Best high schools in the New Orleans metro area

Written by:
June 26, 2025
SEALANDSKYPHOTO // Shutterstock

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.

1 / 25
GagliardiPhotography // Shutterstock

#25. Northlake Christian School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Covington, LA
- Enrollment: 882 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus

2 / 25
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock

#24. Archbishop Chapelle High School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Metairie, LA
- Enrollment: 588 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus

3 / 25
Achira22 // Shutterstock

#23. Crescent City Christian School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Metairie, LA
- Enrollment: 364 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus

4 / 25
Anna Jurkovska // Shutterstock

#22. Christ Episcopal School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Covington, LA
- Enrollment: 607 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

5 / 25
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

#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

6 / 25
LStockStudio // Shutterstock

#20. St. Paul's School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Covington, LA
- Enrollment: 889 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

7 / 25
Daniel Hoz // Shutterstock

#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

8 / 25
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

#18. Cabrini High School

- School type: Private School
- Location: New Orleans, LA
- Enrollment: 302 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

9 / 25
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

#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

10 / 25
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

#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

11 / 25
LightField Studios // Shutterstock

#15. Mount Carmel Academy

- School type: Private School
- Location: New Orleans, LA
- Enrollment: 1,200 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

12 / 25
LightField Studios // Shutterstock

#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 / 25
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock

#13. Louise S. McGehee School

- School type: Private School
- Location: New Orleans, LA
- Enrollment: 597 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

14 / 25
LBeddoe // Shutterstock

#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

15 / 25
Roman Kosolapov // Shutterstock

#11. St. Martin's Episcopal School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Metairie, LA
- Enrollment: 601 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

16 / 25
panitanphoto // Shutterstock

#10. Knights Academy & High School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Harvey, LA
- Enrollment: 21 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

17 / 25
Ground Picture // Shutterstock

#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

18 / 25
ImageFlow // Shutterstock

#8. Jesuit High School

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

19 / 25
Studio KIWI // Shutterstock

#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+

20 / 25
LStockStudio // Shutterstock

#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+

21 / 25
maroke // Shutterstock

#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+

22 / 25
Mircea Moira // Shutterstock

#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+

23 / 25
panitanphoto // Shutterstock

#3. Metairie Park Country Day School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Metairie, LA
- Enrollment: 723 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

24 / 25
sirtravelalot // Shutterstock

#2. Isidore Newman School

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

25 / 25
Ground Picture // Shutterstock

#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.

Explore by Metro

Acadia Parish

Explore

Alexandria

Explore

Allen Parish

Explore

Ascension Parish

Explore

Assumption Parish

Explore

Avoyelles Parish

Explore

Baton Rouge

Explore

Beauregard Parish

Explore

Bienville Parish

Explore

Bossier Parish

Explore

Caddo Parish

Explore

Calcasieu Parish

Explore

Caldwell Parish

Explore

Cameron Parish

Explore

Catahoula Parish

Explore

Claiborne Parish

Explore

Concordia Parish

Explore

De Soto Parish

Explore

East Baton Rouge Parish

Explore

East Carroll Parish

Explore

East Feliciana Parish

Explore

Evangeline Parish

Explore

Franklin Parish

Explore

Grant Parish

Explore

Hammond

Explore

Houma

Explore

Iberia Parish

Explore

Iberville Parish

Explore

Jackson Parish

Explore

Jefferson Davis Parish

Explore

Jefferson Parish

Explore

LaSalle Parish

Explore

Lafayette

Explore

Lafayette Parish

Explore

Lafourche Parish

Explore

Lake Charles

Explore

Lincoln Parish

Explore

Livingston Parish

Explore

Madison Parish

Explore

Monroe

Explore

Morehouse Parish

Explore

Natchitoches Parish

Explore

New Orleans

Explore

Ouachita Parish

Explore

Plaquemines Parish

Explore

Pointe Coupee Parish

Explore

Rapides Parish

Explore

Red River Parish

Explore

Richland Parish

Explore

Sabine Parish

Explore

Shreveport

Explore

St. Bernard Parish

Explore

St. Charles Parish

Explore

St. Helena Parish

Explore

St. James Parish

Explore

St. John the Baptist Parish

Explore

St. Landry Parish

Explore

St. Martin Parish

Explore

St. Mary Parish

Explore

St. Tammany Parish

Explore

Tangipahoa Parish

Explore

Tensas Parish

Explore

Terrebonne Parish

Explore

Union Parish

Explore

Vermilion Parish

Explore

Vernon Parish

Explore

Washington Parish

Explore

Webster Parish

Explore

West Baton Rouge Parish

Explore

West Carroll Parish

Explore

West Feliciana Parish

Explore

Winn Parish

Explore

Trending Now