New Student Information

New Student Rafting Trip
August 22-23

To help ease the transition to Catlin Gabel, we want to invite all of our new upper school students on a rafting trip before school starts. It’s a great way to get to know many of their new peers, to meet a few of their new teachers, and have a blast on the water at the same time!

Click here for more details.

Device Requirements

Catlin Gabel School requires all upper school students to bring a laptop to school daily. We suggest purchasing one of the recommended models below. Students will receive instructions at the beginning of the school year on how to install required software for their classes and configure their backup. Students may be asked to install additional software throughout the year. Laptops are used throughout the curriculum for research, writing, working on complex math problems, design, art, modern language acquisition, and collaboration in a wide variety of ways. Students are expected to check their school-provided email account regularly throughout the day for the most up-to-date information.

Please note the requirement is for a laptop computer, and tablet devices are not supported. We also are recommending that families not yet purchase devices that have AI embedded in the hardware.

Recommended Laptop Models

Apple
Most students use an Apple laptop. We recommend the 13-inch MacBook Air with an M3 processor, 16GB RAM and at least a 256GB Solid State Drive. Please note the default RAM offered by Apple is less than our recommendation, and that the 256GB drive may require some careful storage management over time.You can purchase Apple products at a discount through our Apple Custom Store. Be sure to use links on the main page rather than the links located in the top menu.

Dell
If you or your student prefer a Windows computer, we recommend a Dell XPS 13with an Intel i7 processor, 16GB RAM and a 512GB Solid State Drive. Please note that the specific configuration linked to above is available as of May 30th but is subject to availability.

Minimum Specifications

If you prefer to shop for a different configuration computer, our minimum specifications are as follows:

Mac
13-inch Macbook Air with M2 processor
16GB RAM
256GB Solid State Drive

Windows
Intel i7 or similar processor
16GB RAM
256GB Solid State Drive

We are happy to assist you in selecting a laptop that will meet your child’s needs. The school does not purchase hardware for students except in the case of a laptop financial aid award. Please email the Technology Department or call 503-297-1894 x5555 if you need assistance with laptop selection. Please contact Mary Yacob to inquire about laptop financial aid.