Enrollment FAQs
Who is eligible to attend? CAT is open to students coming from any Bay Area city. There are no residency requirements to attend. Students will be considered for admission without regard to ethnicity, national origin, gender, disability, or achievement level or any other characteristic described in Education Code Section 220.
Can I apply as part of the SFUSD application process? No. CAT’s enrollment process is completely separate from SFUSD. If you are applying to SFUSD high schools, do not list CAT as one of your choices on the District’s enrollment form.
What documents do I need to submit when I apply? Applicants to the 9th grade need to submit our online application. Applicants to 10th, 11th or 12th grade must also submit their high school transcripts and discipline records.
If I apply, am I guaranteed a spot? No. CAT is a small school with a limited number of spaces in each grade level. Students who apply for 9th grade are entered into a lottery from which the 9th grade class will be chosen. Students who apply for 10th or 11th grade will only be admitted if there is space available in the grade level. For more details on this, see our Apply to 9th Grade page and our Apply to Transfer page.
How does CAT select its students? If we have more applicants than open spaces, we will hold a lottery to determine admission.
If I am offered a spot, how long will I have to decide? Students must confirm their intent to attend within a month after they are first offered a spot. You will need to log back into our online application system to accept the offer, or you can call the school. Students who apply after the application deadline and are offered a spot may have a shorter window of time in which to decide.
What happens if I miss the application deadline? If you miss the deadline, your application will be automatically added to our Waiting List in the order in which you applied. If we have available spaces, we will give offers to students on the Waiting List in the order in which they applied.
Is there an entrance examination? There is no entrance exam. All students entering 9th grade must take a placement test, but the placement test is not a factor in your admission to the school.
Are there any preferences given to students in the lottery process? If we receive more applicants than open seats, we will run a lottery with a preference for low-income families (defined as families zoned for elementary schools with over 70% free and reduced lunch students). Siblings and children of teachers and staff are exempted from the lottery.
What documents do I need to provide when I enroll? Once you have been offered and accepted a spot, you will need to provide a copy of the student’s birth certificate and most recent vaccination records (including the TDAP whooping cough vaccination), and you will need to complete CAT’s online registration packet.
Does CAT admit students during the school year? CAT will accept mid-year transfers if there is space available.
Does CAT have a separate enrollment process for students with Individualized Education Plans (IEP)? There is no separate application process for students with IEPs. After students have accepted an offer to attend CAT, we request that any student with an IEP submit a copy of their most recent IEP so we can begin planning for their transition.
If CAT admits students using a lottery, why is an application required? In order to run a lottery or reach out to you to give you an offer to CAT, we need basic information about you like your name and contact information.
Do I have to be “good” at Arts & Technology to attend? No, absolutely not! Our teachers use art and technology as tools for expression and engagement in the classroom. A student might use art to demonstrate understanding of principles of geometry, or create a video on iMovie to show what they have learned in Social Studies. Most students who attend CAT do not have special talents in arts or technology, but enjoy using them as tools for showing what they know.