Best private high schools in Florida
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 Florida 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.
Editor's note: The original article had inaccuracies when multiple schools in Florida had the same name. In most of these instances, the wrong data was displayed in the ranking. Stacker sincerely apologizes for the errors.
#30. Academy at the Lakes
- District: Land O Lakes
- Enrollment: 445 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#29. Episcopal School of Jacksonville
- City: Jacksonville
- Enrollment: 886 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#28. Donna Klein Jewish Academy
- District: Boca Raton
- Enrollment: 618 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#27. Academy of the Holy Names
- City: Tampa
- Enrollment: 964 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#26. Saint Edward's School
- District: Vero Beach
- Enrollment: 562 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#25. The Benjamin School
- District: North Palm Beach
- Enrollment: 1,282 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#24. Carrollwood Day School
- City: Tampa
- Enrollment: 1,163 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#23. Tampa Preparatory School
- City: Tampa
- Enrollment: 704 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#22. Windermere Preparatory School
- District: Windermere
- Enrollment: 1,600 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#21. Community School of Naples
- City: Naples
- Enrollment: 800 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#20. Canterbury School
- District: Fort Myers
- Enrollment: 762 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#19. Shorecrest Preparatory School
- District: St. Petersburg
- Enrollment: 1,009 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#18. Belen Jesuit Preparatory School
- City: Miami
- Enrollment: 1,377 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#17. Lake Highland Preparatory School
- City: Orlando
- Enrollment: 2,079 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#16. Riviera Schools
- City: Miami
- Enrollment: 835 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#15. Scheck Hillel Community School
- District: North Miami Beach
- Enrollment: 1,250 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#14. Saint Andrew's School
- District: Boca Raton
- Enrollment: 1,335 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#13. Miami Country Day School
- City: Miami
- Enrollment: 1,250 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#12. Posnack Jewish Day School
- District: Davie
- Enrollment: 862 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#11. Trinity Preparatory School
- District: Winter Park
- Enrollment: 860 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#10. Palmer Trinity School
- City: Miami
- Enrollment: 770 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#9. Gulliver Preparatory School
- District: Pinecrest
- Enrollment: 2,227 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#8. NSU University School
- District: Davie
- Enrollment: 1,849 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#7. Crimson Global Academy, USA
- District: Online
- Enrollment: 180 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#6. Berkeley Preparatory School
- City: Tampa
- Enrollment: 1,401 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#5. Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart
- City: Miami
- Enrollment: 857 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#4. American Heritage Schools, Palm Beach Campus
- District: Delray Beach
- Enrollment: 1,797 (4:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#3. Pine Crest School - Fort Lauderdale Campus
- District: Fort Lauderdale
- Enrollment: 1,803 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#2. American Heritage Schools, Broward Campus
- District: Plantation
- Enrollment: 2,794 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#1. Ransom Everglades School
- District: Coconut Grove
- Enrollment: 1,141 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+