AP courses are not open enrollment. Departments weigh overall and subject GPA, teacher or counselor recommendations, placement work, and course-specific thresholds.

The department makes the final decision.

Loyola may remove a student from advanced work if his weighted GPA falls below 3.0 or the course drops below B-. A teacher or counselor may also recommend a change.

The catalogue shows broad advanced work in English, history, science, math, computer science, languages, art, and music. AP Seminar and AP Research create one selective research path.

One course is called ‘AP Business with Personal Finance,’ which is not a conventional College Board AP title. Do not quote an AP-course total until Loyola confirms current authorizations.

The SARA test-preparation program also deserves a question. Engagement counts for 5% of freshman and sophomore English and math grades, and higher performers may enter MERIT.

Service that grows each year

The current handbook tells a clearer story than the marketing pages

The current handbook assigns 5 service hours in Grade 9 through on-campus composting. Grade 10 requires 25 hours, including HSPT-8 tutoring and one approved community event.

Grade 11 requires 40 hours with an approved partner or immersion. Grade 12 requires 72 direct-service hours in a dedicated Senior Project period, plus formation and a final reflection.

Loyola calls its framework the ‘Two Feet of Love.’ Students connect direct charity with attention to systems and justice.

Published immersions include Los Angeles, Tijuana, and the Nogales border region.

Other Loyola pages publish different totals, including 100-plus or 120-plus hours and a differently described Senior Project. Use the detailed current handbook, then ask the school to reconcile its public claims.

The public sources do not give immersion prices, capacity, selection rules, or aid. They also do not show which hours need family transportation outside school.

Learning and emotional support

There are several doors for help, with a clear ceiling

Each student receives a counselor at admission and normally keeps that person for four years. The public staff list includes ten counselors, two learning specialists, and a Head of Mental Health.

Counselors help with course planning, time management, teacher communication, personal concerns, and the college process. Loyola does not publish counselor caseloads or meeting frequency.

The Learning Center accepts psychoeducational evaluations, IEPs, and 504 plans. It may create a Loyola accommodation plan and help families request College Board or ACT accommodations.

Published help includes tutoring, organizational and test-taking support, executive-function work, extended time, and reduced-distraction testing. Loyola may also refer families to outside assessment, therapy, or tutoring.

This is not a full special-education program. Loyola says some needs may exceed its program.

It does not publish service frequency, specialist caseloads, remediation depth, or the cost of outside care.

The Head of Mental Health offers student meetings, faculty consultation, and outside-provider coordination. The public page does not promise ongoing psychotherapy or explain after-hours crisis coverage.

The library, Learning Center, and Wellness Center have been affected by renovation. The library page says quiet study moved temporarily to Otero.

Verify which spaces will be ready for Fall 2027.

Life beyond class

The choices are broad; the current counts are not tidy

Published options include student council, Speech and Debate, robotics, The Loyalist, broadcasting, theatre, and club sports. Loyola’s own pages variously claim 70-plus, 80-plus, or 100-plus clubs.

The 2026–27 club booklet was still marked as forthcoming when reviewed. Ask for the live roster, meeting times, and any participation or travel fees.

The official athletics site lists 13 varsity sports. School marketing also reports more than 35 teams and many CIF titles.

Those figures show scale, not a promise that every freshman makes his preferred roster.

Hannon Theatre welcomes Loyola boys and girls from other Southern California schools as actors and crew. Loyola says the separate Hannon site is independently operated, so use the school page for policy claims.

The urban campus combines older buildings with recent work. Named spaces include Caruso Hall, the chapel, Leavey Gym, fields, Marian Garden, and Hayden Circle.

Some learning spaces remain in transition.

Families still need practical answers about team cuts, off-campus venues, rehearsal hours, equipment, trips, accessibility, and extra fees. A long activity list does not answer those questions.

The Los Angeles equation

Test the ride home after practice, not only the morning tour

Loyola sits at 1901 Venice Boulevard in Pico-Union. The school says students come from more than 190 ZIP codes.

That shows reach, not an easy daily trip.

Current buses serve Pasadena, two South Bay routes, Westwood and Cheviot Hills, Westchester, the Westside and Palisades, and the West Valley. Morning, afternoon, and late-afternoon runs are listed.

The 2026–27 annual bus price is $4,450. Seats are limited and first-come.

Loyola may change or cancel routes, and one-way arrangements are considered only after registration closes.

