
Best high schools in the Louisville metro area
According to the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics, 15.5 million students attend public high school every year, and more than 3.76 million are expected to graduate in 2025. However, those students have a wide variety of experiences over the course of their high school careers.
To start, issues surrounding equal educational access persist throughout the United States. A January 2025 report published in Frontiers found that disparities across socioeconomic status, race, gender, and geography can lead to negative outcomes and the perpetuation of systemic barriers.
Outside of these issues, students also pursue many different paths within high school. Roughly 8.3 million high schoolers attend educational programs to prepare for careers in fields like transportation, landscaping, and culinary arts. Meanwhile, nearly 2.5 million are in dual enrollment programs that offer high school and college credit for the same course, allowing students to get a jump on higher education degrees.
Dual enrollment programs are particularly useful considering that more than 3 in 5 (61%) high school graduates head to college, per a 2024 Bureau of Labor Statistics report. Unfortunately, high school doesn't always guarantee college success. In 2024, the average SAT score declined for the third straight year, and nearly 2 in 5 (39%) test-takers met or exceeded the test's college readiness benchmarks. ACT scores are also on the decline year over year, down to 19.4 out of 36, and just 3 in 10 students met at least three of the ACT's college readiness benchmarks.
With that said, attending a quality high school will typically help prepare students for their next steps in life, whether that's college, technical school, or going straight into the workforce. Stacker compiled a list of the best high schools in the Louisville metro area using data from Niche, which uses seven weighted factors for its rankings. Most of the score is based on academics, but other factors include culture and diversity; sports; clubs and activities; resources; and surveys of parents, teachers, and students.

#25. Christian Academy of Indiana
- School type: Private School
- Location: New Albany, IN
- Enrollment: 961 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

#24. Christian Academy of Louisville
- School type: Private School
- Location: Louisville, KY
- Enrollment: 2,129 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

#23. Oldham County High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Oldham County Public Schools, KY
- Enrollment: 1,656 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

#22. Eastern High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Jefferson County Public Schools, KY
- Enrollment: 2,036 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus

#21. Mercy Academy
- School type: Private School
- Location: Louisville, KY
- Enrollment: 492 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
#20. Floyd Central High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated Schools, IN
- Enrollment: 1,873 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
#19. Northside Christian Academy
- School type: Private School
- Location: Louisville, KY
- Enrollment: 108 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
#18. Highlands Latin School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Louisville, KY
- Enrollment: 720 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus

#17. Louisville Adventist Academy
- School type: Private School
- Location: Louisville, KY
- Enrollment: 90 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus

#16. Atherton High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Jefferson County Public Schools, KY
- Enrollment: 1,461 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#15. Louisville Male High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Jefferson County Public Schools, KY
- Enrollment: 1,991 (21:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#14. South Oldham High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Oldham County Public Schools, KY
- Enrollment: 1,341 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#13. North Oldham High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Oldham County Public Schools, KY
- Enrollment: 995 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#12. Presentation Academy
- School type: Private School
- Location: Louisville, KY
- Enrollment: 220 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#11. Assumption High School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Louisville, KY
- Enrollment: 941 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#10. Ballard High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Jefferson County Public Schools, KY
- Enrollment: 2,014 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#9. Trinity High School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Louisville, KY
- Enrollment: 1,222 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#8. Saint Xavier High School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Louisville, KY
- Enrollment: 1,135 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#7. Sacred Heart Academy
- School type: Private School
- Location: Louisville, KY
- Enrollment: 774 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#6. J. Graham Brown School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Jefferson County Public Schools, KY
- Enrollment: 738 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#5. Walden School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Louisville, KY
- Enrollment: 288 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#4. Francis Parker School of Louisville
- School type: Private School
- Location: Goshen, KY
- Enrollment: 456 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#3. DuPont Manual High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Jefferson County Public Schools, KY
- Enrollment: 1,929 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#2. Louisville Collegiate School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Louisville, KY
- Enrollment: 782 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#1. Kentucky Country Day School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Louisville, KY
- Enrollment: 834 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
This story features data reporting by Rob Powell, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 97 metros.