Applying to Cate as a Day Student

Representing approximately 20% of the student body, day students at Cate School come from local communities and neighboring towns. Given the demands of Cate’s program and the number of applications, all families within the following boundaries will be considered day-student applicants. This determination is based on the family’s primary physical address. Boarding status is reserved for students who live outside of the defined boundaries.

If you reside in one of the following cities/towns, you must apply for day-student status:
Oxnard
Ventura
Santa Paula
Carpinteria
Summerland
Montecito
Santa Barbara
Goleta

We welcome 7th and 8th grade families to campus for an informal campus visit. All visitors must fill out our student Inquiry Form prior to scheduling your visit. To schedule your campus visit, please contact the Admission Office at 805-684-4127 ext. 217, admission@cate.org.

Spring Visits:

• April 21 – May 16
• Monday, Wednesdays, Fridays
• 10:30am arrival to campus
• Visit includes a campus tour and an all-school Assembly

Summer Visits:

• June – Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday at 10am and 2pm
• Visit includes a campus tour
• July and August – The campus is closed for tours

Day students follow the same application process as boarding students. 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 contact the Admission Office at (805) 684-4127 ext. 217, admission@cate.org.

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Financial Assistance for Day Student Applicants
Cate’s need-based financial assistance program works to ensure that attendance costs do not preclude access to an extraordinary educational experience. We are committed to making the Cate experience accessible to families of all income levels. Need-based Financial Assistance is available for day student families who qualify.

Attendance and community engagement are of utmost importance. This pertains to classes as well as all-school required commitments like convocation, seated meals, and Saturday classes.

We have three major breaks (fall, winter, and spring breaks). Our Spring Break falls on a different schedule than most other school breaks.

The Mondays after Fall and Spring Family Weekends are always a day off.

There are occasional “catch-up” weekends when no new homework is assigned.

We run regular programming, including classes, on most federal and religious holidays that do not fall over breaks.

This includes but is not limited to:
Martin Luther King Day (Jan)
President’s Day (Feb)
Memorial Day (May)
Labor Day (Sept)
Indigenous Peoples’ Day (Oct)
Veteran’s Day (Nov)

Monday evenings (5:00 – 8:00 pm) and occasionally Saturday mornings are when we have all-school convocations and occasionally formal dinners (attendance mandatory).

Many of our student-run activities meet on weeknights throughout the year, including clubs, affinity groups, and senate as well as various student leadership meetings.

Peer Learning Labs are available in the evening. Study hours are held from 8:00 to 10:00 pm for 9th, 10th, and 11th graders. Day students are not required to remain on campus, but if they do they are expected to abide by study hour rules.

Day student meetings are required as an opportunity for culture-building and making connections.

Some social activities are only open to Cate students (ex Homecoming Dance, Winter Formal).

Day students in 9th -11th grade have designated weekends where they can sleep over at Cate. 12th-grade day students can sleep over in Cate dorms on any non-school night with permission. Boarding students can sleep at a day students’ home on any non-school night with permission.

School rules apply for all students on and off campus, year-round, as long as they attend Cate School. Detentions are served on Sundays if arrangements cannot be made during the academic week.

Construction on the 101 (predicted through 2025-26): We understand that construction and other traffic issues may impact travel to and from Cate School and we ask that families contact the school in these situations.

S week – Saturday mandatory all-school programming
N week – no Saturday programming

Day students have a number of options as to where they spend free time during the academic day.

9th and new 10th graders are affiliated with corresponding dormitories (female-identifying students with Long House; male-identifying students with ’25 House) so that they will experience a strong dorm community connection.

Returning 10th, 11th, and 12th grade day students are encouraged to select a dorm buddy whose room they may ‘use’ during the school day. The Fleischmann Gym locker rooms are specifically for day student use. In additional, the upper level of McBean Library is a dedicated study and common space for all day students.

We do not offer transportation to and from campus, but we encourage carpooling. At the start of the school year, Cate will help introduce you to other families interested in carpooling.

All Cate Day Students must abide by the relevant California license restrictions.

12th Grade Driving Permission

12th graders who have had a driver’s license for one year, or are 18 years old, may drive other 12th graders, day or boarding students, if all students involved have secured and registered parental permission with the Student Services Office.

Underclassman Driving Permission

Day students who are in 10th or 11th grade may drive to and from school with immediate family members. In order to drive carpools with other day students who are not immediate family members, 10th and 11th-grade day students need school permission from the Student Services Office and the parents of the students involved. However, they may not drive during the academic day, including during study periods and athletic or co-curricular activities.