Cate School Information

Cate is a private high school atop an ocean view mesa.

Cate welcomes qualified applicants for openings in its ninth and tenth grades. A few exceptionally well-qualified students are accepted into the eleventh grade. It is unusual for there to be an opening in the twelfth grade. Cate is primarily a residential school; 83% of Cate students are boarders. When considering applications, the admission committee, comprised of admission officers and faculty, considers a student's previous record, recommendations from teachers, personal references, scores on the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT), extracurricular interests and strengths, and impressions and information obtained in the candidate's personal interview. The School strives to enroll able students who bring a wide variety of skills, interests and backgrounds to the Cate community.

1960 Cate Mesa Road
Carpinteria, California 93013 USA

PO Box 5005
Carpinteria, CA 93014-5005

Telephone: 805.684.4127
Fax: 805.684.8940

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TUITION
The 2008-09 tuition for boarding students is $40,000. The tuition for day students is $31,000.

FINANCIAL AID
The goal of Cate's financial aid program is twofold: to attract and enroll able and talented students from diverse cultural, ethnic, and geographic backgrounds and to offer a unique educational opportunity to deserving students who need financial assistance to attend the school. For the 2008-09 school year, about 30% of the student body share over two million in financial assistance. Awards are strictly need-based and requests for financial aid do not affect admission decisions.

SECONDARY SCHOOL ADMISSION TEST
The SSAT is required of all applicants for the ninth, tenth and eleventh grades. In order for candidates to make the application deadline of February 1, the admission committee strongly recommends that applicants take the test in October, November, December, or January. Applicants for the eleventh or twelfth grade can submit the results of the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) or the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). SSAT information can be found at www.ssat.org.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Because Cate does not offer English as a Second Language, all candidates must be fluent in English. It is recommended that non-native English speakers take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

CALENDAR
Campus visits should be scheduled and applications should be filed with the admission office in the fall or early winter. Priority is given to those candidates who complete the application process, including the campus visit, by February 1. The admission committee mails notifications of its decisions on March 10. Acceptance to Cate assumes that a student will satisfactorily complete the current school year.

The goal of the Cate curriculum is to teach students to think and to develop in them a lifelong love of learning. Taught by faculty members who are passionate about their subjects and dedicated to helping each student reach his or her full potential, the coursework at Cate is at once rigorous and engaging.
There are seven academic departments-the Arts, English, Foreign Language, History, Human Development, Mathematics and Science-and the range of course offerings is extensive. The departments share a commitment to teaching students to think critically, to organize and analyze information, to express themselves confidently both orally and in written work, to listen and observe with acuity and to nurture their innate curiosity and creativity.

In the ninth and tenth grades, students take many of the same required courses together. These courses are designed to help students build a strong foundation in their basic skills and to allow them to get a sense of their own strengths and interests. From there, eleventh- and twelfth-graders can choose from a variety of electives, including numerous honors and Advanced Placement courses, as well as individually-designed research and directed studies projects.

Class size at Cate typically averages twelve students, with a range from six to fifteen. Class discussions extend well beyond the confines of the schoolroom, and there are opportunities throughout the day and evening to meet one-on-one with teachers. Students see their teachers every day and are in contact with them constantly-in the dorms, on the fields and in the dining hall. At Cate, learning happens across the campus and around the clock.
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

ARTS Foundation Arts for all students and one additional unit, taken either as two half-credit courses or one full-year course. All sophomores take at least one 0.5 unit course.

ENGLISH One course per year.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE Successful completion of a third-year course; students entering with an advanced knowledge of a language must either take that language through the sophomore year or study another foreign language through the third year.

HISTORY One course in each of the first two years, and United States History in the upper school.

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT Freshman Seminar for freshmen and Sophomore Seminar for sophomores.

MATHEMATICS One course per year through the junior year, with the final course determined by the initial Cate entry level. All students are expected to complete Algebra II.

SCIENCE Three years of science. Physics is taken in the freshman year, chemistry in the sophomore year and a life science (either AP Biology or AP Environmental Biology) in the junior or senior year.