Best Private Schools in the US | 2022

In this article, we will be discussing the best private schools in us, along with the best private high schools in America in 2022. The term private school is commonly used in the United States and Canada to describe a primary or secondary school that has no government support but charges tuition; these include parochial schools, independent schools, and prep schools. In most countries, private schools charge fees that can be substantial. These fees are usually justified by claims that private schools provide superior education or service. For example, in the United Kingdom, independent schools must charge a minimum fee of 15% below the comparable state school fee.

Best Private Elementary Schools in America

Private schools are independent of the government as they do not receive federal funding. Depending on the country, such schools may be subject to a fixed curriculum and a compulsory registry or independent of national standards. These are the best private elementary schools in America for 2022. This year, the private elementary schools that made our ranking offer various educational methods. Our list of the best private elementary schools in America comprises schools from all around the country.

These private schools have proved their excellence in American education and have been identified as a rigorous academic environment for a diverse student population. For example, The East Coast is known for its prestigious private middle schools. Dalton and Brearley are just two of the many options for New York students. The Groton School in Massachusetts and The Shipley School in Pennsylvania are also highly regarded and serve as feeder schools to many of the most prestigious high schools in the country.

Colorado Academy in Denver, Colorado, and Marin Country Day School in Corte Madera, California, are just two of the excellent private middle schools on the West Coast. Check out The Archer School for Girls in Los Angeles and The Ursuline School in New Rochelle, New York, for a more intimate learning environment. San Francisco is home to both The Hamlin School and The Bay School of San Francisco. The Hamlin School serves grades K through 8, emphasizing STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math). In contrast, The Bay School serves grades 7 through 12, emphasizing leadership development.

Read also: Best Schools in Colorado

Top Best Private Schools in the US

1. The Buckley School, New York City

The Buckley School in Manhattan is one of the best private schools on the Upper East Side and also a favorite in New York’s private school scene. The Buckley School is a K-12 and pays tuition of $35,600. It was founded in 1929 as an all-male day school and became co-ed in 1974. Notable alumni include Calvin Klein and David Rockefeller Jr.

2. Brunswick School, Greenwich, Connecticut

Brunswick School is an all-boys day school that was founded in 1926 by Joseph Gruss and his son Maximilian. The school pays tuition of $46,500 and is a 7-12 Middle school. Since its inception, Brunswick School, Greenwich, Connecticut, has been led by nine headmasters, with Thomas Philip taking on the role in June 2013. It is located on a 20-acre campus with an indoor pool, turf field, and outdoor basketball court.

3. The Harker School, San Jose, California

The Harker School started out as a pre-kindergarten program in 1893 before growing into one of the top private schools in California. Students can choose from more than 300 classes across eight different academic levels — ranging from AP to honors to electives. It’s a K-12 and pays tuition of $33,150.

Other Elementary schools in the US

1. Princeton Day School, Princeton, N.J.
2. Miss Porter’s School, Farmington, Conn.
3. The Hotchkiss School, Lakeville, Conn.
4. The Lawrenceville School, Lawrenceville, N.J.
5. Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass.

Best Private High Schools in America 2022

A school’s overall Niche Academics Grade is an average of its grades for statistics such as SAT/ACT test scores, graduation rates, and AP coursework. The grade also considers factors such as student-teacher ratio and teacher absenteeism to measure the quality of a school’s academic programs. The rankings are based on student and parent reviews of academics, health, and safety, diversity, etc. The top private high schools listed below are all academic powerhouses that offer top-notch college preparatory programs.

All students score well above average on SATs and ACTs, have very competitive acceptance rates to prestigious universities, and have graduation rates above 99%. Many also offer unique opportunities such as extracurricular activities like robotics or debate teams, advanced courses such as AP courses or dual enrollment programs, or special programs like honors classes or summer opportunities.

For example, The Bronx High School of Science has topped Niche’s list of the best private high schools in America 2022, For the third year in a row. Niche ranked nearly 20,000 public and private high schools nationwide based on 27 million reviews from 300,000 students and parents.

