Long story short.

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Long story short.

Quick Facts

Founded in 1910, Cate is a four-year, coeducational college preparatory boarding school in Southern California. We look for exceptional and motivated students who want to fully immerse themselves in a challenging educational experience.

Our mission: 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.”

Location

Carpinteria, CA
5 minutes to the beach
15 minutes to Santa Barbara
90 minutes to Los Angeles
150-acre campus

Student Body

  • Total students: 298 (229 boarders / 69 day)
  • Boarding students from outside California: 56%
  • Boarding students from abroad: 17%
  • Students of color: 54%
  • Students who receive need-based financial aid: 28%
  • Financial aid allocated for 2017-18: $4,070,000
  • 16 foreign nations represented in student body 2019-20: Australia, Austria, Canada, China, El Salvador, Ghana, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Japan, Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand.
  • 25 states represented in student body: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon,  South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming

Academics and Colleges

  • 25% of the Class of 2015 are either National Merit Commended Scholars or National Merit Finalists
  • Mean SAT of Class of 2017: 2098 (former SAT scoring); 1310 (new scoring)
  • Student-teacher ratio is 5:1
  • 155 courses offered
  • 51 advanced and honors courses offered
  • Average class size: 10-12 students
  • Directed studies offered in most disciplines

Admissions

  • Inquiries received yearly for admission: 2,000
  • Interviews conducted yearly for admission: 600
  • Applications submitted yearly for admission: 700
  • New students enrolled yearly: 75-80
  • General median SSAT total percentile of new students: 85th

Inclusive Campus

Cate School admits students of any race, color, religion, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin to all rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identification, national or ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, scholarship, athletic, and other school-administered programs.