Our regular admission season runs from October 1–February 1. After the February 1 priority deadline, applicants are welcome to complete our rolling admission process.
Admission Process
To connect with us and receive a brochure and our curriculum guide, please introduce yourself on our Request Information form.
Once you inquire, an email will be sent to the parent email addresses provided in the form. That email will contain login information for creating your Catalina Admission Portal account. Creating an account will allow you to:
- Learn about important upcoming events
- See all the application steps
- View your application checklist
- Stay in touch with us directly throughout the application process
- View your electronic admission decision on March 5
Santa Catalina uses a common admission application for independent schools called the Standard Application Online (SAO).
- Visit ssat.org/sao and select Register/Log In.
- Click Create an Account under the Families option. Complete parent/guardian and student information, including interests and activities.
- Choose “Apply to Schools” and select Santa Catalina School to start an application. (Choose to share your information with Santa Catalina—without this, Catalina does not know you have started an application.)
Congratulations on setting up your accounts for the Catalina Admission Portal and the SAO (Steps 1 and 2)! You can now manage your application.
Catalina Admission Portal
This account houses important admission information and is where you will monitor the status of your application checklist. In your account you can:
- Sign up for admission events
- Keep track of missing and completed application components, including items submitted via the Standard Application Online (SAO) and the required Catalina visit (tour, interview, and writing sample)
SAO Application Portal
This account is where you will submit or request required forms via the Standard Application Online (SAO). Once a form is submitted in the SAO it will automatically upload to your Catalina Admission Portal, updating your application checklist. The following are the required components through SAO:
| Parent/Student | Student profile Parent statement Student essays |
| Recommendations | English teacher (current year) |
| Reports & Transcripts | Fill out the request form so the schools have permission to release transcripts to Santa Catalina School. Request reports and transcripts from the previous two years and the most current year. |
| Application Fee | Domestic students: $75.00 |
International students
In addition to submitting optional standardized testing, nonnative English speakers are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT). There is an online option available called TOEFL iBT Home Edition (not available in all countries). The TOEFL iBT is our preferred test; however, if this option is not available in your country, please contact the Admission Office to request authorization to submit the Duolingo English Test (DET).
School Testing Codes
Please use the following codes when registering for a test in order to have your results sent directly to Santa Catalina:
SSAT: 7132
ISEE: 054087
PSAT: 052045
SAT: 052045
TOEFL: 8102
Note: Santa Catalina accepts the submission of multiple tests taken in the same academic year and will consider the highest composite score.
Upper School Admission ProcessWe can’t wait to meet you and introduce you to all things Catalina! A personalized Catalina visit, consisting of a tour and interview, are required components of the application process. A parent or guardian is required to accompany their student for both.
Catalina offers in-person and virtual visits. Both the in-person and virtual options include a student-led tour, curriculum overview, a student and parent/guardian interview, and a student writing sample. Only the in-person visit includes attending our student-run all-school assembly, a classroom visit, and a more in-depth tour of the facilities and programs.
Visit Days
The best way to see if Santa Catalina is right for you is to see it in person. Our visit days are thoughtfully designed for students and parents/guardians to get a deeper understanding of our unique programs, tour our beautiful coastal campus, and interact with our community.
Visit days are Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 8:15 a.m.–12:00 p.m. During your visit, you will:
- Meet our admission team
- Learn about our programs
- Tour the upper part of campus, including the dorms
- Take a private tour with a student tour guide
- Attend our student-run all-school assembly
- Sit in on a class
- Have a chance to chat with students and faculty
- Interview with an admission team member
- Complete your writing sample while your parents/guardians interview
Visits on national holidays: Santa Catalina School is in session during select national holidays. These dates are available for families who cannot attend a regular visit day. We offer group tours on these days while still providing individualized attention and one-on-one interviews.
- Veterans Day: Tuesday, November 11, 2025
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Monday, January 19, 2026
- Presidents' Day: Monday, February 16, 2026 (Note: This date is after the application deadline, but is offered if needed)
Virtual Visit
We highly encourage families to complete your visit in person in order to get the best feel for Catalina. However, if you are unable to come to campus, we offer virtual group visits on select dates.