Top Private High Schools in the US.

1. Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts

Phillips Academy (commonly known as Phillips Academy Andover, Andover, or PA) is a co-ed university preparatory school for boarding and day students in grades 9–12, as well as a postgraduate (PG) year. The institution is located 25 miles north of Boston in Andover, Massachusetts. Phillips Academy has 1,131 students and is a very prestigious institution that accepts only 13% of applications, with an 86 percent acceptance rate (in 2017). It is a member of the G30 Schools Group, Eight Schools Association, and Ten Schools Admissions Organization.

2. Stanford Online High School in Stanford, California

Stanford Online High School (OHS or SOHS), originally EPGY Online High School, is a private independent school for intellectually gifted students located at Stanford University. It is a six-year school that serves students in grades 7 through 12. Tomohiro Hoshi is the current Head of the School. Stanford OHS used to be a component of the Education Program for Gifted Youth’s larger offerings (EPGY). Stanford OHS became totally distinct in its administration from the other curriculum components after EPGY was restructured as Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges has granted Stanford OHS accreditation.

English, Humanities, Laboratory Sciences, Mathematics, History, Computer Science, Foreign Languages, Wellness, and the Core Sequence are among the nine major courses offered by Stanford OHS. The first seven disciplines provide both honors and Advanced Placement courses. In addition, Stanford OHS offers university-level English, Laboratory Sciences, and Mathematics classes. Each year, the amount of tuition at Stanford OHS is decided by the number of students enrolled. Stanford OHS tuition for the 2021-2022 school year is $5,310 for single courses, $15,940 for part-time enrollment (2-3 courses), and $26,570 for full-time enrollment (4-5 courses).

Financial help is provided and distributed to students according to their financial needs. To get financial aid, you must submit a separate application for financial assistance.

3. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia

In Fairfax County, Virginia, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (commonly known as TJHSST, TJ, or Jefferson) is a Virginia state-chartered magnet school. It is consistently ranked as one of the best public high schools in the country. Fairfax County Public Schools operates it as a regional high school. In 1985, the selective admissions program was launched with the help of state and county governments and corporate sponsorship from the defense and technology industries. The school is housed in the former Thomas Jefferson High School building (constructed in 1965).

It is one of the 18 Governor’s Schools in Virginia, as well as a founding member of the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science, and Technology. For the third year in a row, the school was ranked #1 in Newsweek’s annual “America’s Top High Schools” rankings and sixth in US News & World Report’s 2016 High School Rankings. Students from six local counties are eligible to attend the school based on prior academic accomplishments, recommendations, and essays.

In October 2020, TJ dropped the application fee and the math and reading components of its exam from its selection procedure but kept the written portion, which includes an essay and short response sections about the student.

4. Garrison Forest School in Owings Mills, Maryland

Garrison Forest School (GFS) is a globally recognized college preparatory school located in Owings Mills, Maryland, near Baltimore. The school offers a co-ed curriculum from ages two to Pre-K and a day school for girls from kindergarten through grade 12. Girls in grades 8–12 are eligible to participate in the national and international residency programs. The overall enrolment for the 2019-2020 school year is 523 pupils, divided into four divisions: preschool, lower school, middle school, and upper school. Approximately 60 boarding students attend the institution each year.

For students 4–12, Garrison Forest School offers a 1:1 Tablet PC program. The campus is fully networked, and each classroom has a wireless projector that is installed on the wall. Faculty personnel also use Tablet PCs in the classroom to sync with students’ Tablets and provide interactive learning. Each Media Center in the Upper School and Middle School have iMac computers, scanners, and color printers. Teams compete at the local and state levels in the school’s robotics program, which is open to students in grades 4 through 12.

