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Best private high schools in Kentucky

Private schools, in some form, existed long before the concept of free public education in America. Students were often educated through church-sponsored programs, private tutoring, and boarding schools. Public schools on a large scale were proposed by Horace Mann in the 1830s. The concept gained momentum, and by 1870, nearly 80% of kids aged 5 to 14 were enrolled in public schools. Today, according to the most recent enrollment data, about 4.7 million students—or 10% of students enrolled in kindergarten through grade 12—are enrolled in private schools.

Private schools are widely marketed as a better option when compared to public schools, and private school proponents will often point to standardized test scores to substantiate this claim. While private school students have consistently outperformed public school students on standardized tests, recent studies have shown private schools themselves are not the primary driver of success, nor are standardized tests the most accurate measure of student well-being.

Researchers have found that student success is more directly related to family attributes, like having parents who graduated from college, and higher incomes—more common amongst private school students than public school students—than simply whether the students attended a public or private school.

Still, private schools provide unique advantages and opportunities like smaller class sizes, more individualized instruction, and greater curricular flexibility. To better understand how private school offerings vary across the country, Stacker compiled a list of the best private high schools in Kentucky using 2023 rankings from Niche. Niche uses eight weighted factors for its rankings. A majority of the score is based on academics and grades, but other factors include culture and diversity, health and safety, clubs and activities, resources, and surveys of parents, teachers and students.

Editor’s note: The original article had inaccuracies when multiple schools in Kentucky had the same name. In most of these instances, the wrong data was displayed in the ranking. Stacker sincerely apologizes for the errors.

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#30. Danville Christian Academy

– District: Danville
– Enrollment: 200 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: B+

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#29. St. Patrick School

– District: Maysville
– Enrollment: 204 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: B+

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#28. Community Christian Academy

– District: Paducah
– Enrollment: 166 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: B+

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#27. St. Henry District High School

– District: Erlanger
– Enrollment: 543 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-

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#26. Mercy Academy

– City: Louisville
– Enrollment: 507 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-

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#25. Oneida Baptist Institute

– District: Oneida
– Enrollment: 339 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-

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#24. Christian Academy of Louisville

– City: Louisville
– Enrollment: 2,129 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-

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#23. The Piarist School

– District: Hager Hill
– Enrollment: 66 (4:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-

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#22. Oakdale Christian Academy

– District: Jackson
– Enrollment: 65 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-

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#21. Covington Catholic High School

– District: Park Hills
– Enrollment: 603 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-

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#20. DeSales High School

– City: Louisville
– Enrollment: 340 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-

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#19. University Heights Academy

– District: Hopkinsville
– Enrollment: 384 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-

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#18. Presentation Academy

– City: Louisville
– Enrollment: 257 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#17. Trinity Christian Academy

– City: Lexington
– Enrollment: 490 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#16. Assumption High School

– City: Louisville
– Enrollment: 860 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#15. Bishop Brossart High School

– District: Alexandria
– Enrollment: 254 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#14. Notre Dame Academy

– District: Park Hills
– Enrollment: 585 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#13. Lexington Christian Academy

– City: Lexington
– Enrollment: 1,363 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#12. Lexington Catholic High School

– City: Lexington
– Enrollment: 845 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#11. Sacred Heart Academy

– City: Louisville
– Enrollment: 748 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#10. Trinity High School

– City: Louisville
– Enrollment: 1,173 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#9. Highlands Latin School

– City: Louisville
– Enrollment: 720 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#8. Saint Xavier High School

– City: Louisville
– Enrollment: 1,100 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

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#7. Villa Madonna Academy

– District: Villa Hills
– Enrollment: 493 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#6. Covington Latin School

– District: Covington
– Enrollment: 201 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#5. Francis Parker School of Louisville

– City: Louisville
– Enrollment: 485 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#4. Walden School

– City: Louisville
– Enrollment: 286 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#3. Sayre School

– City: Lexington
– Enrollment: 610 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#2. Louisville Collegiate School

– City: Louisville
– Enrollment: 776 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#1. Kentucky Country Day School

– City: Louisville
– Enrollment: 817 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+