HSPT test dates 2026, by diocese and region
There is no national HSPT date: each diocese or school sets its own. In 2026 the busiest days are Saturday, November 21 (Cincinnati, Dayton, Detroit, St. Louis, Baltimore) and Saturday, December 5 (Chicago, the San Francisco Bay Area, Kansas City, Washington DC, Detroit, Indianapolis).
Updated October 23, 2026 · by AdmitTest
Scholastic Testing Service (STS), which publishes the HSPT, does not set national test dates: each school or diocese chooses its own. The dates below were collected on October 23, 2026 from diocese and school pages, each linked in the Source column. Dates change and new ones are added, so check with the high school your child is applying to before you plan around any of them.
The next dates
2026 HSPT dates, day by day
Saturday, November 21 and Saturday, December 5 are the two days the most regions share.
| Date | Where |
|---|---|
| Sat, Sep 12, 2026 | Indianapolis (Brebeuf Jesuit) |
| Sat, Oct 3, 2026 | Philadelphia (at Pope John Paul II HS and Little Flower) |
| Sat, Oct 24, 2026 | Cleveland (Saint Ignatius HS) |
| Sat, Nov 7, 2026 | Detroit, Cleveland (Saint Ignatius HS), Indianapolis (Brebeuf Jesuit) |
| Sat, Nov 14, 2026 | Baltimore, Arlington (at Bishop Ireton, for students outside diocesan schools) |
| Tue, Nov 17, 2026 | Baltimore (archdiocesan Catholic 8th graders, at their own school) |
| Sat, Nov 21, 2026 | Cincinnati, Dayton, Baltimore, Detroit, St. Louis (SLUH) |
| Tue, Nov 24, 2026 | Cleveland (Saint Ignatius HS) |
| Wed, Dec 2, 2026 | Washington, DC (students in ADW Catholic schools) |
| Sat, Dec 5, 2026 | Chicago, Washington, DC, Detroit, Kansas City (Rockhurst HS), Indianapolis (Brebeuf Jesuit), San Francisco Bay Area (St. Ignatius College Prep) |
| Sat, Dec 12, 2026 | Washington, DC, St. Louis (SLUH), San Francisco Bay Area (St. Ignatius College Prep) (accommodations or make-up) |
| Sat, Jan 9, 2027 | Washington, DC (make-up), Detroit, Kansas City (Rockhurst HS) |
2026 HSPT dates by region, with sources
"How sure" matters: a diocese page that states the date and the year is the best source; a school page whose year we had to infer from the weekday or from its 2026 deadlines is a good sign, not a confirmation.
| Region | 2026 dates | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago (Archdiocese), all Catholic high schools | Sat, Dec 5, 2026 | Registration opens Nov 13. $25 fee. | School page (Marist HS); year inferred from its 2026 deadlines |
| Cincinnati (Archdiocese), area Catholic high schools | Sat, Nov 21, 2026 | Registration Aug 1 to Nov 18. $30 fee. | School pages (St. Xavier, Elder) |
| Dayton (Archdiocese of Cincinnati) | Sat, Nov 21, 2026 | School page (Carroll HS) | |
| Washington, DC (Archdiocese of Washington) | Wed, Dec 2, 2026 (students in ADW Catholic schools) Sat, Dec 5, 2026 Sat, Dec 12, 2026 Sat, Jan 9, 2027 (make-up) | $70 fee. | Archdiocese page |
| Baltimore (Archdiocese) | Sat, Nov 14, 2026 Tue, Nov 17, 2026 (archdiocesan Catholic 8th graders, at their own school) Sat, Nov 21, 2026 | Registration opened Sep 15, 2026. | Archdiocese page; it gives the dates without a year |
| Arlington (Diocese) | Sat, Nov 14, 2026 (at Bishop Ireton, for students outside diocesan schools) | Not confirmed: seen only in a search snippet, the diocese page did not open | |
| Detroit (Archdiocese) | Sat, Nov 7, 2026 Sat, Nov 21, 2026 Sat, Dec 5, 2026 Sat, Jan 9, 2027 | One sitting per student. | School pages (U of D Jesuit, Marian HS) |
| Cleveland (Saint Ignatius HS) | Sat, Oct 24, 2026 Sat, Nov 7, 2026 Tue, Nov 24, 2026 | No diocese-wide page found. | School page; year inferred |
| St. Louis (SLUH) | Sat, Nov 21, 2026 Sat, Dec 12, 2026 | School page; year inferred | |
| Kansas City (Rockhurst HS) | Sat, Dec 5, 2026 Sat, Jan 9, 2027 | School page | |
