Your journey starts here

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.

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:

• Complete Gateway to Prep Candidate Profile
• Application fee paid
• TOEFL (International Students). Learn more about Cate’s TOEFL requirements.

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)

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, and 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.

• *If you are a current Cate parent, staff, or faculty member, please sign directly into the Admission Portal with your username and password. Then click ‘Add a New Applicant’ to start the online application for your child using either of the below common applications. Once your account is active, you may log in at any time to track the status of your application.