Cate School

Living At Cate

Living at Cate

Curious about boarding school? You’ve come to the right mesa.

Our quality of life and West Coast spirit make Cate unlike any other educational experience, providing you with the opportunity to thrive and grow. Your dorm is your home, and privacy is respected. Unwind, study, catch up with friends, and watch a movie, all from a gorgeous vantage point on campus. Get together with friends from around the world, just down the hall.

Dormitories

Of Cate’s 310 students, 240 are boarding students who live right here on campus. Each dorm has dedicated faculty team that manage and oversee the dorm and who with the Senior Prefects, the student leaders in the dorm. There are 10 different dorms to live in at Cate, all with their own unique personalities. They are:

  • Class of 1925 House (referred to as ’25 House)*
  • Long House*
  • Schoolhouse
  • High House
  • Lido
  • Parsonage
  • Bothin
  • Savage
  • Cook House East (Referred to as CHE)
  • Cook House West (Referred to as CHW)

*9th Grade Dorm

Dorm Faculty

The majority of Cate faculty live on campus and serve as “dorm parents,” providing supervision, academic guidance, and emotional support. Several reside in apartments connected to the dorms, bridging the gap between classroom instruction and daily life on the Mesa.

Senior Prefects

Selected through a rigorous application process, Senior Prefects serve as the primary student leaders and peer mentors within each dormitory. They are responsible for facilitating dorm meetings, managing communal chores, and ensuring a healthy, inclusive social climate for their younger peers.

FAQ

Each student is provided with an extra-long twin bed (Twin XL), a desk and chair, a dresser, closet space, and a safe.

For incoming 9th graders, the Admission and Residential Life offices carefully pair students based on the personality profiles and lifestyle habits (like sleep schedules and study preferences) submitted over the summer. We believe part of the Cate experience is learning to live with someone new! Upperclassmen have the opportunity to request specific roommates during the spring room draw.

Cate offers a variety of housing options to ensure every student feels at home. We have female-identifying dorms, male-identifying dorms, and all-gender housing options depending on the study body interest. All dorms, regardless of designation, are staffed by faculty “dorm parents” of various genders to provide a balanced support system.

Every dormitory is equipped with high-capacity washers and dryers that are free for student use.

Yes. To ensure our students are well-rested for the rigors of the Mesa, we have set check-in times. For 9th graders, this usually means being in the dorm by 7:45 PM for study hall and “lights out” by 10:30 PM. These times become more flexible each year.

Every dorm has a resident faculty member on duty 24/7. Additionally, Ellis House, our on-campus health center, is staffed by registered nurses and is available for overnight stays if a student needs professional medical monitoring or a quiet place to recover.

Students are not permitted to have cars on campus, but you won’t need one! The school provides a regular shuttle service into Carpinteria and Santa Barbara on weekends for trips to the beach, the movies, or local restaurants.

Dorm meetings happen weekly and are the heartbeat of the residential community. Led by Senior Prefects, these meetings are a time to celebrate birthdays, discuss dorm chores, plan weekend activities, and check in on how everyone is doing emotionally and academically.

In keeping with the school’s Servons motto, every resident is assigned specific tasks—such as tidying common rooms, cleaning kitchenettes, or taking out the recycling—which are monitored by Prefects and faculty. These duties ensure that the dormitories remain clean and functional while teaching students how to care for their space and home.

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