Best Private Schools in Chicago – 2024
December 19, 2023
The Chicago Area is fortunate enough to have some of the best public high schools in the United States. However, if you are unable to access those particular institutions or feel that a private school would be more beneficial to your son or daughter, then you are also in luck. This is due to the fact that Chicago also has a number of fantastic private high school options. Of course, your decision-making process will need to balance your teen’s academic, emotional, and social needs with financial and logistical considerations. College Transitions’ list of the Best Private Schools in Chicago will focus primarily on our area of expertise—college admissions. As such, we will highlight the job that each of the schools fare at sending their graduates on to the region/nation’s premier 4-year schools.
Best Private Schools in Chicago
Here’s a quick preview of the schools that made our list. Detailed profiles and stats can be found when you scroll below.
1) Francis W. Parker School
2) Latin School of Chicago
3) University of Chicago Laboratory Schools
4) Loyola Academy
5) Lake Forest Academy
6) Morgan Park Academy
7) North Shore Country Day
8) St. Ignatius College Prep
9) Rochelle Zell Jewish High School
10) Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart
Please note that inclusion on our Best Private Schools in Chicago 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 best private high schools in Chicago, 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
Without further delay, let’s look at the best private schools in Chicago.
Francis W. Parker School – Chicago
- 330 W Webster Ave, Chicago, IL 60614
College Admissions Highlights: From 2020-2023, multiple students enrolled at the following schools: UMichigan (22), Northwestern (16), UChicago (10), Tufts (9), Vanderbilt (9), WashU (7), George Washington (6), NYU (6), Stanford (6), Wake Forest (6), Georgetown (5), Harvard (5), USC (5), Yale (5), Northeastern (4), BC (4), and UCLA (3).
Academic Highlights: 88% of staff members possess advanced degrees. 46% self-identify as students of color. 50 “no-cut” inter-scholastic teams with 75% of students participating. The 6:1 student-to-teacher ratio. Over 40 clubs for students to join. Upper School has robust arts and Model UN programs.
Latin School of Chicago – Chicago
- 59 W North Blvd, Chicago, IL 60610
College Admissions Highlights: From 2019-2023, students have enrolled in prominent universities such as: American, Brown, Bryn Mawr, Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, John Hopkins, NYU, Northeastern, Pomona, Princeton, Rice, Stanford, Tufts, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UChicago, UMichigan, Notre Dame, USC, Vanderbilt, Wesleyan, and Yale.
Academic Highlights: Students come from 45 Chicago neighborhoods and 15 suburbs. 84% of faculty members hold advanced degrees and 35% have taught at Latin for more than 10 years. 39% consider themselves students of color. 9:1 student-to-teacher ratio. 20 competitive sports teams are available with 79% students playing. 50 clubs for students to join and 40 performing arts productions and concerts in the middle and upper school
University of Chicago Laboratory Schools – Chicago
- 1362 E 59th St, Chicago, IL 60637
College Admissions Highlights: From 2020-2023, numerous grads have attended UChicago itself (56) as well as UMich (24), Northwestern (17), Harvard (16), Yale (12), WashU (12), Carnegie Mellon (11), Northeastern (10), Macalester (8), Columbia (8), Brown (8), and Penn (8), Rice (7), USC (7), Princeton (7), Wellesley (7), UC Berkeley (7), and NYU (7).
Academic Highlights: Affiliated with the University of Chicago. 10 AP courses and 14 Advanced Topic courses are offered (student may take AP exam for AT courses). 41% of students identify as non-white. Over 60 languages are spoken in students’ homes. UChicago professors routinely visit U-High classes. 40 hours of service learning is a graduation requirement.
Loyola Academy – Chicago
- 1100 Laramie Ave, Wilmette, IL 60091
College Admissions Highlights: The Class of 2023 sent students to the following institutions: American, BC, BU, Case Western, Colby, Colgate, Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Holy Cross, MIT, Northeastern, Northwestern, Stanford, Trinity, UChicago, UMichigan, Notre Dame, USC, UVA, Vanderbilt, Villanova, and WashU.
Academic Highlights: 70% of the class of 2023 participated in service work. 83% of faculty hold advanced degrees. 90% of AP students earned a 3 or better on the exam. 24 AP courses are available and 52 honors courses. The Class of 2023 produced 2 National Merit Finalists, 2 Semifinalists, and 8 Commended Scholars.
Lake Forest Academy – Chicago
- 1500 Kennedy Rd, Lake Forest, IL 60045
College Admissions Highlights: The most popular destinations for LFA graduates (2023) include: NYU (9), Harvard (4), Northwestern (4), UMichigan (4), Emory (3), USC (3), UIUC (3), Claremont McKenna (2), WashU (2), Duke (2), UMiami (2), Brandeis (2), Tufts (2), Bates (2), Northeastern (2), and UC San Diego (2).
