4 Upper East Side Private Schools Rank Among The Best In NYC

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Four schools on the Upper East Side are among the best private schools in New York City for the 2021-2022 academic year, according to a new report.

Niche, which released its eighth annual version of the rankings on Monday, looks at a variety of criteria in determining a grade for both public and private K-12 schools in the Upper East Side, including academics, teachers and diversity.

The Brearley School is the No. 2 best private institution in New York City, according to Niche, the school-ranking website.

Brearley, which is an all-girls private school, is located at 610 East 83rd St. on the Upper East Side. According to the school, it challenges girls from diverse backgrounds to think critically and creatively while preparing them for "principled engagement in the world."

Here are the grades it received for different elements of the school:

• Overall: A+
• Academics: A+
• Teachers: A+
• Clubs & Activities: A-
• Diversity: A
• College Prep: A+
• Sports: B+

Regis High School, a private Jesuit secondary school for Roman Catholic boys, is the No. 5 best private institution in New York City, according to Niche. The school is located at 55 East 84th St. on the Upper East Side.

Here are the specified grades it received for different elements of the school:

• Overall: A+
• Academics: A+
• Teachers: A+
• Clubs & Activities: A-
• Diversity: A-
• College Prep: A+
• Sports: B

Taking the No. 8 spot is Dalton School, a coeducational college preparatory school, which is located at 108 E. 89th St. According to the school's website, it remains committed to creating "not only academically strong graduates but also those who will become informed, intuitive and responsible citizens.

Here's how Dalton School scored:

• Overall: A+
• Academics: A+
• Teachers: A+
• Clubs & Activities: A-
• Diversity: A
• College Prep: A+
• Sports: B-

The No. 10 best private school in New York City goes to The Spence School, an all-girls private school located at 56 East 93rd St.

"Every space and every aspect of our program is focused on teaching and learning, on building close connections with a gifted faculty, and on creating age-appropriate distinction for our Lower, Middle and Upper Schools. This is what shapes our community," Head of School Bodie Brizendine said.

Here's how it scored in various elements:

• Overall: A+
• Academics: A+
• Teachers: A+
• Clubs & Activities: A-
• Diversity: A-
• College Prep: A+
• Sports: A

New York City's elite private schools are known for promoting intense academic study among their students while offering many opportunities for achievement in sports and creative arts.

With that reputation comes a great cost. The best private schools in the city often have applications (and tuition) that resemble most four-year universities, so if you're trying to get your kid into one, you'd better be prepared.

The best private school rankings are "rigorous analysis of key statistics and millions of reviews from students and parents using data from the U.S. Department of Education.," according to Niche. Ranking factors include SAT/ACT scores, the quality of colleges that students consider, student-teacher ratio, private school ratings.

The company combined ratings from students, alumni and parents with quantitative data from the U.S. Department of Education and other sources to evaluate teachers, resources, facility, extracurricular activity opportunities and other factors. Read more about the methodology here.

Across the country, Niche ranked 94,491 public schools, 2,489 private schools and 11,846 school districts to come up with its lists and rankings.

Here's the overall top 10 for the "2022 Best Private Schools in the New York City Area":

1. Trinity School
2. The Brearley School
3. Riverdale Country School
4. Horace Mann School
5. Regis High School
6. Collegiate School
7. Rye Country Day School
8. Dalton School
9. The Pingry School (NYC area but in New Jersey)
10. The Spence School

See the full Niche rankings here

Patch editor Gus Saltonstall contributed to this report.