Your journey starts here

Please fill out the Inquiry Form to set up your Admission Portal account.

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

Cate School accepts applications for 9th, 10th, and 11th grades only. We do not accept applications for 12th grade, post-graduate (PG) programs, or mid-year admission.

Cate School accepts the Gateway to Prep Schools Application.

Application requirements:

• • Candidate Profile
  • Applicant Writing Prompts and Parent Statement
  • Interview (virtual)
  • Principal/Counselor Recommendation
  • Current English Teacher Recommendation
  • Current Math Teacher Recommendation
  • Standardized Testing (SSAT or ISEE)
  • Transcript Report (current and previous year grades)
  • Special Interest Recommendation (optional)
  • Language Testing Required for International Applicants (TOEFL, DuoLingo, IELTS)

September–January — Campus Visits & Virtual Interviews
October 15–19 — Closed for Family Weekend
November 23–December 2 — Closed for Fall Break
December 21–January 7 — Closed for Winter Break
January 15 — Application Deadline
February 1 — Financial Assistance Application Deadline
March 10 — Admission Notification Day
April 10 — Admission Enrollment Deadline

An admission interview is required for all applicants to Cate. Interviews are conducted virtually via Zoom.

To schedule your virtual interview, applicants must first:

• Complete the Gateway to Prep Candidate Profile
• Pay the application fee (fee waivers are available for those who qualify)
• Submit TOEFL results (international applicants only)

Once these requirements have been met, families will receive instructions for scheduling their interview.

Interviews last approximately 45 minutes and give applicants the opportunity to share more about their interests, experiences, and goals. Following the applicant interview, we welcome the opportunity to speak with a parent or guardian and answer any questions about Cate and the admission process.

To schedule your virtual interview, please contact the Admission Office at 805-684-4127 ext. 217, admission@cate.org.

Visiting campus is one of the best ways to get a feel for our community, learn more about the student experience, and see Cate in action. While campus visits are optional, they are highly encouraged.

Our campus visit is a three-hour experience designed to give prospective students and their families a meaningful introduction to life at Cate. Visits are offered on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays throughout the admission season and require a scheduled appointment, as Cate is a gated campus.

We’re excited to welcome prospective students and their families to Cate for campus visits beginning on Wednesday, September 30.

Campus Visit Schedule

9:10 a.m. – Arrival & Welcome
9:40 a.m. – All School Assembly
10:05 a.m. – Student-Led Campus Tour
10:55 a.m. – Admission Presentation & Q&A
12:00 p.m. – Departure

To schedule your campus visit, please contact the Admission Office at 805-684-4127 ext. 217, admission@cate.org.

Learn more about Cate by connecting with our Admission team during our travels. Whether you’re attending a school fair, reception, interview opportunity, or informational event, you’ll have the chance to learn about our community, inquiry-based curriculum, mission, and values while getting to know the people who make Cate special.

As part of our travels, we may offer in-person interviews and meetings in select locations. We invite you to explore our travel schedule to see when a Cate representative will be in your area. If you are interested in connecting with us during our travels, please reach out to your regional admission officer to confirm availability and schedule details.

9th and 10th Grade Applicants:

Applicants must submit either the SSAT or ISEE.

• SSAT: Competitive students typically score in the 80th percentile, earning a total between 2100–2400 on the Upper-Level SSAT.

• ISEE: Competitive applicants generally earn stanines of 7–9 (77th percentile or above).

There is no minimum score requirement. We evaluate each applicant holistically, with testing serving as one component of the overall review process.

11th Grade Applicants:

Applicants may submit the PSAT, SAT, or ACT.

• PSAT: Competitive students typically score between 1070–1520.

• SAT: Competitive students typically score between 1300–1600

• ACT: Competitive applicants generally score between 26–36.

As with all applicants, there is no testing cut-off. Standardized testing is considered alongside the full application.

Cate values the diverse perspectives and experiences international students bring to our community and welcomes applications from students around the world.

At Cate, you are classified as an international student if you need:

• an F-1 student visa to study in the United States and a Form I-20 from Cate
• or, regardless of your citizenship or visa status, your family’s main residence is located outside the United States

International and domestic applicants are considered within the same applicant pool and are held to the same admission standards.

We welcome applications for financial assistance from all families who apply to Cate, including international families. It is important to note that we offer need-based financial assistance, not scholarships, and limited funding is available.

All international applicants must demonstrate proficiency in oral and written English.

Who Must Submit English Testing?
Applicants whose first language is not English must submit an English proficiency test.

This requirement is waived for students who have attended (for two consecutive years or more):

• An international school outside the United States where English is the primary language of instruction, or
• A U.S. junior boarding school

For example:

• 9th-grade applicants must have attended in 7th and 8th grade
• 10th-grade applicants must have attended in 8th and 9th grade
  (and so on)

Accepted Tests & Minimum Scores

Applicants may submit one of the following:

• TOEFL: Minimum score of 110
• IELTS: Minimum score of 7.5
• Duolingo English Test: Minimum score of 140

Only one test is required.

All tests must be taken within one year of the application deadline.

School Code:
TOEFL: 8529

Given the demands of Cate’s program and the number of applications, all candidates within the following boundaries will be considered day-student applicants. A family’s primary physical address is used to make that determination. The perimeter of this boundary is defined by specific towns below, from which families expect to apply as day student candidates.

Day Student Boundary Towns/Cities:
Oxnard
Ventura
Santa Paula
Carpinteria
Summerland
Montecito
Santa Barbara
Goleta

Your family must apply for day-student status if you reside in one of the towns/cities listed above.

If your family resides outside of the set boundaries, please proceed as a boarding student applicant.

Pursuant to Bylaw 204 of the CIF- Southern Section Blue Book, In California, student-athletes are not permitted to repeat a year of high school or middle school (Grade 9 or above) and retain athletic eligibility for their 12th-grade year. Students have eight consecutive semesters of athletic eligibility once they begin the 9th grade, this clock is ticking regardless of whether or not you play a specific sport. In short, once you begin 9th grade (middle or high school), you have four consecutive years of eligibility, no more. This is a different policy than many of the boarding schools in other states. 

CIF-SS Blue Book Bylaw 204, Paragraph B:
A student who first enters the 9th grade of any school following the student’s completion of the 8th grade in any school may be eligible for athletic competition during a maximum period of time that is not to exceed eight (8) consecutive semesters following the initial enrollment in the 9th grade of any school and/or in any classes taken subsequent to the completion of the 8th grade, whether or not the student is enrolled in school, whether or not the student is academically or otherwise eligible and whether or not the student avails themselves of the opportunity to participate in interscholastic sports during this time. Eligibility is only available during the student’s first eight (8) consecutive semesters of enrollment in high school (grades 9-12).

This Bylaw is not subject to appeal, unless you have been absent from school for more than half of a semester due to hardship, such as extreme medical conditions. There are no other grounds for appeal of this bylaw. All other CIF eligibility bylaws and rules still apply and may be found at www.ciifss.org

If you are applying through a program or community-based organization, 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.

Cate partners with the following programs and community-based organizations:

• A Better Chance (ABC)
• Boys Club of New York
• Breakthrough
• Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship
• 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 Inc.
• Steppingstone Foundation
• TEAK Fellowship
• Young Eisner Scholars (Y.E.S)
• ORION Scholars
• Jack Kent Cooke Scholars
• HYPE
• Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
• KIPP
• Prep for Prep
• Rainier Scholars

If you wish to learn more about Cate’s partnership with Programs and Community-Based Organizations, please contact Joe Cordero at joseph_cordero@cate.org.