5. Montessori High School at University Circle in Cleveland Heights, Ohio

MHS (Montessori High School at University Circle) was a private high school in Cleveland, Ohio, located in the University Circle neighborhood. The school debuted in August 2008 as the first Montessori high school in the United States. It was also the first Montessori high school in the United States to offer boarding to international and domestic students. Due to financial issues, MHS announced on May 4, 2018, that it would discontinue operations and dispose of its properties at the end of the 2017-18 academic year.

Montessori education was merged with the International Baccalaureate program, a rigorous college-preparatory program emphasizing the classical liberal arts. MHS was one of only five high schools in the United States to use both methodologies. Montessori High School at University Circle was a member of the Cleveland Council of Independent Schools, was state-chartered, and was recognized by the International Baccalaureate as an official World School. Students can receive International Baccalaureate certificates and diplomas in select International Baccalaureate courses and the MHS diploma.

Students might take tests in any of the six courses to gain certificates: English, Maths, Science, 20th-Century World History, Art, or World Language. Students who received a qualifying score in that subject received a certificate. For students, IB certificates represent the successful completion of a course of study and are an accomplishment in and of itself.

6. Phillips Exeter Academy Exeter, NH

Phillips Exeter Academy (also known as Exeter or PEA) is a coeducational independent school for boarding and day students in grades 9 – 12 and a postgraduate program. It is one of the oldest secondary schools in the United States and one of the most prominent in the world and is located in Exeter, New Hampshire. Exeter is built on the Harkness educational approach, which is focused on a conference format of student interaction with limited teacher engagement. It has the greatest endowment of any New England boarding school, with a $1.3 billion endowment as of 2018. The academy’s trustees chose William K. Rawson as the 16th Principal Instructor on January 25, 2019.

Exeter utilizes an 11-point grading system, with an A equal to 11 points and an E equal to 0 points. The student-to-teacher ratio in Exeter is around 5:1. The majority of the faculty members have earned graduate degrees in their respective disciplines. Students must take courses in the arts, classical or modern languages, computer science, English, health & human development, history, mathematics, religion, and science during their four years at Exeter. Most students obtain an English diploma, but those who complete all of the Latin and Ancient Greek classes receive a Classical diploma.

7. The Hotchkiss School Lakeville, CT

The Hotchkiss School, located in Lakeville, Connecticut, is a coeducational preparatory school. The Eight Schools Association and the Ten Schools Admissions Organization are both members of Hotchkiss. It was also a part of the G30 Schools group in the past. With the help of Yale President Timothy Dwight V, Maria Harrison Bissell Hotchkiss started the school in 1891 to prepare young men for Yale University. For $600, The Hotchkiss School welcomed 50 male boarding pupils in 1892. The endowment of Hotchkiss also resulted in scholarship grants to worthy students. The school became coeducational in 1974.

Hotchkiss operates on a semester basis and provides 224 courses, seven foreign languages (Chinese, French, German, Greek, Latin, Russian, and Spanish), and study abroad opportunities. Hotchkiss’ summer program was named “Summer School for the Very Ambitious” by the New York  Times in 1991. The school was named a private school leader in the farm-to-table movement in 2011 after adding agriculture into the curriculum in 2008. “Many consider The Hotchkiss School to be the leader in environmental consciousness among the top prep schools in the country,” the Deerfield Scroll reported the year before.

The school has a 100% college matriculation rate, with 33 students attending Yale, 19 at Harvard, and 16 at Princeton in the 2011–14 class.

St. Paul’s School Concord, NH

St. Paul’s School is a very selective, coeducational, college-preparatory residential school affiliated with the Episcopal Church in Concord, New Hampshire. It is frequently recognized as one of the country’s most prestigious boarding institutions. The school’s 2,000-acre (8.1 km2) campus, or 3.125 square miles, is home to 539 students from 40 states and 18 countries. St. Paul’s was founded in 1856 to educate upper-class boys, but it was one of the first boys’ boarding schools to admit females, and it currently has a diverse student body from all walks of life. While the school only accepted 15% of applicants for the 2020-21 academic year, Harvard, Yale, Columbia, UPenn, Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, and Georgetown enrolled the majority of its 2016–2019 alumni.

