The college admission process is more competitive than ever before. The acceptance rates at many of the country’s elite schools are less than half of what they were 10 years ago, and in 2016, Stanford University became the first school ever to admit less than 5% of applicants.
One of the largest factors in college admission, and a determinant of one’s chances for personal and professional success overall, is the quality of high school one attends.
Since the Elementary and Secondary Education Act was passed in 1965, the number of public high schools has risen significantly nationwide. Public schools in the United States vary greatly in quality, so those who can afford it increasingly send their kids to private school. These schools often offer those students that can afford them a more specialized, and in many cases, higher-quality education. While fewer than half of all public high school graduates attend college, 95% of private school graduates do.
Many of the top private schools in the country are centuries-old, selective institutions in the Northeast, where the largest shares of students are enrolled in private school. Still, every state has at least a dozen private high schools, with at least one institution ranking in the top third of all U.S. high schools. To determine the best private high school in every state, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed rankings of all private schools from school and neighborhood data clearinghouse Niche. In its ranking of the best private high schools in America, Niche considers factors such as SAT and ACT standardized test scores, the quality of colleges considered by students, the share of graduates who attend college, student-teacher ratio, and racial and economic diversity.
Click here to see the full list of the top private high school in every state.
Click here to see our detailed findings and methodology.
1. Alabama
> High school: Indian Springs School, Indian Springs
> Students: 315
> Average SAT score: 1400/1600
> Annual tuition: $23,000
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2. Alaska
> High school: Catholic Schools of Fairbanks, Fairbanks
> Students: 430
> Average SAT score: 1120/1600
> Annual tuition: $11,410
3. Arizona
> High school: Phoenix Country Day School, Paradise Valley
> Students: 750
> Average SAT score: 1350/1600
> Annual tuition: $25,000
4. Arkansas
> High school: Pulaski Academy, Little Rock
> Students: 1,385
> Average SAT score: 1270/1600
> Annual tuition: $12,905
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5. California
> High school: Harvard-Westlake School, Studio City
> Students: 1,593
> Average SAT score: 1430/1600
> Annual tuition: $35,900
6. Colorado
> High school: Kent Denver School, Englewood
> Students: 701
> Average SAT score: 1360/1600
> Annual tuition: $27,330
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7. Connecticut
> High school: Choate Rosemary Hall, Wallingford
> Students: 859
> Average SAT score: 1360/1600
> Annual tuition: $43,580
8. Delaware
> High school: St. Andrew’s School, Middletown
> Students: 297
> Average SAT score: 1360/1600
> Annual tuition: $55,500
9. Florida
> High school: Ransom Everglades School, Coconut Grove
> Students: 1,084
> Average SAT score: 1390/1600
> Annual tuition: $35,900
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10. Georgia
> High school: The Westminster Schools, Atlanta
> Students: 1,862
> Average SAT score: 1410/1600
> Annual tuition: $26,815
11. Hawaii
> High school: Punahou School, Honolulu
> Students: 3,768
> Average SAT score: 1320/1600
> Annual tuition: $23,850
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12. Idaho
> High school: Riverstone International School, Boise
> Students: 340
> Average SAT score: 1320/1600
> Annual tuition: $17,810
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13. Illinois
> High school: Lake Forest Academy, Lake Forest
> Students: 435
> Average SAT score: 1360/1600
> Annual tuition: $43,150
14. Indiana
> High school: Culver Academies, Culver
> Students: 814
> Average SAT score: 1290/1600
> Annual tuition: $48,500
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15. Iowa
> High school: Rivermont Collegiate, Bettendorf
> Students: 200
> Average SAT score: 1390/1600
> Annual tuition: $14,780
16. Kansas
> High school: Bishop Seabury Academy, Lawrence
> Students: 200
> Average SAT score: 1240/1600
> Annual tuition: $13,125
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17. Kentucky
> High school: Kentucky Country Day School, Louisville
> Students: 907
> Average SAT score: 1370/1600
> Annual tuition: $21,900
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18. Louisiana
> High school: Episcopal School of Acadiana, Broussard
> Students: 595
> Average SAT score: 1350/1600
> Annual tuition: $16,350
19. Maine
> High school: Waynflete, Portland
> Students: 560
> Average SAT score: 1300/1600
> Annual tuition: $29,440
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20. Maryland
> High school: Holton-Arms School, Bethesda
> Students: 641
> Average SAT score: 1360/1600
> Annual tuition: $40,150
21. Massachusetts
> High school: Phillips Academy, Andover
> Students: 1,150
> Average SAT score: 1450/1600
> Annual tuition: $41,900
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22. Michigan
> High school: Cranbrook Schools, Bloomfield Hills
> Students: 1,670
> Average SAT score: 1420/1600
> Annual tuition: $33,100
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23. Minnesota
> High school: The Blake School, Hopkins
> Students: 1,380
> Average SAT score: 1380/1600
> Annual tuition: $29,025
24. Mississippi
> High school: St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, Ridgeland
> Students: 1,148
> Average SAT score: 1350/1600
> Annual tuition: $17,130
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25. Missouri
> High school: John Burroughs School, St. Louis
> Students: 610
> Average SAT score: 1400/1600
> Annual tuition: $27,540
26. Montana
> High school: Billings Central Catholic High School, Billings
> Students: 330
> Average SAT score: 26/36
> Annual tuition: $8,640
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27. Nebraska
> High school: Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart, Omaha
> Students: 380
> Average SAT score: 1340/1600
> Annual tuition: $11,400
28. Nevada
