Woodside Priory School (Priory) vs. Cate School
Should you attend Woodside Priory School (Priory) or Cate School? Visitors to our site frequently compare these two schools. Compare their rankings, scores, reviews and more to help you determine which school is the best choice for you.
School Overview
School
Definition of Terms | 2024 School Data
Woodside Priory School (Priory)
(2)
302 Portola Road
Portola Valley, CA 94028, United States of America
Portola Valley, CA 94028, United States of America
Top Rankings
Woodside Priory School (Priory) ranks among the top 10 schools with > 400 students (out of 94 schools) for:
Category
Attribute
Community Size
Cate School ranks among the top 20 boarding schools (out of 280 schools) for:
Category
Attribute
School Resources
Selectivity
Offering Breadth
Student Test Scores
Student Test Scores
Overview
Woodside Priory is the only boarding school in Silicon Valley.
Located within 40 minutes of San Francisco and 10 minutes of Stanford University, the Priory is a coeducational boarding and day school for grades 9 through 12 as well as a coeducational day school for grades 6 through 8.
Situated on a 50-acre campus in the heart of Silicon Valley, Priory offers a 7:1 student/teacher ratio, a strong college and university preparatory curriculum, a vast performing arts program, and a competitive athletics program. Priory strives to create a balanced experience for students where they can explore interests, develop passions, and discover themselves.
Founded in 1910, Cate School is a grade 9-12, coeducational, college preparatory boarding school in Carpinteria, California.
What began as a group of twelve boys and a few teachers has expanded into a 300-student, 57-teacher, deeply academic, and talented community with the most diverse student body of any boarding school of its size in the United States.
One of the most experienced and committed teaching faculty in the country: 82% hold advanced degrees, 18% of these have PhDs.
Cate is one of this nation's most selective boarding schools, accepting under 20% of our applicants each year.
60% of Cate's most recent graduating class attend the country's 25 top-ranked colleges and universities, and 18% went to Ivy Leagues and Stanford.
The Cate experience combines academics, athletics, art, and co-curricular activities in a close-knit, community setting where students are enriched by their relationships with their teachers and each other.
School Focus
College Preparatory
College Preparatory
Grades Offered
9-12
9-12
School Type
Co-ed
Co-ed
ADD/ADHD Support
No
No
Supports Learning Differences (LD)
No
No
Year Founded
1957
1910
Campus Size
50 acres
150 acres
Students Body
Enrollment
425
300
% Students of Color
63%
54%
% International Students
15%
17%
% Students Boarding
20%
80%
Average SAT Score
n/a
1350
Average ACT score
n/a
31
Offers Post-Grad Year
No
No
Academics and Faculty
Saturday Classes
No
No
Frequency of Saturday Classes
Weekly
Bi-Weekly
Classroom Dress Code
Casual
Casual
Average Class Size
13
10
Student : Teacher ratio
7:1
5:1
# of AP/Advanced Courses Offered
22
46
ESL Courses Offered
No
No
% Faculty with Advanced Degree
80%
80%
Summer Program Offered
No
Yes
Finances
Endowment Size
$15 million
$90 million
Tuition (Boarding Students)
$84,660
$74,975
Tuition (Day Students)
$58,200
$58,975
Avg. Financial Aid Grant
n/a
$54,405
Admission
Application Deadline
Jan. 9
Jan. 15
Accepts Standardized Application
No
No
SSAT Required
No
No
Acceptance Rate
30%
17%
Director of Admissions
Kirk Gossman
Kyle Mason
Associate Director of Admissions
Nils Leitz
David Soto
# of AP/Advanced Courses Offered
22
46
Sport
Total Sports Offered
11
20
Sports
Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Lacrosse, Soccer, Swimming, Tennis, Track and Field, Volleyball, Water Polo
Ballet, Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Cross Country Running, Dance, Football, Lacrosse, Mountain Biking, Mountaineering, Rock Climbing, Soccer, Surf Team, Swimming, Tennis, Track, Track and Field, Ultimate Frisbee, Volleyball, Water Polo
Extracurricular
Total Extra-curric.Total Extracurriculars
23
32
Extra-curric.Extracurriculars
Admissions Assistants, Art in Public Spaces, Associated Student Body, Athletic Therapy Assistants, Campus Ministry, Chamber Choir, Community Ensemble, Concert Choir, Daraja Club, Fashion Show, Gay/ Straight Alliance, Green Campus Action Team, Improv Club, International Club, Jazz Band, Middlesex Art Association, San Domenico Singers, School Reach, Social Justice Club, VEX Robotics, Web Design, Womentors, Yearbook
Alianza (Latino Student Alliance), Black Student Union, Blue Crew, California Mathematics League, Camerata, Cate Artists' Theatre, Cate Review (Literary Magazine), CateNet Masters, Chamber, Chinese Language & Culture Club, Chorale, Cultural Awareness Club, Dance Club, El Batidor (School Newspaper), Film Society, Finance Club, Green Team, Hiking Club, Latin American Students Organization, LOGOS, Round Square, RRCE (LGBTQ+ Support Club), South Asian Student Society, Student Book Club, Student Senate, TERRA, The Crew (Video Club), The Mesan (Yearbook), Theatre Arts, Tour Guides, Women's Forum, Young Men's Forum