College Prep Boarding School in Southern California

Cate School:
Located one mile from the ocean, in the foothills of Santa Barbara County (90 minutes north west of Los Angeles), Southern California, Cate School is a coeducational college preparatory day & boarding school of 265 students offering grades 9-12. Founded in 1910, the School delivers a demanding academic program resulting in a breadth and depth of scholarly inquiry. In an intimate setting, students and teachers together pursue high ideals. Taught by faculty members who are passionate about their subjects and dedicated to ensuring that each student reaches his or her full potential, the coursework at Cate is both rigorous and engaging.

Through commitment, scholarship, companionship, and service, each member of the Cate community contributes to what our founder called: the spirit of this place...all compounded of beauty and virtue, quiet study, vigorous play, and hard work.

About Cate:
Cate is primarily a residential school; 85% of Cate students are boarders. The School strives to enroll exceptional students who bring a wide variety of skills, interests, and backgrounds to the Cate community. 

When considering applications, the admission committee, comprised of admission officers and faculty, reviews a student's previous record, recommendations from teachers, personal references, scores on the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT), extracurricular interests and strengths, and impressions and information obtained in the candidate's personal interview. 

Cate's student body is recognized as much for its talent—academic, artistic, and athletic—as it is for its warmth and vitality. We welcome qualified applicants for openings in ninth and tenth grades. A few exceptionally well-qualified students are accepted into the eleventh grade, and it is highly unusual for there to be an opening in the twelfth grade.

- While “dormitory” may come from the Latin “dormire”—to sleep—sleeping may be the least significant thing that happens there. The dorms at Cate are a place to unwind, study, talk to friends, listen to music, play games, and find time to be alone. Fellow students become friends, teammates, and counselors.

- The dorms are also home to Cate faculty and their families, and the bonds between students and teachers are built as much there as they are in the classrooms and on the playing fields.

International Students:
Cate welcomes applications from international students. Their applications are considered in the same pool as the domestic applicants and they are held to the same standard.

Because Cate does not offer courses in English as a Second Language, we expect all international students to be fluent in English. 19% of the current student body are international students hailing from 15 different countries.

Subjects & Activities include:
- Arts
- English
- Foreign Language
- History
- Human Development
- Mathematics
- Science
- Cross-Country
- Football
- Tennis
- Water Polo. and much more ...

Location:
Cate School is located just two miles from the Pacific Ocean in the rural back country of Carpinteria, California, a small town that is 20 minutes from beautiful Santa Barbara and 90 minutes from Los Angeles.

The campus, known as the Mesa, is set on 150 acres. Cate has eight dormitories, many with stunning views of the Santa Barbara Channel and Santa Ynez Mountains. Almost all students live in single rooms, most with balconies or patios.