Best Private Schools in Denver – 2025

February 24, 2025

When evaluating a prospective private school, the college preparation and counseling offered by each future high school is one important consideration. This forward-thinking lens remains useful even if your child is presently entering private school as an elementary or middle school student. Of course, in addition to that particular angle, you will also need to balance your teen’s academic, emotional, and social needs with financial and logistical considerations. Are you seeking a boarding or day school? Do you want your child’s high school to have a religious affiliation? However, College Transitions’ list of the Best Private Schools in Denver will focus primarily on our area of expertise—college admissions. As such, we will highlight the job that each of the schools do at sending their graduates on to the region/nation’s premier 4-year schools.

Best Private Schools in Denver

Here’s a quick preview of the best private schools in Denver that made our list. Detailed profiles and stats can be found when you scroll below.

1) Kent Denver School

2) Colorado Academy

3) Dawson School

4) Denver Jewish Day School

5) Regis Jesuit High School

6) St. Mary’s Academy

7) Fountain Valley School

8) Mullen High School

9) Valor Christian High School

10) Holy Family High School

Please note that inclusion on our Best Private Schools in Denver list is a selective and criteria-based process. However, the order in which the schools appear is not representative of any further ranking; the numbering is solely intended to enhance the ease of navigating this resource. All of the schools profiled below have a history of sending graduates to the top colleges in the country. For each of the schools, College Transitions will provide you with the:

Location
Tuition (9-12)
Enrollment (9-12)
Average SAT Score
Average ACT Score
Senior Class Size
College Admissions Highlights
Academic Highlights

Let’s begin our exploration of the best private schools in Denver.

#1 Best Private Schools in Denver

Kent Denver School – Denver

4000 E Quincy Ave, Cherry Hills Village, CO 80113

College Admissions Highlights: Over the last three years, multiple students have matriculated into BC, Brown, Bucknell, Carnegie Mellon, Case Western, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Davidson, Duke, Georgetown, Ga Tech, Johns Hopkins, Kenyon, MIT, NYU, Northwestern, Pepperdine, Pitzer, Pomona, Princeton, Stanford, Tufts, UC Berkeley, U Chicago, U Michigan, Penn, USC, Vanderbilt, Villanova, VaTech, Washington U, Wellesley, Williams, and Yale.

Academic Highlights: Student to teacher ratio is 8:1, with an average class size of 12. 86% of teaching faculty hold advanced degrees. Students complete 80 hours of community service outside of the school. Offers two AP CS classes as well as other advanced classes in the discipline. 26 AP and 37 Honors courses. 60+ student-led clubs. 18 sports and wellness activities are part of the culture of health.

Tuition (9-12): $39,320
Enrollment (seniors): 128
Average SAT Score: 1393
Average ACT Score: 30

#2 Best Private Schools in Denver

Colorado Academy – Denver

3800 S Pierce St, Denver, CO 80235

College Admissions Highlights: Over the last 4 years, multiple students have matriculated into: Bates, BU, Brown, Bucknell, Claremont McKenna, Colgate, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Davidson, Duke, Georgetown, Hamilton, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, MIT, Middlebury, NYU, Northwestern, Pepperdine, Pomona, Princeton, Stanford, Tufts, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UChicago, UMichigan, Penn, USC, UVA, Villanova, Wake Forest, WashingtonU, Wesleyan, and Yale.

Academic Highlights: 9:1 student/teacher ratio with average class size of 15. 32% identify as students of color. 74% of the faculty have advanced degrees. 10 AP, 11 advanced studies & 2 Post-AP courses. The REDI Lab allows students a chance to research and design innovative projects. 93% play competitive sports. 83% of students exceed the 2-year visual and performing arts requirements.

Tuition (9-12): $41,550
Enrollment (seniors): 109
Average SAT Score: 1370
Average ACT Score: 29.6

#3 Best Private Schools in Denver

Dawson School – Denver

10455 Dawson Dr, Lafayette, CO 80026

College Admissions Highlights: Over the last five years, Dawson grads enrolled at Babson, Barnard, Baylor, Berklee College of Music, BC, BU, Brown, Bucknell, Claremont McKenna, Columbia, Cornell, Duke, Emory, Fordham, Georgetown, Harvard, Hofstra, Macalester, Marquette, NYU, Northeastern, Northwestern, Pitzer, Tufts, Stevens Institute of Tech, UC Berkeley, UMichigan, UNC Chapel Hill, USC, Villanova, Wake Forest, WashU, Wesleyan, Williams, and WPI.