Best Private Universities in the US

A wide range of private universities offers exceptional education, including small liberal arts colleges, large research universities, etc. While the best private colleges in the country have something for everyone, many have a specific focus. For example, some may be very strong in STEM fields or the arts. It’s important to keep in mind that every school has its own unique personality and culture. This can be one of the most important factors when choosing which school to attend. In addition to academics, you should consider what kind of environment will help you thrive and succeed.

This is a list of the best private colleges and universities in the United States for 2022. This top colleges and universities list has been created after carefully considering numerous factors, including graduation rates, campus diversity, endowment per student, SAT scores of incoming freshmen, acceptance rates, and more. Before you apply to any school, it’s essential to do your own research and make sure the college is right for you. That way, you’ll be happy with your choice once you enroll.

1. Stanford University

Stanford University has the lowest acceptance rate of just 4% out of all the colleges on this list. It also has one of the highest averages SAT scores of 1500 plus. This makes Stanford a very difficult college to get into but one that pays off well. If you are thinking about applying to Stanford, then make sure you are prepared to send them SAT scores as high as 1530 and some fantastic extracurriculars that will make your application unique. Stanford University’s Silicon Valley location is one of the reasons it ranks among the best private universities in the world. The university also has an excellent academic reputation, with a well-respected business, engineering, humanities, and social sciences.

2. Princeton University

Princeton University is another super-hard college to get into with an admissions rate of just 6%. However, it’s also among the most prestigious universities in America, with several Nobel laureates and Pulitzer prize winners among its alumni. If you are considering applying to Princeton, you’ll need an SAT score above 1470 and personal achievements that make your application stand out from the crowd. Princeton University has been a leader among US private universities since its founding in 1746. Its list of alumni includes two US presidents and many other politicians and Nobel Prize winners.

3. Harvard University

Harvard University leads the way for private colleges in America for the third year running. It is ranked second overall in the US College Rankings and has an impressive alumni network that includes eight US presidents.

4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

MIT has ranked as one of the top private universities in America thanks to its research excellence and academic achievements. The university is a leader in science and technology and offers a range of arts, architecture, and humanities degrees. The best private universities in America attend to the whole student, offering top-flight academics, an abundance of enriching opportunities outside the classroom, and plenty of support for students’ social and emotional growth.

Conclusion

The top private colleges and universities in America are among the most prestigious schools in the nation and some of the most expensive. Many of these private colleges have selective admissions processes, while many others have open admissions policies. Tax dollars do not subsidize tuition at private schools, so these schools tend to be more expensive than public institutions. If you’re looking for the best private college experience America offers, I hope this post helps you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is in charge of regulating private schools?

Although the terms “independent school” and “private school” are frequently used interchangeably, independent schools are all governed by a board of governors or trustees. In contrast, their owners may administer other private schools with no governing body.

Do private schools use the same curriculum as public schools?

A private school is not required by law to follow or teach the national curriculum. The school must be supervised and inspected by law to ensure that minimum standards of care and education are reached, but this does not have to be tested against the national curriculum.

Which state in the United States has the best public schools?

New Jersey is the most educated state in the country. Massachusetts, Florida, Washington, and Colorado round out the top five states. Six of the top ten best states for education are also among the top ten best states overall. Find out more about the Best States for Education in the following sections.

Is it important to Harvard which high school you attended?

Eleven percent of high schools with Harvard admissions sent 36 percent of their students, while 74% of schools sent only one. Obviously, where you attended high school will have a significant impact on whether or not you are accepted to Harvard.

Is it better to send your child to a public or private school in the United States?

The most recent NAEP data confirms what other studies have found: private school students outperform public school students in almost every subject. NAIS discovered that students in private schools consistently outperformed their public school peers on college entrance exams such as the SAT in all subject areas.