Best Private Schools in Chicago – 2023

January 20, 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.

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.

#1 Best Private Schools in Chicago

Francis W. Parker School – Chicago

330 W Webster Ave, Chicago, IL 60614

College Admissions Highlights: From 2019-2022, multiple students enrolled at the following schools: University of Michigan (19), UIUC (15), Northwestern (14), Tulane (13), UW Madison (12), UChicago (9), Tufts (9), Vanderbilt (9), WashU (7).

Academic Highlights: 86% of staff members possess advanced degrees. 46% identify as students of color. 70% participate in the “no-cut” athletic program. The Upper School has robust arts and Model UN programs. 8:1 student-to-teacher ratio.

Tuition (9-12): $40,490
Enrollment (Pre-K-12): 945
Average SAT Score: Not Reported
Average ACT Score: Not Reported

#2 Best Private Schools in Chicago

Latin School of Chicago – Chicago

59 W North Blvd, Chicago, IL 60610

College Admissions Highlights: In one recent five-year stretch, the following number of students enrolled in prominent universities: UMich (34), Northwestern (31), NYU (21), Penn (17), University of Chicago (17), WashU (16), Yale (13), USC (12), Tufts (12), Columbia (11), Brown (11), and Princeton (9).

Academic Highlights: 87% of faculty members hold advanced degrees. 50 clubs and 20 competitive sports teams are available. 39% consider themselves students of color. 9:1 student-to-teacher ratio. Course offerings include Mandarin, AP Calculus, and AP Chemistry.

Tuition (9-12): $40,970
Enrollment (9-12): 503
Average SAT Score: Not Reported
Average ACT Score: Not Reported

#3 Best Private Schools in Chicago

University of Chicago Laboratory Schools – Chicago

1362 E 59th St, Chicago, IL 60637

College Admissions Highlights: From 2019-2022, numerous grads have attended UChicago itself (58) as well as UMich (17), Northwestern (15), Yale (15), WashU (14), Harvard (13), Carnegie Mellon (10), Barnard (10), Macalester (9), Columbia (8), Brown (8), and Penn (8).

Academic Highlights: Affiliated with the University of Chicago. The median GPA is 3.8. 10 AP courses are offered. Over 60 languages are spoken in students’ homes. UChicago professors routinely visit U-High classes.

Tuition (9-12): $40,488
Enrollment (9-12): 630
Average SAT Score: 1430
Average ACT Score: 31.4

#4 Best Private Schools in Chicago

Loyola Academy – Chicago

1100 Laramie Ave, Wilmette, IL 60091

College Admissions Highlights: The Class of 2022 sent students to the following institutions: Amherst, Bates, Boston College, Bowdoin, Colby, Colgate, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Holy Cross, Johns Hopkins, Kenyon, NYU, Tufts, UC Berkeley, UChicago, Vanderbilt, Vassar, Villanova, WashU, and Wellesley.

Academic Highlights: 98% of the Class of 2022 went on to a 4-year college. The Class of 2022 produced 6 National Merit Finalists, 6 Semifinalists, and 10 Commended Scholars. 20% of students participate in one of two distinctive honors programs that emphasize the humanities or math/science. 82% of AP students earned a 3 or better on the exam. 24 AP courses are available.

Tuition (9-12): $18,350
Enrollment (seniors): 478
Average SAT Score: Not Reported
Average ACT Score: 28

#5 Best Private Schools in Chicago

Lake Forest Academy – Chicago

1500 Kennedy Rd, Lake Forest, IL 60045

College Admissions Highlights: The most popular destinations for LFA graduates (2019-22) include: UIUC (16), Northwestern University (15), BU (13), Wake Forest University (11), University of Michigan (10), Duke University (10), and UC Berkeley (8).

Academic Highlights: 71% of faculty have advanced degrees. 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio. The average class size is 12 students. 22 AP courses are offered. 36% of domestic students identify as students of color.

Tuition (9-12): $48,500 (Day); $66,570 (Boarding)
Enrollment (9-12): 435
Average SAT Score: Not Reported
Median ACT Score: 32

#6 Best Private Schools in Chicago

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 Amherst, BC, BU, Brown, Carleton, Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, Dartmouth, Georgetown, John Hopkins, Kenyon, Lehigh, Macalester, NYU, Rice, Union, University of Chicago, Penn, USC, Wake Forest, and Williams.

Academic Highlights: 10 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. 17 AP courses are offered.

Tuition (9-12): $12,625-$25,250
Enrollment (9-12): 130
Average SAT Score: Not Reported
Average ACT Score: Not Reported

#7 Best Private Schools in Chicago

North Shore Country Day – Chicago

310 Green Bay Rd, Winnetka, IL 60093

College Admissions Highlights: Two or more students from the Classes of 2018-2022 went on to matriculate into Boston College, Boston University, Colby, Colgate, Davidson, Denison, Emory, Georgetown, Kenyon, UMiami, Middlebury, NYU, Northeastern, Northwestern, Tufts, Notre Dame, Penn, USC, UVA, WashU, Williams, and Yale.

Academic Highlights: 19 AP courses are offered. 8:1 student-to-teacher ratio. The average class size is 14. Theater, a Senior Service Project, and Interim Week are among the unique requirements at North Shore. 63% of the faculty possess advanced degrees.

Tuition (9-12): $38,305
Enrollment (Upper School): 219
Average SAT Score: Not Reported
Average ACT Score: Not Reported

#8 Best Private Schools in Chicago

St. Ignatius College Prep – Chicago

1076 Roosevelt Rd, Chicago, IL 60608

College Admissions Highlights: In 2022 alone, more than one graduate enrolled in the following colleges: UW-Madison (16), the University of Michigan (10), Notre Dame (7), UMiami (7), Boston College (7), USC (5), NYU (5), UChicago (4), Wake Forest (4), UCLA (2), and Northwestern (2).

Academic Highlights: The student-to-faculty ratio is 15:1. In the last five years, the school has produced an average of 6 National Merit Finalists and 22 Commended Scholars each year. 77% 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.

Tuition (9-12): $20,900
Enrollment (seniors): 375
Average SAT Score: 1337
Average ACT Score: 29

#9 Best Private Schools in Chicago

Rochelle Zell Jewish High School – Chicago

1095 Lake Cook Rd, Deerfield, IL 60015

College Admissions Highlights: Recent college acceptances include Amherst, Brandeis, Bucknell, Carnegie Mellon, 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: Students took 99 AP tests in 2022 and 59% were a 4 or 5. 29 of 42 seniors in the Class of 2023 possess a GPA of 3.7 or better. Two members of the Class of 2023 were named National Merit Finalists. 85% of the faculty hold advanced degrees. All students study Tanach/Bible, Jewish History, Modern Jewish Thought, and Talmud.

Tuition (9-12): $31,800
Enrollment (9-12): 150
Average SAT Score: Not Reported
Average ACT Score: 29

#10 Best Private Schools in Chicago

Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart – Chicago

760 E Westleigh Rd, Lake Forest, IL 60045

College Admissions Highlights: Recent college acceptances include Barnard, Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis, Colgate, Dartmouth, Duke, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, NYU, Northwestern, UChicago, Notre Dame, Villanova, Wellesley, Wesleyan, and Williams.

Academic Highlights: Woodlands Academy is an all-girls institution. The average class size is just 10 students. 4:1 student-to-teacher ratio. 89% of faculty possess advanced degrees in their fields. 21 AP subjects are offered.

Tuition (9-12): $31,900 (Day); $63,700 (7-Day Boarding)
Enrollment (seniors): 145
Average SAT Score: Not Reported
Average ACT Score: Not Reported

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.

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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).