GagliardiPhotography // Shutterstock
1 / 25#25. Northlake Christian School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Covington, LA
- Enrollment: 882 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
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.
You may also like: Is it cheaper to buy or rent in New Orleans in 2026?
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
2 / 25#24. Archbishop Chapelle High School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Metairie, LA
- Enrollment: 588 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
Achira22 // Shutterstock
3 / 25#23. Crescent City Christian School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Metairie, LA
- Enrollment: 364 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
Anna Jurkovska // Shutterstock
4 / 25#22. Christ Episcopal School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Covington, LA
- Enrollment: 607 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
5 / 25#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
You may also like: New Orleans 7-day weather forecast
LStockStudio // Shutterstock
6 / 25#20. St. Paul's School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Covington, LA
- Enrollment: 889 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
Daniel Hoz // Shutterstock
7 / 25#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
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
8 / 25#18. Cabrini High School
- School type: Private School
- Location: New Orleans, LA
- Enrollment: 302 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
9 / 25#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
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
10 / 25#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
You may also like: How many homes are for sale in New Orleans right now?
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
11 / 25#15. Mount Carmel Academy
- School type: Private School
- Location: New Orleans, LA
- Enrollment: 1,200 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
12 / 25#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
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
13 / 25#13. Louise S. McGehee School
- School type: Private School
- Location: New Orleans, LA
- Enrollment: 597 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
LBeddoe // Shutterstock
14 / 25#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
Roman Kosolapov // Shutterstock
15 / 25#11. St. Martin's Episcopal School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Metairie, LA
- Enrollment: 601 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
You may also like: Best public high schools in the New Orleans metro area
panitanphoto // Shutterstock
16 / 25#10. Knights Academy & High School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Harvey, LA
- Enrollment: 21 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
17 / 25#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
ImageFlow // Shutterstock
18 / 25#8. Jesuit High School
- School type: Private School
- Location: New Orleans, LA
- Enrollment: 1,368 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
Studio KIWI // Shutterstock
19 / 25#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+
LStockStudio // Shutterstock
20 / 25#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+
You may also like: Highest-paying jobs in New Orleans that don't require a college degree
maroke // Shutterstock
21 / 25#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+
Mircea Moira // Shutterstock
22 / 25#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+
panitanphoto // Shutterstock
23 / 25#3. Metairie Park Country Day School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Metairie, LA
- Enrollment: 723 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
sirtravelalot // Shutterstock
24 / 25#2. Isidore Newman School
- School type: Private School
- Location: New Orleans, LA
- Enrollment: 917 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
25 / 25#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.
You may also like: Highest-rated Asian restaurants in New Orleans by diners
