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Best private high schools in Kentucky

America’s private high schools opened long before their public counterparts and even before the United States was first established. The Roman Catholic Church in the 1700s started private schools in Florida and Louisiana while in New York (a former Dutch colony called New Amsterdam), the Dutch West India Company and Dutch Reformed Church set up private schools that filled the void left by the colonies’ lack of an education system.

That changed in the 1840s when the U.S. instituted a uniform public school system. To stay relevant, private schools changed from marketing themselves as the only option to portraying their education as the “best” option. To this day, private high schools have positioned themselves as fast-tracks to admittance into elite universities. Faced with the rigorous demands of the highly competitive college admissions process and increased pressure over getting into the “right” school, parents (most often parents with means) often consider private schools for their children.

Stacker compiled a list of the best private high schools in Kentucky using rankings from Niche. Private schools have historically catered to America’s most elite, with exorbitant tuition and legacy admissions ensuring the socioeconomic exclusivity of student bodies. Scholarships, incremental transparency in the admissions process, and improved (albeit still imperfect and unequal) access to excellent early education for students of all backgrounds have allowed more low-income students and minorities today to take advantage of these schools. Still, white students continue to represent the vast majority of private-school students.

Read on to find out the best private high schools in your state.

#25. Immaculata Classical Academy (Louisville)
– Enrollment: 166 (— student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-

#24. Presentation Academy (Louisville)
– Enrollment: 257 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-

#23. Christian Academy of Louisville (Louisville)
– Enrollment: 2129 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-

#22. The Piarist School (Hager Hill)
– Enrollment: 66 (4:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-

#21. Covington Catholic High School (Park Hills)
– Enrollment: 603 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-

#20. Trinity Christian Academy (Lexington)
– Enrollment: 480 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-

#19. University Heights Academy (Hopkinsville)
– Enrollment: 384 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-

#18. DeSales High School (Louisville)
– Enrollment: 349 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-

#17. Oakdale Christian Academy (Jackson)
– Enrollment: 65 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

#16. Assumption High School (Louisville)
– Enrollment: 860 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

#15. Bishop Brossart High School (Alexandria)
– Enrollment: 254 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

#14. Notre Dame Academy (Park Hills)
– Enrollment: 585 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

#13. Lexington Christian Academy (Lexington)
– Enrollment: 1291 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

#12. Highlands Latin School (Louisville)
– Enrollment: 720 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

#11. Lexington Catholic High School (Lexington)
– Enrollment: 845 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

#10. Trinity High School (Louisville)
– Enrollment: 1204 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

#9. Sacred Heart Academy (Louisville)
– Enrollment: 842 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

#8. Villa Madonna Academy (Villa Hills)
– Enrollment: 505 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

#7. Saint Xavier High School (Louisville)
– Enrollment: 1150 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#6. Covington Latin School (Covington)
– Enrollment: 205 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#5. St. Francis School (Louisville)
– Enrollment: 479 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#4. Walden School (Louisville)
– Enrollment: 276 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#3. Sayre School (Lexington)
– Enrollment: 610 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#2. Louisville Collegiate School (Louisville)
– Enrollment: 749 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#1. Kentucky Country Day School (Louisville)
– Enrollment: 812 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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