These Are The Top 25 Private High Schools In IL, New Ranking Says

ILLINOIS — Lake Forest Academy is the best private school in Illinois, according to the educational platform Niche’s 2024 Best Schools and Districts rankings.

Lake Forest Academy ranked No. 36 nationally and was one of three Illinois schools to rank in the top 100 in the U.S. The University of Chicago Laboratory School ranked No. 60, and the British International School of Chicago, South Loop, ranked 85th, according to the study.

Niche evaluated 30,800 private schools nationwide for its annual rankings, including 1,433 for the first time. Below are the top 25 private high schools in Illinois, according to Niche:

1. Lake Forest Academy
2. The University Of Chicago Laboratory Schools, Chicago
3. British International School of Chicago, South Loop
4. The Roycemore School, Evanston
5. North Shore Country Day School, Winnetka
6. Latin School of Chicago
7. Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart, Lake Forest
8. Lycee Francais de Chicago
9. St. Ignatius College Prep, Chicago
10. Morgan Park Academy, Chicago
11. Beacon Academy, Evanston
12. Francis W. Parker School, Chicago
13. The Chicago Academy of the Arts
14. Elgin Academy
15. Christian Heritage Academy, Northfield
16. Northridge Preparatory School, Niles
17. The Einstein Academy, Elgin
18. Rochelle Zell Jewish High School, Deerfield
19. Bennett Day School, Chicago
20. Academy High School, Champaign
21. Ida Crown Jewish Academy, Skokie
22. Keith Country Day School, Rockford
23. Wolcott College Prep, Chicago
24. Naperville Christian Academy
25. Loyola Academy, Wilmette

You can view the full rankings here.

Be sure to note any of your top schools that ranked prominently nationwide.

Nationally, the top five private high schools are Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire; Princeton International School of Math and Science in Princeton, New Jersey; Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Connecticut; Phillips Academy Andover in Andover, Massachusetts; and Harvard-Westlake School in Studio City, California.

Niche said its rankings, now in the ninth year, differ from others that rely almost exclusively on test scores and academic performance in that it also includes input from students, alumni, and parents, as well as quantitative data from sources such as the U.S. Department of Education to evaluate teachers, resources and facilities.

The company said its rankings were created to provide families with valuable information — both quantitative and qualitative — on schools in their area or in a neighborhood they’re not familiar with yet.

As in previous years, the Best Schools rankings include categories for boarding, charter, and magnet schools as well as schools for STEM and the arts among many others.

Earlier this week, Patch reported on the 25 best public high schools in Illinois, as well as the Top 25 public school districts in the state.