A legacy page still quotes $2,500. Use the current transportation page and ask for the 2027–28 price, stop list, late-run rules, and recent capacity history.

Metro and TAP are also encouraged. Students may park free with a permit.

Rideshare pickup uses the Dewey lot at 1322 Dewey Avenue.

Run the route at arrival, dismissal, and late-practice times. A trip that looks manageable at Open House may feel very different after a game, rehearsal, or major assignment.

What the family pays

The bus alone moves the first-year floor above $37,000

Fall 2027 tuition is not public. For 2026–27, Loyola lists $32,822 for Grade 9, $32,767 for Grade 10, $32,732 for Grade 11, and $32,917 for Grade 12.

The handbook lists tuition at $31,882 and a $560 nonrefundable enrollment deposit. It also lists grade-specific charges for insurance, parent groups, retreats, orientation, and graduation.

The grade totals appear to include the $560 deposit, so do not add it twice. Ask the Business Office for a sample new-family invoice before building the budget.

A Grade 9 family using the current bus starts at $37,272: the $32,822 published total plus $4,450 transportation. That is a floor, not an all-in estimate.

The floor still excludes the $75 application, required MacBook, books, meals, Cub Cash, clothing, activities, sports, trips, and optional programs. Loyola publishes no complete sample family budget.

Loyola reports $6,145,291 in need-based aid for more than 370 students in 2026–27. About 30% receive aid, and the reported average award is $16,608.

The school calls admission need-blind. Aid must be renewed annually, and continued support depends on reapplication plus acceptable academics and conduct.

For 2027–28, FACTS opens November 1 and is due January 26. Freshman aid arrives with admission.

Returning and transfer aid is expected in April or May.

Merit scholarships exist, but names, amounts, counts, criteria, and renewal rules are not public. The school’s roughly $5,000 institutional subsidy is a budget claim, not an individual grant.

Fall 2027 Grade 9 entry

The process has three useful checkpoints

The Grade 9 application opens October 21, 2026. Loyola suggests finishing the first group of tasks by December 15, but calls that date a planning target rather than the final deadline.

That first group includes a Finalsite account, the $75 fee, a photo, complete Grade 6 and 7 records, and any standardized testing from those years. Families also choose one Loyola HSPT date.

By January 15, the family submits a parent statement. The student completes an interest form, an essay, and three videos.

He also requests recommendations from his principal, Grade 8 English teacher, and Grade 8 math teacher.

Grade 8 first-semester or major-period grades are due February 7. All recommendations must arrive by then.

Loyola says a quarter or midsemester report is not enough.

The public pages disagree on optional recommendations. The application page allows up to three, while the admissions FAQ says two.

Follow the portal and ask Admissions before sending extras.

Testing, visits, and student voice

The HSPT is required; a traditional interview is not listed

Grade 9 applicants take the HSPT. Loyola offers it on January 9, 16, and 23, 2027.

A student may test once at Loyola, or forward a score from another testing school.

The school publishes no minimum score, usual range, weighting, make-up plan, or accommodations process. It also does not explain how the videos are prompted or scored.

No applicant or parent interview appears on the live checklist. The essay and three videos give the committee direct student voice, but they should not be described as a formal interview.

Families can attend a Grade 8 Shadow and Activities Day on October 12. Admission webinars run October 14 and December 2.

Open House is November 8 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Small-group tours appear periodically through the inquiry process. The July 10, 2027 Pre-HSPT is preparation for rising eighth graders.

It is not the admission test.

Grades 10 and 11

Transfer is a narrow door with a timing problem for aid

Loyola considers transfers only for Grades 10 and 11. It says a small number enter each year, but does not publish openings by grade.

There is no Grade 12 transfer route.

An applicant needs a reasonably similar curriculum, at least a 3.0 academic GPA, and no academic grade below C. Transfer applicants do not take standardized admission testing.

The transfer application opens February 12, 2027 and is due April 7. The fee is $75.

Loyola promises a decision no later than May 1, followed by a one-week enrollment window.

The same page also says forms must ‘be sent no later than May 1.’ That phrase conflicts with the April deadline and May decision date.

Ask Admissions what it means before relying on it.

Aid applications are due January 26, before the transfer portal opens. A transfer family needing aid should ask whether it must submit FACTS before knowing that a seat exists.

The public page does not list transfer essays, recommendations, interviews, visits, credit placement, or theology and service catch-up. It also does not separate Grade 10 from Grade 11 availability.