Best private high schools in Ohio, according to Niche
Private schools, in some form, existed long before the concept of free public education in America. Students were often educated through church-sponsored programs, private tutoring, and boarding schools. Public schools on a large scale were proposed by Horace Mann in the 1830s. The concept gained momentum, and by 1870, nearly 80% of kids aged 5 to 14 were enrolled in public schools. Today, according to the most recent enrollment data, about 4.7 million students—or 10% of students enrolled in kindergarten through grade 12—are enrolled in private schools.
Private schools are widely marketed as a better option when compared to public schools, and private school proponents will often point to standardized test scores to substantiate this claim. While private school students have consistently outperformed public school students on standardized tests, recent studies have shown private schools themselves are not the primary driver of success, nor are standardized tests the most accurate measure of student well-being.
Researchers have found that student success is more directly related to family attributes, like having parents who graduated from college, and higher incomes—more common amongst private school students than public school students—than simply whether the students attended a public or private school.
Still, private schools provide unique advantages and opportunities like smaller class sizes, more individualized instruction, and greater curricular flexibility. To better understand how private school offerings vary across the country, Stacker compiled a list of the best private high schools in Ohio using 2023 rankings from Niche. Niche uses eight weighted factors for its rankings. A majority of the score is based on academics and grades, but other factors include culture and diversity, health and safety, clubs and activities, resources, and surveys of parents, teachers and students.
#30. Beaumont School
- Enrollment: 295 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: 9-12
- City: Cleveland Heights
- Niche grade: A
#29. Walsh Jesuit High School
- Enrollment: 1,010 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: 9-12
- City: Cuyahoga Falls
- Niche grade: A
#28. St. Ursula Academy
- Enrollment: 624 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: 6-12
- City: Toledo
- Niche grade: A
#27. Archbishop Moeller High School
- Enrollment: 891 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: 9-12
- City: Cincinnati
- Niche grade: A
#26. St. John's Jesuit High School and Academy
- Enrollment: 741 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: 6-12
- City: Toledo
- Niche grade: A
#25. St. Edward High School
- Enrollment: 963 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: 9-12
- City: Lakewood
- Niche grade: A
#24. St. Charles Preparatory School
- Enrollment: 505 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: 9-12
- City: Columbus
- Niche grade: A+
#23. Saint Ursula Academy
- Enrollment: 637 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: 9-12
- City: Cincinnati
- Niche grade: A+
#22. Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy
- Enrollment: 1,352 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Cincinnati
- Niche grade: A+
#21. The Schilling School for Gifted Children
- Enrollment: 49 (3:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: K-12
- City: Cincinnati
- Niche grade: A+
#20. Gilmour Academy
- Enrollment: 732 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Gates Mills
- Niche grade: A+
#19. Our Lady of the Elms
- Enrollment: 265 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Akron
- Niche grade: A+
#18. Ursuline Academy
- Enrollment: 575 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: 9-12
- City: Cincinnati
- Niche grade: A+
#17. Saint Ignatius High School
- Enrollment: 1,430 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: 9-12
- City: Cleveland
- Niche grade: A+
#16. Andrews Osborne Academy
- Enrollment: 350 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Willoughby
- Niche grade: A+
#15. Lake Ridge Academy
- Enrollment: 400 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: K-12
- City: North Ridgeville
- Niche grade: A+
#14. St. Xavier High School
- Enrollment: 1,393 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: 9-12
- City: Cincinnati
- Niche grade: A+
#13. The Miami Valley School
- Enrollment: 490 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Dayton
- Niche grade: A+
#12. Columbus School for Girls
- Enrollment: 540 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Columbus
- Niche grade: A+
#11. The Summit Country Day School
- Enrollment: 1,082 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Cincinnati
- Niche grade: A+
#10. The Wellington School
- Enrollment: 712 (4:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Columbus
- Niche grade: A+
#9. Maumee Valley Country Day School
- Enrollment: 542 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Toledo
- Niche grade: A+
#8. Cincinnati Country Day School
- Enrollment: 870 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Cincinnati
- Niche grade: A+
#7. Laurel School
- Enrollment: 540 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Shaker Heights
- Niche grade: A+
#6. Columbus Academy
- Enrollment: 1,085 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Gahanna
- Niche grade: A+
#5. The Seven Hills School
- Enrollment: 1,070 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Cincinnati
- Niche grade: A+
#4. Hawken School
- Enrollment: 1,082 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Gates Mills
- Niche grade: A+
#3. Hathaway Brown School
- Enrollment: 790 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Shaker Heights
- Niche grade: A+
#2. University School
- Enrollment: 851 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Hunting Valley
- Niche grade: A+
#1. Western Reserve Academy
- Enrollment: 431 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: 9-12
- City: Hudson
- Niche grade: A+