The Thacher School vs. Cate School
Should you attend The Thacher School or Cate School? Visitors to our site frequently compare these two schools. Compare their rankings, scores, reviews and more to help you determine which school is the best choice for you.
School Overview
Top Rankings
The Thacher School ranks among the top 20 boarding schools (out of 307 schools) for:
Category
Attribute
School Resources
Selectivity
Student Test Scores
Cate School ranks among the top 20 boarding schools (out of 307 schools) for:
Category
Attribute
School Resources
Selectivity
Offering Breadth
Student Test Scores
Student Test Scores
Student Test Scores
Overview
Founded in 1889, The Thacher School is a coeducational boarding high school located 85 miles north of Los Angeles, California.
The School serves academically talented students who will benefit from a rigorous college preparatory experience.
The faculty and students live and work closely together in a community in which cooperation, trust, honesty, and respect are the cornerstones of school life.
Together, we commit to the belief that demands in the academic classroom, when combined with those of mountains and horses, of sports and the arts, produce independent minds, strong bodies, and powerful character.
Founded in 1910, Cate School is a grade 9-12, coeducational, college preparatory boarding school in Carpinteria, California.
What began as a group of twelve boys and a few teachers has expanded into a 300-student, 57-teacher, deeply academic, and talented community with the most diverse student body of any boarding school of its size in the United States.
One of the most experienced and committed teaching faculty in the country: 82% hold advanced degrees, 18% of these have PhDs.
Cate is one of this nation's most selective boarding schools, accepting under 20% of our applicants each year.
60% of Cate's most recent graduating class attend the country's 25 top-ranked colleges and universities, and 18% went to Ivy Leagues and Stanford.
The Cate experience combines academics, athletics, art, and co-curricular activities in a close-knit, community setting where students are enriched by their relationships with their teachers and each other.
When students leave Cate, they have the tools and the conviction to seek out lives full of purpose and meaning.
School Focus
College Preparatory
College Preparatory
Grades Offered
9-12
9-12
School Type
Co-ed
Co-ed
ADD/ADHD Support
No
No
Supports Learning Differences (LD)
No
No
Year Founded
1889
1910
Campus Size
427 acres
150 acres
Students Body
Enrollment
255
300
% Students of Color
55%
54%
% International Students
12%
17%
% Students Boarding
93%
80%
Average SAT Score
1358
1350
SAT range (25th-75th percentile)
1260 - 1510
n/a
Average ACT score
31
31
Offers Post-Grad Year
No
No
Academics and Faculty
Saturday Classes
No
No
Frequency of Saturday Classes
Weekly
Bi-Weekly
Classroom Dress Code
Casual
Casual
Average Class Size
11
10
Student-Teacher Ratio
6:1
5:1
# of AP/Advanced Courses Offered
n/a
46
ESL Courses Offered
No
No
% Faculty with Advanced Degree
72%
80%
Summer Program Offered
No
Yes
Finances
Endowment Size
$206 million
$90 million
Tuition (Boarding Students)
$77,880
$74,975
Tuition (Day Students)
$63,080
$58,975
Avg. Financial Aid Grant
$65,750
$54,405
Admission
Application Deadline
Jan. 15
Jan. 15
Accepts Standardized Application
No
No
SSAT Required
Yes
No
Average Percentile SSAT
94
n/a
Acceptance Rate
15%
17%
Director of Admissions
Bill McMahon
Kyle Mason
Associate Director of Admissions
n/a
David Soto
# of AP/Advanced Courses Offered
n/a
46
Sport
Total Sports Offered
14
17
Sports
BaseballBasketball
ClimbingCross Country
DanceEquestrian
FootballLacrosse
Rock ClimbingSoccer
TennisTrack
Track and FieldVolleyball
BaseballBasketball
Cross CountryDance
FootballLacrosse
SoccerSoftball
SquashSurf Team
SwimmingTennis
TrackTrack and Field
Ultimate FrisbeeVolleyball
Water Polo
Extracurricular
Total Extra-curric.Total Extracurriculars
20
44
Extra-curric.Extracurriculars
PrefectsQuilting
Sir Winston Churchill Debating SocietySpanish Club
Club or Organization:
Amnesty International ClubBlack Student Union
Cheese ClubChristian Fellowship Club
IndoorLatinos Unidos
Literary SocietyMulti-ethnic Student Union
Robotics ClubSpectrum
The NotesUnited Cultures of Thacher
Arts and Music Programs:
ChamberThacher Masquers
Recreational Athletic Programs:
Fitness/Challenge FitnessThacher Pack & Spur Club
Club or Organization:
Arts and Music Programs:
Recreational Athletic Programs:
Alianza (Latino Student Alliance)Black Student Union
Blue CrewCalifornia Mathematics League
Cate Liberals LeagueCate Repbulicans
Cate Review (Literary Magazine)CateNet Masters
Chinese Language & Culture ClubCoagess (Yearbook)
Cougar CupCougar Online
Cultural Awareness ClubCulture Pot
Dance ClubFilm Society
George School Investing ClubGoldfish in Java
Green TeamHavurah
Jewelry and Metalsmithing ClubLantern (School Art & Poetry Magazine)
LOGOSPennswood Committee
Pets Are Worth SupportingR&B Step Team
Round SquareSouth Asian Student Society
SquaresStudent Book Club
Student SenateTERRA
The Crew (Video Club)The Curious George (School Newspaper)
Theatre ArtsTour Guides
Women's Forum
Arts and Music Programs:
CamerataCate Artists' Theatre
ChamberChorale
Latin American Students Organization
Recreational Athletic Programs:
Martial Arts ClubPacific Rim Organization (PRO)