APPLICATION PROCESS

Thank you for your interest in Santa Catalina School. We look forward to getting to know you better.

Our regular admission season begins on October 1 and closes on February 1. Please contact the admission office at admission@santacatalina.org or 831.655.9356 for more information. If you are interested in receiving our viewbook and curriculum guide, please submit a Request Information form.

Request Information

Apply Online

Tuition & Affordability

How to Apply

Step 1: Introduce Yourself—Submit our Request Information Form

Step 2: Set up account and manage admission application

Santa Catalina uses a common admission application for independent schools called the Standard Application Online (SAO), found at ssat.org.

Completed applications submitted by February 1 receive an admission decision on March 10. Late applications are subject to space availability and are considered on a rolling admission basis.

How to create an application account:

Create an account at ssat.org
Complete all biographical questions, including interests and activities
Choose “Apply to Schools” and select Santa Catalina School to start an anonymous application
Next, choose to share your information with Santa Catalina—without this, Catalina does not know you exist in the SAO

Forms to complete in your application account:

Complete and submit the following forms:

Student Essay
Parent Statement
Santa Catalina Supplement (optional)

Request teacher recommendations and transcripts:

English Recommendation (current-year teacher)
Math Recommendation (current-year teacher)
Principal Recommendation (current school head or counselor)
Official School Report Transcript

Submit an application fee:

Domestic students: $75.00
International students: $150.00

Note: Applicants interested in using the Application for Bay Area Independent High Schools should contact the Admission Office for more information.

Step 3: Register for Admission Assessments

For applicants to grades 9, 10, and 11

Admission Testing:

The Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT) is the preferred admission test for Santa Catalina School. It is important to register in advance at ssat.org. You may submit the ISEE in lieu of the SSAT. Applicants applying to grade 11 have the option of submitting PSAT or SAT scores.

International students
In addition to submitting the standardized testing listed above, nonnative English speakers are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT). Note: Santa Catalina does not accept SLEP, TOEFL Junior, or any other English-proficiency evaluation during the regular admission season. We use Duolingo English Test (DET) during the rolling admission season on a case-by-case basis and as a supporting piece of English proficiency documentation.

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.

Step 4: Schedule Your Admission Visit and Interview

We can’t wait to meet you! Visiting campus is one of the most important parts of your application journey at Catalina. You will see our beautiful campus, meet students and teachers, and learn about our academics, extracurriculars, culture, and community.

Our personalized visit day is designed for parents and students to experience our community’s culture and teaching environment in real time. We want you to experience how learning is enhanced in a classroom comprised of dynamic, motivated, and supportive young women who not only engage and have fun with each other, but with our dedicated and talented faculty. During the visit, the parent(s) and student will attend a class (parents go to one and the student goes to another), attend our all-school assembly, tour campus with a current student, and interview with an admission representative. Lunch is also available but optional.

Regular Admission (October 1-February 1)
Visits are available on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday from 8:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Visit days are not available on Wednesdays; however, families interested in joining us on a Wednesday to experience our chapel service should contact the admission office for an appointment.

We also offer visits on two holiday weekends, which include the ability to take the SSAT, attend our open house, and schedule your personalized visit day. These weekends are over Veterans Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Because we are on a boarding school calendar, school is in session over these weekends.

Note: Some visits may be scheduled in the first two weeks of February due to overflow and in observance of the Chinese New Year vacation schedule.

Rolling Admission: March 10-August 1
Rolling admission is dependent upon space availability.

Step 5: Track Application Progress and View Admission Decision

Once you have completed all components of the Standard Application Online, conducted your campus visit and interview, and sent results from the SSAT or other approved assessments (and TOEFLibt for international students), your application will be complete. At this time, you will receive an email from the admissions office inviting you to create a Catalina account.

Your admission decision

Applicants who have a complete application by February 1 can view their admission decision on March 10 in their Catalina account. Admission decisions will not be posted in the Standard Application Online (SAO). Admission decisions are also sent to your home.

Rolling admission decisions

Applications are welcomed during our rolling admission process after our February 1 deadline. Rolling admission runs from March 10 to mid-August, and admission decisions will typically be available within 7 days of a completed application. Applications will be considered depending on space available. Please call the admission office at 831.655.9356 for more information.

All application materials are due by February 1. Applications received after February 1 will be considered on a rolling admission basis after March 10 and are dependent upon space availability.