Enrollment & Outcomes Scorecard
Cate School
Private · secular · Carpinteria · Santa Barbara County · 306 students · Class of 2025
UC Reach Score · Class of 2025
51
Strong
top 10% in California
Higher than 90% of California high schools
+11.5 pp above peer median (39)
· Ranked #3 of 9 similar schools
5-year UC Reach Score
2021 · 39
2025 · 51
-3%
Senior-class enrollment (2020–2025)
-14.1 pp
vs. Santa Barbara County baseline (+11%)
~312
5-yr projected enrollment (+0.6%/yr)
- ▸On UC Reach Score, Cate School sits in the middle of its similar-school group (ranked #3 of 9): 51 vs. a peer median of 39.
- ▸Cate School's UC Reach Score has declined meaningfully from a peak of 69 in 2020 to 51 in 2025 — a 19-point drop that warrants attention. Multi-year UC Reach declines of this size often signal something specific (leadership change, comp-program shift, demographic move) rather than year-to-year noise. This is the kind of trajectory an Enrollment Trend Audit unpacks.
- ▸Senior-class enrollment is down 3% (75→73 from 2020 to 2025), outpacing the peer-group median of -9%.
- ▸Enrollment has been growing (+0.6%/yr); projects to ~312 by 2028.
Most similar nearby schools
| School | Type | UC Reach Score | Enroll. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ojai Valley School | Private · secular | 38 | -16% |
| Oak Grove School | Private · secular | — | +260% |
| Thacher School the | Private · secular | 25 | +2% |
| Laguna Blanca School | Private · secular | 63 | -4% |
| Villanova Preparatory School | Private · Catholic | 49 | -14% |
| Bishop Garcia Diego High Sch | Private · Catholic | 40 | +13% |
UC Reach = top-6 UC admits ÷ senior class. Sources: UCOP Admissions by Source School, CDE enrollment, IRS Form 990, NCES F-33. Reach — by Test Prep Gurus · Methodology
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