Head to head

Alta Vista Alternative High School logoAlta Vista Alternative High SchoolvsCate School logoCate School

Alta Vista Alternative High School, a public high school in Santa Barbara, CA, and Cate School, a private high school in Carpinteria, CA, compared side by side on enrollment, published academic figures, AP participation, and the breadth of their sports and clubs.

MetricAlta Vista Alternative High School logoAlta Vista Alternative High SchoolCate School logoCate School
Overview
TypePublicPrivate
District / affiliationSanta Barbara Unified School District
Grades served9-129-12
Enrollment119300
Founded1910
Student–teacher ratio~16.8:1
MascotRams
TuitionFree (public)$87,340 boarding / $70,990 day (2026-27, cate.org/admission/financial-assistance); prior year $79,980 boarding / $63,780 day (2024-25, cate.org). The source data's $74,975/$58,975 AND the alternative $77,300/$62,600 are BOTH stale/incorrect — neither matches cate.org for 2024-25 or 2026-27.
Academics
Graduation rate
CAASPP ELA proficiency
CAASPP Math proficiency
College-going rate
U.S. News national rank
AP participation rate
AP courses (listed)
Programs & life
Academies / signature programs00
Sports offered013
Clubs & activities023
Notable facilities11
Has PTANoYes
Athletic boostersNoNo

A clay marker (●) flags the stronger reported figure on objective, comparable measures only. A dash (—) means the figure isn't published for that school — private schools generally don't sit the state CAASPP tests, so their academic cells are often blank.