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Applying to Cate

Thank you for considering Cate School. Detailed below are all of the steps to the application process. The inquiry form will always be the first step for all applicants.

You may apply through Gateway to Prep Schools. As a reminder, the Cate application deadline is January 15.

If you have any questions, please call the Admission Office at (805) 684-4127 ext. 217.

Inquire Now

The inquiry form will always be the first step for all applicants. If you have not done so already, please fill out the Inquiry Form to set up your Admission Portal account. Please only submit one form per prospective student.

If you are a current parent, faculty or staff at Cate, please sign into the Admission Portal with your username and password to begin the application process (do not fill out the form above).


Cate School offers a unique campus visit experience. Our campus visits are reserved for prospective candidates for the 2024-25 academic year. We offer campus visits and interviews on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings when school is in session through the end of January. We will be offering two Saturday visits this season. Saturday, November 11th, and Saturday, January 20th. These are reserved for families outside of California.

Moving into January, we reserve interview slots for students with a nearly completed application. If you are interested in submitting a completed application to Cate School but cannot schedule an interview, we invite you to submit a Personal Video in lieu of an interview. As a reminder, all students must complete a campus visit and interview, a virtual interview, or a personal video submission to be considered a complete applicant.

To schedule an appointment, please contact us at admission@cate.org or call (805) 684-4127 ext. 217.


In-Person: Campus visits last about three hours and consist of the following:

  • Class visit (prospective student only)
  • Student-led tour of campus (prospective student and family)
  • All-school assembly (prospective student and family)
  • Interview with an admission committee member (prospective student and family)

Virtual:  Please note virtual interviews are reserved for students outside California. Virtual interviews are also available for students applying through A Better Chance (ABC), Breakthrough, Daniel Murphy Scholarship Foundation (DMSF), Harlem Leadership and Lacrosse (HLL), Independent School Alliance (ISA), Inspiring Young Minds (IYM), New Jersey Seeds Foundation, Oliver Scholars, Queen City Foundation, SMART Foundation, Stepping Stone Foundation, TEAK Fellowship or Young Eisner Scholars (YES).

To schedule a virtual interview, we require the following:

Spring Visits (April 24 – May 17) are available in the morning on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Please understand that Spring visits do not constitute an official visit.

  • Attend an all-school assembly.
  • Student-led tour of campus (prospective student and family)

 


Moving into January, we reserve interview slots for students with a nearly completed application. We know it can be challenging to squeeze everything in before the deadline, so if you cannot schedule or complete an interview but would like to submit a completed application for admission, we invite you to submit a personal video.

As a reminder, all students must complete a campus visit and interview, a virtual interview, or a personal video submission to be considered a complete applicant.

Personal Video Submission

Like an interview, the personal video allows you to tell us more about yourself, in your voice, beyond the information you provided in your application. Sharing a personal video is a helpful way to show us what makes you unique and why you are interested in attending Cate School.

Personal Video Submission Requirements:

  • Shoot from a close-up and show your face clearly.
  • Create a .mp4 video that does not exceed 3.5 minutes and is no shorter than 2 minutes.
  • State your name.
  • Where are you from?
  • What is your current grade?
  • What is your application status (boarding/day)?
  • Why are you applying to Cate School, and how will you contribute to our community?
  • Email Admission at admission@cate.org, attaching your video.
  • Email Subject Line: Personal Video Submission_FirstName_LastName

Please contact us at admission@cate.org or (805) 684-4127 ext. 217 if you have any questions.


For the 2023-2024 admission cycle (2024-2025 applicants), Cate School is not accepting standardized admission test scores (SSAT and ISEE).

All international applicants must demonstrate proficiency in oral and written English. We require a minimum TOEFL score of 105, an IELTS score of 7.5, or a Duolingo score of 125.

TOEFL: Visit TOEFL or call (877) 863-3546 or (609) 951-1100. The Cate School code: 8529
IELTS: Visit IELTS USA or call (323) 255-2771.
DUOLINGO: Visit DUOLINGO


To begin the application process, you must complete the Admission Inquiry Form to create your Cate Admission Portal account.

Cate School accepts the Gateway to Prep Schools Application.

Application requirements:

    • Candidate Profile
    • Short Responses, Essays, Parent Statement
    • Interview (In-person, virtual)
    • Principal/Counselor Recommendation
    • Current English Teacher Recommendation
    • Current Math Teacher Recommendation
    • Transcript Report (current and previous year grades)
    • Special Interest Recommendation (optional)

We are not accepting a writing sample or standardized testing scores.


For Program Applicants

This may include students applying from: A Better Chance (ABC), Breakthrough, Daniel Murphy Scholarship Foundation (DMSF), Harlem Leadership and Lacrosse (HLL), Independent School Alliance (ISA), Inspiring Young Minds (IYM), New Jersey Seeds Foundation, Oliver Scholars, Queen City Foundation, SMART Foundation, Stepping Stone Foundation, TEAK Fellowship or Young Eisner Scholars (YES).

If you are applying through one of the aforementioned programs that use a program-specific application, we request that you complete the Admission Inquiry Form to create your Cate Admission Portal account. Once your account is active, you may log in at any time to track the status of your application.

In addition, we ask that you download and complete our Supplemental Application Form. All completed submissions can be scanned and emailed to admission@cate.org.


Our Non-Discrimination Policy

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.