Best private high schools in Michigan

Written by:
April 21, 2023
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Best private high schools in Michigan

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 Michigan 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 Michigan had the same name. In most of these instances, the wrong data was displayed in the ranking. Stacker sincerely apologizes for the errors.

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#30. Shrine Catholic High School

- District: Royal Oak
- Enrollment: 249 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#29. Auburn Hills Christian School

- District: Auburn Hills
- Enrollment: 251 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#28. Plymouth Christian Academy

- District: Canton
- Enrollment: 726 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#27. De La Salle Collegiate

- District: Warren
- Enrollment: 537 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#26. Farber Hebrew Day School - Yeshivat Akiva

- District: Southfield
- Enrollment: 258 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#25. Lake Michigan Catholic Middle/High School

- District: Saint Joseph
- Enrollment: 130 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#24. Spring Vale Christian School

- District: Owosso
- Enrollment: 68 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#23. Andrews Academy

- District: Berrien Springs
- Enrollment: 261 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#22. West Michigan Lutheran High School

- District: Wyoming
- Enrollment: 24 (4:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#21. Grand Rapids Christian High School

- City: Grand Rapids
- Enrollment: 918 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#20. Academy of the Sacred Heart

- District: Bloomfield Hills
- Enrollment: 320 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#19. Everest Collegiate High School & Academy

- District: Clarkston
- Enrollment: 480 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#18. Genesee Academy

- District: Swartz Creek
- Enrollment: 259 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#17. Southfield Christian School

- District: Southfield
- Enrollment: 605 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#16. Marian High School

- District: Bloomfield Hills
- Enrollment: 490 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#15. University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy

- City: Detroit
- Enrollment: 887 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#14. Mercy High School

- District: Farmington Hills
- Enrollment: 600 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#13. St. Mary's Preparatory School

- District: Orchard Lake
- Enrollment: 533 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#12. Detroit Catholic Central High School

- District: Novi
- Enrollment: 935 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#11. Michigan Islamic Academy

- City: Ann Arbor
- Enrollment: 257 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#10. Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy

- District: Pontiac
- Enrollment: 1,044 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#9. Brother Rice High School

- District: Bloomfield Hills
- Enrollment: 518 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#8. Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor

- City: Ann Arbor
- Enrollment: 365 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#7. University Liggett School

- District: Grosse Pointe Woods
- Enrollment: 638 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#6. Interlochen Arts Academy

- District: Interlochen
- Enrollment: 557 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#5. The Roeper School - Birmingham Campus

- District: Birmingham
- Enrollment: 269 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#4. Frankel Jewish Academy of Metro Detroit

- District: West Bloomfield
- Enrollment: 125 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#3. Detroit Country Day School

- District: Beverly Hills
- Enrollment: 1,515 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#2. Greenhills School

- City: Ann Arbor
- Enrollment: 677 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#1. Cranbrook Schools

- District: Bloomfield Hills
- Enrollment: 1,659 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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