> High school: The Meadows School, Las Vegas
> Students: 850
> Average SAT score: 1370/1600
> Annual tuition: $25,000
29. New Hampshire
> High school: Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter
> Students: 1,085
> Average SAT score: 1430/1600
> Annual tuition: $38,740
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30. New Jersey
> High school: The Lawrenceville School, Lawrenceville
> Students: 822
> Average SAT score: 1430/1600
> Annual tuition: $51,440
31. New Mexico
> High school: Albuquerque Academy, Albuquerque
> Students: 1,130
> Average SAT score: 1380/1600
> Annual tuition: $22,870
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32. New York
> High school: Horace Mann School, Bronx
> Students: 1,694
> Average SAT score: 1430/1600
> Annual tuition: $48,600
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33. North Carolina
> High school: Cary Academy, Cary
> Students: 748
> Average SAT score: 1380/1600
> Annual tuition: $22,400
34. North Dakota
> High school: Shanley High School & Sullivan Middle School, Fargo
> Students: 541
> Average SAT score: 1340/1600
> Annual tuition: $6,570
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35. Ohio
> High school: Western Reserve Academy, Hudson
> Students: 405
> Average SAT score: 1360/1600
> Annual tuition: $36,750
36. Oklahoma
> High school: Casady School, Oklahoma City
> Students: 915
> Average SAT score: 1370/1600
> Annual tuition: $19,560
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37. Oregon
> High school: Catlin Gabel School
> Students: 760
> Average SAT score: 1370/1600
> Annual tuition: $29,640
38. Pennsylvania
> High school: Germantown Friends School, Philadelphia
> Students: 906
> Average SAT score: 1380/1600
> Annual tuition: $35,775
39. Rhode Island
> High school: The Wheeler School, Providence
> Students: 768
> Average SAT score: 1330/1600
> Annual tuition: $33,865
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40. South Carolina
> High school: Christ Church Episcopal School, Greenville
> Students: 1,128
> Average SAT score: 1280/1600
> Annual tuition: $19,340
41. South Dakota
> High school: O’Gorman High School, Sioux Falls
> Students: 749
> Average SAT score: 1410/1600
> Annual tuition: $5,750
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42. Tennessee
> High school: University School of Nashville, Nashville
> Students: 1,067
> Average SAT score: 1350/1600
> Annual tuition: $23,929
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43. Texas
> High school: St. Mark’s School of Texas, Dallas
> Students: 851
> Average SAT score: 1460/1600
> Annual tuition: $29,496
44. Utah
> High school: Rowland Hall, Salt Lake City
> Students: 926
> Average SAT score: 1330/1600
> Annual tuition: $21,475
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45. Vermont
> High school: The Putney School, Putney
> Students: 209
> Average SAT score: 1270/1600
> Annual tuition: $34,150
46. Virginia
> High school: The Madeira School, Mclean
> Students: 319
> Average SAT score: 1340/1600
> Annual tuition: $43,947
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47. Washington
> High school: Lakeside School, Seattle
> Students: 838
> Average SAT score: 1430/1600
> Annual tuition: $32,000
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48. West Virginia
> High school: Charleston Catholic High School, Charleston
> Students: 410
> Average SAT score: 1250/1600
> Annual tuition: $7,700
49. Wisconsin
> High school: University School of Milwaukee, Milwaukee
> Students: 941
> Average SAT score: 1390/1600
> Annual tuition: $25,123
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50. Wyoming
> High school: Journeys School of Teton Science Schools, Jackson
> Students: 209
> Average SAT score: 1290/1600
> Annual tuition: $21,750
Detailed Findings & Methodology
Private schools tend to offer smaller classes. While the average public school nationwide has 16 students per teacher, the pupil-per-teacher ratio at private schools is 12. In 41 states, the top private high school has fewer than 10 students per teacher.
Students at private schools tend to outperform public school students on standardized tests. The average SAT score among private school seniors was 1077 out of 1600 in 2014, roughly 100 points higher than that of the average public school student. Students scored an average of at least 1300 on the SAT in the top private high school in 40 states.
Private high schools often tend to have a higher quality of education than public schools overall. In Niche’s ranking of all high schools nationwide, only two of the top 25 high schools in America are public.
Likely the biggest factor contributing to the differences in educational quality between private and public schools, as well as the disparity in quality among private schools, is funding.
Private schools are largely funded by student tuition and endowments. The average tuition at a private high school is $11,000. Many of the best private high schools charge tuition greater than three times the national average and more than most private universities. Many students come from out of state, and and the student bodies of the best private schools represent multiple countries.
Despite their separate funding sources, the quality of a state’s private schools often mirrors that of its public school system. According to Niche’s analysis, public schools in the Northeast and and West Coast are among the best in the country, while public schools in the South and Midwest tend to not rank as among the best in the country.
Similarly, while the top private high schools in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Connecticut, Washington, California, and New York are among the top 10 private high schools in the country, states in South and Midwest offer less highly-ranked educational opportunities. The top private high schools in Montana and Alaska, for example, fall outside of the top 2,000 private schools nationwide.
To determine the best private high school in every state, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed rankings for all private schools from school and neighborhood data clearinghouse Niche. Data on number of students, average SAT and ACT score, and annual tuition also came from Niche. When tuition data was not available from Niche, outside sources were used.
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