<p>My son applied to CA boarding schools only. (Thacher, Cate and Webb)</p>
<p>We had gone through the similar thinking process as you are doing now. We tried to compare Cate and Thacher in every possible way. </p>
<p>During the process, We had a lot of help from people like Thacherparent, Mountainhiker who’s DS goes to Thacher now, and ThisOneKid (Cate student). </p>
<p>Honestly, we still don’t exactly know what the real atmosphere is like at both schools and will never do because we can’t attend both. But from what I heard from other people and felt during the school visits and interactions with the schools, I can tell that both are excellent schools with very friendly atmosphere. </p>
<p>Our son decided in favour of Thacher and it was mainly because he loves horses and outdoors. We equally liked Cate School. It would be helpful if you visit the schools later and speak with people there. Sorry, this is all I can add for now. Maybe if you PM me later this year, I could hopefully share our Thacher experience with you in further details.</p>