Academic Highlights: 71% of faculty have advanced degrees. 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio. The average class size is 12 students. 24 AP courses are offered. 37% of domestic students identify as students of color. 50% of the students are boarding. 27 Varsity Sports, 60+ Clubs, and over 12 offerings in art with an AP Music Theory Class.
Morgan Park Academy – Chicago
- 2153 W 111th St, Chicago, IL 60643
College Admissions Highlights: Over the last five years, students have gone on to enter some of the nation’s top colleges including Princeton, Columbia, Yale, Penn, Stanford, UChicago, Northwestern, Duke, John Hopkins, CalTech, Dartmouth, Brown, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, Cornell, Rice, WashU, UCLA, USC, UCBerkeley, Georgetown, UMichigan, Carnegie Mellon, and NYU.
Academic Highlights: Fewer than 15 students is the average class size. 76% of teachers hold advanced degrees. The average unweighted GPA earned is 3.48. 8:1 student-to-teacher ratio. 15 AP courses are offered.
North Shore Country Day – Chicago
- 310 Green Bay Rd, Winnetka, IL 60093
College Admissions Highlights: Two or more students from the Classes of 2019-2023 went on to matriculate into Boston College, Colby, Colgate, Davidson, Denison, Drexel, Emory, George Washington, Harvard, Kenyon, Middlebury, NYU, Northeastern, Northwestern, Purdue, UMiami, UMichigan, Notre Dame, Penn, USC, UVA, WashU, Vanderbilt, and Yale.
Academic Highlights: 8:1 student-to-teacher ratio. 43% students of color. The average class size is 12. 19 AP courses are offered. 52% of the faculty possess advanced degrees. About 85% of upper school students participate in at least one of the 17 sports offered. Over 28 student led clubs and affinity groups. All students are encouraged to ‘take the stage’ with their performing arts program.
St. Ignatius College Prep – Chicago
- 1076 Roosevelt Rd, Chicago, IL 60608
College Admissions Highlights: Between 2019-2023, students have enrolled in the following colleges and universities: BC, Brown, Bryn Mawr, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Buke, Emory, Grinell, Harvard, NYU, Northwestern, Pepperdine, Princeton, Stanford, UWisconsin – Madison, UMichigan, Notre Dame, UMiami, USC, UChicago, Wake Forest, UCLA, and Yale.
Academic Highlights: The student-to-faculty ratio is 15:1. 38% student identify as people of color. In the last five years, the school has produced an average of 5 National Merit Finalists and 22 Commended Scholars each year. 78% of students have achieved a 3 or higher on an AP test. The school offers 25 AP courses and 87 honors courses. 82% of faculty members hold advanced degrees. Over 60 clubs, 14 of which are service oriented. 70% students participate in 34 athletic programs.
Rochelle Zell Jewish High School – Chicago
- 1095 Lake Cook Rd, Deerfield, IL 60015
College Admissions Highlights: Recent college acceptances include Amherst, Brandeis, Brown, Bucknell, Carnegie Mellon, Case Western, Colby, Columbia, Dartmouth, Duke, Emory, Georgetown, Grinnell, Harvard, Harvey Mudd, Johns Hopkins, Macalester, MIT, Middlebury, NYU, Northwestern, Pomona, Rice, Stanford, Tufts, UCLA, UChicago, USC, Vanderbilt, Wesleyan, Yale, and Yeshiva.
Academic Highlights: 1:15 teacher-to-student ratio. Students took 118 AP tests in 2023 and 88% scored a 3 or higher. Two members of the Class of 2023 were named National Merit Finalists. 90% of the faculty hold advanced degrees. All students study Tanach/Bible, Jewish History, Jewish Thought, and Talmud. 80% students participate in at least one sport.
Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart – Chicago
- 760 E Westleigh Rd, Lake Forest, IL 60045
College Admissions Highlights: Students from 2019-2023 have been accepted to these prestigious schools: American, Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis, Bryn Mawr, Case Western, Cornell, Duke, Emory, Georgetown, GaTech, NYU, Northwestern, Princeton, Purdue, UChicago, UMichigan, Notre Dame, USC, Villanova, Wake Forest, and Wesleyan.
Academic Highlights: Woodlands Academy is an all-girls institution. The average class size is just 10 students. 4:1 student-to-teacher ratio. 20% of students live on campus. 90% of faculty possess advanced degrees. 21 AP subjects are offered. 70% of students participate in at least one sport. 18+ clubs and 120 different leadership positions available to students.
Private Schools in Chicago
We hope you found our blog on private schools in Chicago 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.
