Cate School

The Cate School, established in 1910 by Curtis Wolsey Cate, is a four-year, coeducational, college-preparatory boarding school in Carpinteria, California, United States.

Cate School is nationally recognized for its academic excellence and is located outside Santa Barbara, California. Cate's student body of 265 (83% boarders) participates in a rigorous academic curriculum, featuring a combined of 101 offerings with 19 AP courses. All students are involved in an extracurricular program that includes athletics, drama, music, dance, community service and an extensive outdoors program. The school's diverse student body includes 41% students of color, as well as students from 22 US states and 16 foreign countries.

The school is associated with Round Square, an internationally-recognized organization of schools which follows the ideals of Kurt Hahn. The program encourages and helps coordinate (through its member schools) exchange programs and service trips around the world. In 2001, Cate School was recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the Outstanding Boarding Schools in America. In 2008, The Princeton Review ranked Cate School #14 of the best boarding schools in America.

A not-for-profit organization, Cate School is directed by a board of trustees, including two faculty advisory trustees, and four ex officio members. Cate is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and is affiliated with the National Association of Independent Schools, the California Association of Independent Schools, the Western Boarding Schools Association, the Cum Laude Society, the California Interscholastic Federation, A Better Chance, and the Secondary School Admission Test Board.