
Best high schools in the New Orleans 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 New Orleans 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. Northlake Christian School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Covington, LA
- Enrollment: 882 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus

#24. Archbishop Chapelle High School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Metairie, LA
- Enrollment: 588 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus

#23. Crescent City Christian School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Metairie, LA
- Enrollment: 364 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus

#22. Christ Episcopal School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Covington, LA
- Enrollment: 607 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
#21. Ursuline Academy of New Orleans
- School type: Private School
- Location: New Orleans, LA
- Enrollment: 588 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#20. St. Paul's School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Covington, LA
- Enrollment: 889 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#19. Destrehan High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: St. Charles Parish Public Schools, LA
- Enrollment: 1,482 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#18. Cabrini High School
- School type: Private School
- Location: New Orleans, LA
- Enrollment: 302 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
#17. Lycee Francais de la Nouvelle-Orleans
- School type: Public School
- Location: New Orleans, LA
- Enrollment: 1,045 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#16. Brother Martin High School
- School type: Private School
- Location: New Orleans, LA
- Enrollment: 1,206 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#15. Mount Carmel Academy
- School type: Private School
- Location: New Orleans, LA
- Enrollment: 1,200 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#14. St. Mary's Dominican High School
- School type: Private School
- Location: New Orleans, LA
- Enrollment: 891 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
#13. Louise S. McGehee School
- School type: Private School
- Location: New Orleans, LA
- Enrollment: 597 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#12. De La Salle High School
- School type: Private School
- Location: New Orleans, LA
- Enrollment: 595 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#11. St. Martin's Episcopal School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Metairie, LA
- Enrollment: 601 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#10. Knights Academy & High School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Harvey, LA
- Enrollment: 21 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#9. New Orleans Center for Creative Arts
- School type: Public School
- Location: New Orleans, LA
- Enrollment: 230 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#8. Jesuit High School
- School type: Private School
- Location: New Orleans, LA
- Enrollment: 1,368 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#7. Academy of the Sacred Heart
- School type: Private School
- Location: New Orleans, LA
- Enrollment: 695 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#6. The Willow School New Orleans
- School type: Public School
- Location: New Orleans, LA
- Enrollment: 1,954 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#5. Patrick F. Taylor Science & Technology Academy
- School type: Public School
- Location: Jefferson Parish Schools, LA
- Enrollment: 850 (28:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#4. Haynes Academy School for Advanced Studies
- School type: Public School
- Location: Jefferson Parish Schools, LA
- Enrollment: 892 (28:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#3. Metairie Park Country Day School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Metairie, LA
- Enrollment: 723 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#2. Isidore Newman School
- School type: Private School
- Location: New Orleans, LA
- Enrollment: 917 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#1. Benjamin Franklin High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: New Orleans, LA
- Enrollment: 1,034 (16:1 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.