Best private high schools in New York
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 New York 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 New York had the same name. In most of these instances, the wrong data was displayed in the ranking. Stacker sincerely apologizes for the errors.
#30. Portledge School
- District: Locust Valley
- Enrollment: 546 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#29. The Hewitt School
- District: New York
- Enrollment: 475 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#28. Emma Willard School
- District: Troy
- Enrollment: 362 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#27. The Masters School
- District: Dobbs Ferry
- Enrollment: 694 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#26. United Nations International School
- District: New York
- Enrollment: 1,452 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#25. French-American School of New York
- District: Mamaroneck
- Enrollment: 749 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#24. Packer Collegiate Institute
- District: Brooklyn
- Enrollment: 998 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#23. ECFS - Fieldston Middle/Upper School
- District: Bronx
- Enrollment: 990 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#22. Poly Prep Country Day School
- District: Brooklyn
- Enrollment: 1,156 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#21. BASIS Independent Brooklyn
- District: Brooklyn
- Enrollment: 869 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#20. Saint Ann's School
- District: Brooklyn
- Enrollment: 1,085 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#19. Hackley School
- District: Tarrytown
- Enrollment: 855 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#18. The Browning School
- District: New York
- Enrollment: 399 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#17. Friends Academy
- District: Locust Valley
- Enrollment: 706 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#16. Marymount School of New York
- District: New York
- Enrollment: 768 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#15. Dwight Global Online School
- District: New York
- Enrollment: 307 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#14. The Chapin School
- District: New York
- Enrollment: 814 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#13. Avenues The World School
- District: New York
- Enrollment: 1,686 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#12. Lycée Français de New York
- District: New York
- Enrollment: 1,161 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#11. Dalton School
- District: New York
- Enrollment: 1,322 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#10. The Nightingale-Bamford School
- District: New York
- Enrollment: 692 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#9. Rye Country Day School
- District: Rye
- Enrollment: 951 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#8. The Spence School
- District: New York
- Enrollment: 751 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#7. Convent of the Sacred Heart
- District: New York
- Enrollment: 699 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#6. Collegiate School
- District: Manhattan
- Enrollment: 651 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#5. Horace Mann School
- District: Bronx
- Enrollment: 1,802 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#4. Regis High School
- District: New York
- Enrollment: 532 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#3. The Brearley School
- District: New York
- Enrollment: 772 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#2. Riverdale Country School
- District: Bronx
- Enrollment: 1,273 (4:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#1. Trinity School
- District: New York
- Enrollment: 1,001 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