Academic Highlights: The average class size is 15. 7:1 student-to-teacher ratio. 68% of faculty members possess advanced degrees. Dawson offers 14 AP courses, 75% of the scores were 3+. Recently Dawson boasted 25 AP Scholars, 13 with honors and 28 with distinction. 19 interscholastic sports including cyclocross. 18 arts programs are available.

Tuition (9-12): $37,688
Enrollment (seniors): 66
Mid-50% SAT Score: 1185-1395
Mid-50% ACT Score: 25-31

#4 Best Private Schools in Denver

Denver Jewish Day School – Denver

2450 S Wabash St, Denver, CO 80231

College Admissions Highlights: DJDS has sent graduates from 2010-2022 on to Barnard, Bowdoin, Caltech, Carleton, Colorado College, Cornell, Dartmouth, Emory, Georgetown, NYU, Northwestern, Purdue, Stanford, Swarthmore, Tufts, UCLA, UChicago, U Michigan, Penn, UVA, Vassar, WashU, and Yeshiva.

Academic Highlights: 12:1 Average instructional ratio. 70% of students play team sports. 10 AP courses are offered. On average, 28% receive an AP award of some type. 10-20% of students attend a GAP year program in Israel. 2023 Boys basketball won state championship. Students work the school’s Farmette – a small working farm with food and animals.

Tuition (9-12): $27,200
Enrollment (seniors): 14
Average SAT Score: 1154
Average ACT Score: 26

#5 Best Private Schools in Denver

Regis Jesuit High School – Denver

6300 S Lewiston Way, Aurora, CO 80016

College Admissions Highlights: Members from the last two classes were accepted into colleges such as BC, BU, Brown, Bucknell, CalTech, Carnegie Mellon, Case Western, Colgate, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Drexel, Georgetown, Harvard, Hofstra, Howard, Johns Hopkins, Middlebury, Northeastern, Ohio State, Pepperdine, Princeton, Purdue, Stanford, Tufts, US Air Force Academy, UC Berkeley, U Chicago, U Mass, U Michigan, UNC Chapel Hill, Notre Dame, USC, Villanova, Wake Forest, Washington U, William & Mary, and Williams.

Academic Highlights: The average class size is 21. 13:1 student-to-teacher ratio. 34% of population is non-white. 18.5% are diagnosed at learning differences. 92% faculty members possess post-graduate degrees. 28 AP classes are on the menu. 70% scored a 3 or higher on the AP tests. 25+ retreats offered each year. 90% of the students participate in 30 Sports and over 85 clubs. 75K+ cumulative hours of service immersion in the community per year.

Tuition (9-12): $25,470
Enrollment (9-12): 1,710
Average SAT Score: 1322 (Boys); 1224 (Girls)
Average ACT Score: 25.5 (Boys); 24.8 (Girls)

#6 Best Private Schools in Denver

St. Mary’s Academy – Denver

4545 S University Blvd, Englewood, CO 80113

College Admissions Highlights: These notable College & Universities have accepted students over the last four years: Baylor, BC, Brown, Bryn Mawr, Cal Poly, Carnegie Mellon, Case Western, Cornell, Drexel, Duke, Emory, Ge Tech, Hofstra, Howard, Johns Hopkins, Loyola, MIT, NYU, Northwestern, Ohio State, Pepperdine, Princeton, Rice, UC Berkeley, UCLA, U Chicago, Michigan, UNC Chapel Hill, USC, Notre Dame, Penn, UT Austin, UVA, Vanderbilt, Vassar, Washington U, William & Mary, and Yale.

Academic Highlights: St. Mary’s high school is all-girls. 14 average class size. 75% of faculty members possess advanced degrees. There are 26 AP courses offered. Students volunteer at least 100 total hours. 75% of students compete in the 13 sports. Many students have been Regional & National Medalists in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

Tuition (9-12): $29,775
Enrollment (9-12): 266
Mean SAT Score: 1239
Mean ACT Score: 26.2

#7 Best Private Schools in Denver

Fountain Valley School – Denver

6155 Fountain Valley School Rd, Colorado Springs, CO 80911

College Admissions Highlights: Over the last 4 years, students have matriculated into: BC, Bucknell, Colgate, Colorado College, Cornell, Dartmouth, Emory, Hamilton, Harvard, Hofstra, Michigan State, NYU, Northeastern, Penn State, Princeton, Texas A&M, Johns Hopkins, Tennessee, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UChicago, UMiami, Notre Dame, USC, UVA, Vanderbilt, Vassar, Washington U, Wesleyan, Williams, and Yale.