The virtual tour consists of a short welcome from admission staff followed by a personalized student-led tour in a Zoom breakout room. Fill out our Visit Day form to sign up.
The virtual interview includes a curriculum overview for both the parents/guardians and the student, followed by the student’s 20-minute interview with an admission representative. The student will then do a 20-minute writing sample while the parents/guardians interview.
A family taking part in a virtual tour can decide to come to campus for an in-person visit and interview at that time.
Rolling Admission
March 10–Mid-August
Rolling admission is dependent upon space availability after the first round of admission decisions. Requirements are the same as the regular admission process.
Upper School Admission ProcessYou can track your application progress in the Catalina Admission Portal. Once you have completed the following application requirements your application will be complete:
- Student tour
- Interview and writing sample
- Assessment (if applicable)
- Standard Application Online (SAO) components:
- Student essay
- Parent statement
- English recommendation (current year teacher)
- Math recommendation (current year teacher)
- Principal recommendation (current school head or counselor)
- Official school report transcript (current year and past two years)
- Application fee
- Note: A personal recommendation is available but not required
Your admission decision
Applicants who have a complete application by February 1 can view their admission decision on March 5 in their Catalina Admission Portal account. (Admission decisions are not available in the SAO.) Admission decisions are also sent by mail to your home.
Rolling admission decisions
Applications are welcomed during our rolling admission process after the February 1 deadline. Rolling admission runs from mid-March to mid-August, and admission decisions will typically be available within 7 days of a completed application. Applications will be considered depending on space availability. The application requirements for rolling admission are the same as regular admission. Please contact the admission office at 831.655.9356 or [email protected] for more information.
Upper School Admission Process
Discover the true you.
Explore Catalina today!
Meet our Team
Our admission team is here to answer your questions, and they can't wait to get to know you better! Reach out at any point in the process at 831.655.9356 or [email protected].
Mrs. Browne has led the admission team at Santa Catalina School since 2009. Prior to Catalina, she was a business planning analyst for Levi Strauss. Later, she became a certified nutrition health educator, consulting for nonprofit organizations and executive coaching. She is a graduate of the Lower and Middle School and the Upper School, where she boarded in her junior and senior years. Mrs. Browne holds a B.A. in English from UC Santa Barbara. She enjoys getting outdoors—paddle boarding, skiing, hiking—and loves to sing and dance.
At Catalina, the girls are given permission to be themselves and pursue their dreams unencumbered. They are incredible human beings who develop into really capable leaders.
Ms. Milani gets to work with all students who are joining the Santa Catalina community. Born in France of Italian parents, she attended a bilingual school until third grade, when her family moved to the U.S. After living in Michigan and San Diego, they settled in Monterey, and Ala began her relationship with Catalina, starting in eighth grade and graduating in 1987. She returned to work at her alma mater in 2008, having previously worked in Seattle and at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Not surprisingly, she loves being outdoors as much as possible. She holds a B.A. in communications, visual arts, and graphic arts from CSU Chico.
I love watching the girls grow into these amazing, balanced, well-adjusted, confident, happy young women who are self-aware and ready to make a difference in the world—whatever that may be. It makes me proud as if they were all my daughters.
Ms. Stallworth joined Santa Catalina's admission team in 2024. Originally from Mississippi, she previously worked for Chadwick International School in South Korea. She holds a B.A. in psychology and an M.A. in educational leadership and administration from Argosy University Orange County, and an M.S. in educational leadership and administration from Pepperdine University. She likes outdoor theatre and will travel to see Broadway shows and musicals. In addition to her admission duties, Ms. Stallworth is a member of the resident faculty.
Admission Timeline
August 1 — Application portal opens
October 1 — Financial aid application opens
October 3–February 1— Schedule your visit (includes tour, interview, and more)
January 15 — Financial aid application deadline
February 1 — Admission and financial aid application deadlines
March 5 — Applicants notified of admission decisions
March 19 — Enrollment deadline for accepted applicants receiving financial aid
April 10 — Enrollment deadline for accepted applicants