Head to head
Cate Schoolvs
San Marcos High School
Cate School, a private high school in Carpinteria, CA, and San Marcos High School, a public high school in Santa Barbara, CA, compared side by side on enrollment, published academic figures, AP participation, and the breadth of their sports and clubs.
| Metric | Cate School | San Marcos High School |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Type | Private | Public |
| District / affiliation | — | Santa Barbara Unified School District |
| Grades served | 9-12 | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 300 | 1,943● |
| Founded | 1910● | 1958 |
| Student–teacher ratio | — | 20.82:1 |
| Mascot | Rams | Royals (Lancelot the Lion) |
| Tuition | $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. | Free (public) |
| Academics | ||
| Graduation rate | — | 96% (2023, U.S. News; CA avg 87%) |
| CAASPP ELA proficiency | — | 59% met/exceeded (2023, PublicSchoolReview via CDE) |
| CAASPP Math proficiency | — | 36% met/exceeded (2023, PublicSchoolReview via CDE) |
| College-going rate | — | 82.7% college-going (393 of 475 completers enrolled in college within 12 months) (2022-23, CDE DataQuest College-Going Rate); CA Dashboard College/Career Indicator 'Prepared' 57.7% (Class of 2024, caschooldashboard.org, Green) |
| U.S. News national rank | — | #4,695 nationally; 605th in California (2024, U.S. News) |
| AP participation rate | — | 37% (2024, U.S. News) |
| AP courses (listed) | — | 22 |
| Programs & life | ||
| Academies / signature programs | 0 | 3● |
| Sports offered | 13 | 20● |
| Clubs & activities | 23 | 23 |
| Notable facilities | 11● | 8 |
| Has PTA | Yes | Yes |
| Athletic boosters | No | Yes |
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.