Academic Highlights: 70% of students board. 18% International students. 90% of faculty live on campus. 12:1 student-to-teacher ratio. 63% of teachers hold advanced degrees. 20 advanced courses including 2 Post-AP level courses in math. 11 sports from traditional to mountain sports. 3 semesters of the arts are part of the graduation requirement.

Tuition (9-12): $75,900 (Boarding); $40,700 (Day)
Enrollment (9-12): 233
Average SAT Score: Not Reported
Average ACT Score: Not Reported

#8 Best Private Schools in Denver

Mullen High School – Denver

3601 S Lowell Blvd, Denver, CO 80236

College Admissions Highlights: The last four years of graduates earned acceptance into colleges such as Barnard, BC, Bucknell, Carnegie Mellon, Colorado School of Mines, Dartmouth, Duke, Embry-Riddle, Fordham, Georgetown, Kent State, Marquette, NYU, Northeastern, Ohio State, Pepperdine, Purdue, Stanford, Tufts, UC Berkeley, U Chicago, U Michigan, Notre Dame, USC, UT Austin, Vanderbilt, Villanova, Wake Forest, and Washington U.

Academic Highlights: Average class size is 20, with a teacher to student ratio of 14:1. 17 AP courses are offered. The Class of 2023 earned $30.9 million in merit scholarship offers. Last year’s grads completed 16,900 hours of community service. 26 state-sanctioned sports. 90% of students participate in at least one of the over 30 clubs available on campus. All grade levels have a yearly retreat.

Tuition (9-12): $19,700
Enrollment (seniors): 198
Average SAT Score: Not Reported
Average ACT Score: Not Reported

#9 Best Private Schools in Denver

Valor Christian High School – Denver

3775 E Grace Blvd, Highlands Ranch, CO 80126

College Admissions Highlights: Valor graduates over the last three years were accepted to colleges and universities such as: Baylor, Belmont, Berklee College of Music, BC, Brown, Bucknell, Carnegie Mellon, Case Western, Colby, Davidson, Duke, Emory, Georgetown, Ga Tech, Harvey Mudd, Hofstra, Indiana, Loyola, MIT, NYU, Northeastern, Penn State, Pepperdine, Princeton, Rice, Stanford, Texas A&M, Tufts, UC Berkeley, U Chicago, Florida, UMass, Michigan, Penn, USC, UVA, Vanderbilt, Vassar, Wake Forest, and William & Mary.

Academic Highlights: 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio. 89 of the 110 faculty members hold advanced degrees. 92.8% students with a 3 or above on AP exams. 75% of students participate in the 26 athletic offerings. 115 students enrolled in the conservatory for the Arts Program. 1 Million+ student artist song downloads. Average of 20K Service hours yearly.

Tuition (9-12): $27,650
Enrollment (seniors): 289
Average SAT Score: Not Reported
Average ACT Score: 25

#10 Best Private Schools in Denver

Holy Family High School – Denver

5195 W 144th Ave, Broomfield, CO 80023

College Admissions Highlights: Over the last four years, HFHS grads matriculated into BC, Case Western, William & Mary, FSU, Gonzaga, Loyola, Marquette, Michigan State, Northwestern, Pomona, Princeton, SMU, TCU, Texas A&M, US Military Academy, Univ Colorado – Boulder, U Michigan, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Villanova, VaTech, Wake Forest, and Washington U.

Academic Highlights: The average class size is 19 students. 11:1 student-to-teacher ratio. 24 AP courses are offered along with 22 honors classes. Nearly 90% of the student population is Catholic. 85% of teachers hold advanced degrees. 38% students identify as non-white. 21 sports with 21 state championships in the last 5 years. 16 performing and 24 visual art courses.

Tuition (10-12): $18,500
Enrollment (seniors): 188
Mid-50% SAT Score: 960-1240
Mid-50% ACT Score: 18-25

Best Private Schools in Denver – Additional Resources

We hope you found our blog on private schools in Denver to be helpful. All high school students and families may wish to explore further information regarding the college search and admissions process at our Dataverse, Blog, and List-Building Tool.

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High School Success

Dave Bergman

Dave has over a decade of professional experience that includes work as a teacher, high school administrator, college professor, and independent educational consultant. He is a co-author of the books The Enlightened College Applicant (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016) and Colleges Worth Your Money (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020).