| Indianapolis (Brebeuf Jesuit) | Sat, Sep 12, 2026 Sat, Nov 7, 2026 Sat, Dec 5, 2026 | Search snippet of the school page | |
| San Francisco Bay Area (St. Ignatius College Prep) | Sat, Dec 5, 2026 Sat, Dec 12, 2026 (accommodations or make-up) | Eight other Bay Area Catholic high schools also give the HSPT and share scores. | School page |
| Philadelphia (Archdiocese) | Sat, Oct 3, 2026 (at Pope John Paul II HS and Little Flower) | Archdiocesan 8th graders test at their own school. | School page |
Not posted yet, or not found
- Omaha: The 2026-27 date was not posted when we checked. The last cycle tested on Jan 10, 2026. Source.
- Los Angeles (Loyola HS): The 2027 date was not posted when we checked. The last cycle tested on Jan 10, 17 and 24, 2026; Los Angeles schools usually test in January. Source.
- No 2026 page found: Milwaukee, Louisville, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, Columbus and Toledo. Ask the high school directly.
New York City: a different test
The Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens use the TACHS, not the HSPT. The Archdiocese of New York gives it remotely and online on Friday, November 6, 2026 (registration August 24 to October 28, $78 fee). A few independent Catholic schools in the city still use the HSPT, for example Loyola School, so check each school on your list.
How registration usually works
- You register with the high school or the diocese, not with STS. Fees and deadlines are theirs: $25 in Chicago (registration opens November 13), $30 in Cincinnati (registration August 1 to November 18), $70 in Washington DC, according to the pages linked above.
- In diocesan cooperatives one sitting can serve several schools. STS's manual says a student can code up to three high-school choices; the Philadelphia archdiocese, for example, sends scores to up to three archdiocesan high schools.
- Students already in a Catholic school sometimes test at their own school on a separate day (Washington DC on December 2, Baltimore on November 17, Philadelphia's archdiocesan 8th graders).
- Accommodations are set by each school. STS supplies large-print materials, and Braille and audio versions on request; ask the school early.
What to do with the weeks before your date
Count back from your date. With two weeks or more, there is time for one full timed practice test, a week of short daily practice on the weakest sections, and a second full test. Our HSPT preparation guide has a day-by-day two-week plan.
Free full-length HSPT practice test. 298 questions in five timed sections, no sign-up. Your child's score by section and by skill when it ends.
Start the free testCommon questions
When is the HSPT in 2026?
Each diocese or school sets its own date. The busiest days in fall 2026 are Saturday, November 21 (for example Cincinnati and Dayton) and Saturday, December 5 (for example Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area). Washington DC, Detroit and Kansas City also have a date on January 9, 2027. Always confirm with the high school your child is applying to.
Is there a national HSPT test date?
No. Scholastic Testing Service, the publisher, says each school or diocese chooses its own testing date.
Which grade takes the HSPT in fall 2026?
Students in 8th grade who are applying for 9th grade in fall 2027 (the class of 2031).
Do New York City Catholic high schools use the HSPT?
Mostly not. The Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens use a different test, the TACHS (Archdiocese of New York: online, Friday, November 6, 2026). A few independent Catholic schools in New York City still use the HSPT, so check each school.
Can my child take the HSPT more than once?
STS recommends taking it only once. A school may allow a retest case by case, and Detroit, for example, allows one sitting per student.