Bay Area Private School Open Houses: Fall 2026 Dates

Open house season is the Bay Area's most polite competitive sport. Everyone smiles, the cookies are excellent, and someone's dad is already asking about college placement for a four-year-old. This page lists every fall 2026 open house, info session and tour date we could find for fall 2027 entry, across 54 private schools. We checked each school's own website on October 13, 2026, and nothing else.

The short version: most events run October through early December, and only 18 of the 54 schools post their dates publicly. Harker, Nueva, Menlo, Castilleja, College Prep and plenty of others keep them inside Ravenna, the admissions portal most Bay Area independent schools share. Where that's the case, we say so instead of guessing. Application deadlines live in our application deadline tracker.

Parent tip

Make a Ravenna account this week, even before you're sure. It's free, it's how most schools on this page take event sign-ups, and the popular slots go first. Window-shopping is allowed.

Open houses coming up

Every dated event, in order. Weekdays included, because Saturday 10am and Thursday 4:30pm are very different commitments. Tours with long date lists are in the school tables below.

October

November

December

January to March

Every school, by area

Find your shortlist here. Dates posted means the school lists them publicly. Tours only means no open house date, but a way in. Not public means dates exist, just not where you can see them without logging in. Sorted so the schools with dates come first.

San Francisco

Peninsula

Marin

South Bay

East Bay and Tri-Valley

How to get more out of an open house

1. Register even when it says optional. At many schools, that sign-up is also how admissions records that you came.
2. Go to the event for your entry grade. A kindergarten open house and a high school one can be different days on different campuses. International School of SF runs five.
3. Ask one question the brochure can't answer. Our favorite: what happened with the last family that left, and why?
4. Watch the kids, not the slideshow. The hallway between classes tells you more than the head of school's speech.
5. Drive it at drop-off time. The Saturday open house drive takes 20 minutes. The Tuesday 7:45am version is a different story.

Heads up

Some schools require a visit before they'll consider your application. Synapse wants its info session first, Presidio Knolls requires one on-campus session, and Seven Hills requires a parent tour. Check before you plan to just skip it.

Public options with their own calendars

Not private, but often on the same shortlist. Neither runs a traditional open house, so here's how they work instead.

What changed

Dates move and new events get added all fall. We recheck through December and log every change here.

What parents ask about private school open houses

Do I have to attend an open house to apply?

Not usually, but some schools require a visit of some kind. Synapse asks families to attend an info session first, Presidio Knolls requires one on-campus info session, and Seven Hills requires at least one parent tour. Most other schools treat events as optional, though at selective schools a visit is a good way to show real interest.

Why can't I find open house dates for Harker, Nueva or Menlo?

Because they post them inside Ravenna, the admissions portal most Bay Area independent schools use, not on their public websites. Create a free Ravenna account, add the school, and its events appear. Popular slots fill early, so it's worth doing in October even if you haven't decided where to apply.

What's the difference between an open house and a tour?

An open house is a big group event, often on a weekend, with talks from the head of school, teachers and students. A tour is a small group, usually on a school day, so you see real classes in progress. If you can only do one at your top school, the tour usually shows you more.

Should I bring my child?

It depends on the event. Some are built for kids, like Crowden's playdates, Hiba Academy's family fun day and École Bilingue de Berkeley's lower school open house. Others are adults only, including Sterne's info sessions and Seven Hills' parent tours. When the listing doesn't say, ask admissions before you bring a restless five-year-old.

When should we start visiting schools?

October and November, ideally. Most events run October through early December, and most applications are due in early January. Visiting early leaves time for a second look, plus any testing or interviews, before the holidays swallow December. Seven Hills' last tour before its deadline is January 13.

Can we still visit after the January deadlines?

Yes, at some schools. French American School of Silicon Valley has open houses on January 23 and March 6, Bayhill runs tours through March 23, and École Bilingue de Berkeley offers group tours into late February. Schools with rolling admission, like Charles Armstrong and East Bay German, take visits year-round.