Best Private Schools in Boston – 2024
January 23, 2024
If you’re a Massachusetts-based parent searching for the best-fit private schools for your child or teen, you can celebrate the fact that you reside in the American Mecca of not just higher education, but private secondary education as well. No matter the current age of your student, you are likely interested in the college preparation and counseling offered by each prospective school. 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. To assist, College Transitions’ list of the Best Private Schools in Boston 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 Boston
Here’s a quick preview of the best private schools in Boston that made our list. Detailed profiles and stats can be found when you scroll below.
1) Commonwealth School
2) Groton School
3) Phillips Academy Andover
4) The Roxbury Latin School
5) Buckingham Browne & Nichols School – Boston
6) Concord Academy
7) Middlesex School
8) Milton Academy
9) Noble and Greenough School
10) St. Mark’s School
Please note that inclusion on our Best Private Schools in Boston 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 schools in MA, College Transitions will provide you with:
- Location
- Tuition (9-12)
- Enrollment (9-12)
- Average SAT Score
- Average ACT Score
- Senior Class Size
- College Admissions Highlights
- Academic Highlights
Without further ado, let’s look at the best private schools in Boston.
Commonwealth School – Boston
- 151 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02116
College Admissions Highlights: For the class of 2023, students enrolled in the following highly-selective colleges: Boston College, Case Western, Columbia, Emory, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Kenyon, NYU, Northwestern, Pomona, Tufts, UC Berkeley, UChicago, Penn, Vanderbilt, WashingtonU, and Williams.
Academic Highlights: 12 students per class on average. 56% self-identified students of color. 83% of the faculty hold advance degrees. 79% of AP test-takers scored a 4 or 5. Among the class of 2023, 22 of the 42 students recognized in the National Merit Scholarship program + 1 winner. Commonwealth supports varsity, recreational and independent sports.
Groton School – Boston
- 282 Farmers Row, Groton, MA 01450
College Admissions Highlights: Large numbers of students from the Classes of 2019 to 2022 have matriculated into: UChicago (35), Georgetown (17), Yale (17), Harvard (16), BC (13), Stanford (13), Penn (13), Princeton (12), Brown (10), Columbia (10), Colby (9), Dartmouth (8), Northwestern (8), Middlebury (7), Cornell (7), NYU (7), and Colgate (7).
Academic Highlights: 85% are boarding students. 4:1 student-to-faculty ratio with an average class size of 11. 46% students of color. 85% of faculty possess advanced degrees. 93% of students score a 3 or higher on AP tests. 32 Art courses with 25 student recitals. 22 athletic teams with varsity, JV or 3rds. Over 40 clubs and organizations.
Phillips Academy Andover – Boston
- 7 Chapel Ave, Andover, MA 01810
College Admissions Highlights: The greatest number of members of the Class of 2023 matriculated into the following colleges: UChicago (21), Yale (12), Harvard (12), Northeastern (10), Brown (10), BU (10), Princeton (9), Columbia (8), NYU (8), Georgetown (8), Northwestern (7), MIT (7), UVA (7), Cornell (6), Tufts (4), UMichigan (3), and Vanderbilt (3).
Academic Highlights: There are 75% boarding students and 302 day students. 43 states and 49 countries are represented. 59% are students of color. 13 students in the average class. 70+ interscholastic teams in 23 different sports. 150 electives including 8 world languages. 25,000+ objects in Addison Gallery of American Art. 125+ student-run clubs and organizations.
The Roxbury Latin School – Boston
- 101 St Theresa Ave, West Roxbury, MA 02132
College Admissions Highlights: From 2019-2023, the greatest number of grads went on to enroll in the following institutions: Harvard (38), Georgetown (18), Brown (18), Tufts (14), Holy Cross (9), Yale (8), BC (7), UMass (7), Dartmouth (7), Colby (7), Princeton (5), Trinity College (5), and Princeton (5).
Academic Highlights: Roxbury Latin is a school for boys founded in 1645. Average class size is 12 with a 6:1 student-to-teacher ratio. 39% identify as boys of color. 84% of the faculty have advanced degrees. 42% of class of 2023 received recognition in National Merit Scholar Program. 32 athletic teams and 3 student publications.
Buckingham Browne & Nichols School – Boston
- 80 Gerrys Landing Rd, Cambridge, MA 02138
College Admissions Highlights: From 2020-23 the following colleges enrolled 10 or more grads: Brown, Colby, Harvard, NYU, Northeastern, Northwestern, Tufts, WashingtonU, and Tulane. The following matriculated 5 or more: Amherst, Bates, Bowdoin, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Middlebury, Princeton, UChicago, Penn, UVA, Wake Forest, and Yale.
Academic Highlights: 46% self-identified as students of color. 75 upper school teachers have master’s degrees and 12 possess doctorates. The school works on a trimester calendar. From 2012-2023, they produced 25 National Merit Semifinalists, 21 Finalists, and 6 Scholars. 90% of AP exam students scored 3 or higher. 75 interscholastic programs across 25 different sports.
Concord Academy – Boston
- 166 Main St, Concord, MA 01742
College Admissions Highlights: Over the last five years, the greatest number of students have entered the following colleges: Brown (19), Tufts (18), Wesleyan (15), Bowdoin (14), Northeastern (13), NYU (12), Northwestern (12), WashU (11), Yale (10), Columbia (9), Conn College (9), Oberlin (9), Carnegie Mellon (9), Harvard (8), and Dartmouth (7).
Academic Highlights: 6:1 Student to teacher ratio. 40% of student board. 40% US students of color. 11% international students. The average class size is 12 students. 6:1 student-to-teacher ratio. Over 200 courses are offered. 60% day students, 40% boarding. 90+ clubs & organizations. 15 sports with 30 interscholastic teams.
Middlesex School – Boston
- 1400 Lowell Rd, Concord, MA 01742
College Admissions Highlights: The Class of 2023 matriculated into the following schools: UChicago (6), BC (5), Brown (4), Harvard (3), Colby (3), Dartmouth (3), Hamilton (3), Middlebury (3), Georgetown (2), UMichigan (2), Cornell (2), Northwestern (2), USC (2), Wesleyan (2), Bowdoin (2), Colgate (2), and Yale (2).
Academic Highlights: 77% teachers possess advanced degrees. The average class size is 12. Boarding students make up 70% of the student body. Classes are conducted six days per week. Students come from 32 states and 20 foreign countries. Over 20 AP & advanced courses. 91% scored a 3 or higher on AP Exams. 56 Athletic teams and many visual & performing arts classes.
Milton Academy – Boston
- 170 Centre St, Milton, MA 02186
College Admissions Highlights: From 2021 to 2023, the greatest number of students enrolled in Georgetown (27), Harvard (25), BC (17), UChicago (14), Brown (12), Wesleyan (11), Northeastern (10), Dartmouth (10), Bowdoin (10), Tufts (9), Tulane (9), Columbia (9), George Washington (9), NYU (8), Amherst (7), Colby (7), and Barnard (6).
Academic Highlights: 316 students living on campus. 52% identify as students of color. The average class size is 14 students. 5:1 student-to-teacher ratio. 10 Major theatre productions. Over 40 student organizations. 13 singing and cappella groups. 30 interscholastic teams and 7 intramural athletics. 20 social events per month.
Noble and Greenough School – