Best private high schools in Pennsylvania
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 Pennsylvania 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. Solebury School
- Enrollment: 237 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: 9-12
- City: New Hope
- Niche grade: A+
#29. St. Joseph's Preparatory School
- Enrollment: 900 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: 9-12
- City: Philadelphia
- Niche grade: A+
#28. Harrisburg Academy
- Enrollment: 313 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Wormleysburg
- Niche grade: A+
#27. Lancaster Country Day School
- Enrollment: 593 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Lancaster
- Niche grade: A+
#26. Springside Chestnut Hill Academy
- Enrollment: 1,100 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Philadelphia
- Niche grade: A+
#25. Malvern Preparatory School
- Enrollment: 652 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: 6-12
- City: Malvern
- Niche grade: A+
#24. Abington Friends School
- Enrollment: 600 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Jenkintown
- Niche grade: A+
#23. The Ellis School
- Enrollment: 402 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Pittsburgh
- Niche grade: A+
#22. Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School
- Enrollment: 771 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Kingston
- Niche grade: A+
#21. The Agnes Irwin School
- Enrollment: 573 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Rosemont
- Niche grade: A+
#20. Sewickley Academy
- Enrollment: 532 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Sewickley
- Niche grade: A+
#19. William Penn Charter School
- Enrollment: 988 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Philadelphia
- Niche grade: A+
#18. Friends Select School
- Enrollment: 618 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Philadelphia
- Niche grade: A+
#17. Germantown Academy
- Enrollment: 1,222 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Fort Washington
- Niche grade: A+
#16. Westtown School
- Enrollment: 696 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: West Chester
- Niche grade: A+
#15. The Shipley School
- Enrollment: 800 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Bryn Mawr
- Niche grade: A+
#14. Grier School
- Enrollment: 260 (4:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: 7-12
- City: Birmingham
- Niche grade: A+
#13. Moravian Academy
- Enrollment: 889 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Bethlehem
- Niche grade: A+
#12. Winchester Thurston School
- Enrollment: 641 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Pittsburgh
- Niche grade: A+
#11. George School
- Enrollment: 545 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: 9-12
- City: Newtown
- Niche grade: A+
#10. Linden Hall
- Enrollment: 127 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: 6-12
- City: Lititz
- Niche grade: A+
#9. Shady Side Academy
- Enrollment: 1,142 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Pittsburgh
- Niche grade: A+
#8. Friends' Central School
- Enrollment: 819 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Wynnewood
- Niche grade: A+
#7. Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy
- Enrollment: 380 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: 6-12
- City: Bryn Mawr
- Niche grade: A+
#6. The Haverford School
- Enrollment: 960 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Haverford
- Niche grade: A+
#5. The Hill School
- Enrollment: 529 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: 9-12
- City: Pottstown
- Niche grade: A+
#4. The Baldwin School
- Enrollment: 572 (572:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Bryn Mawr
- Niche grade: A+
#3. The Episcopal Academy
- Enrollment: 1,275 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Newtown Square
- Niche grade: A+
#2. Mercersburg Academy
- Enrollment: 447 (4:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: 9-12
- City: Mercersburg
- Niche grade: A+
#1. Germantown Friends School
- Enrollment: 1,129 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Grades served: PK, K-12
- City: Philadelphia
- Niche grade: A+
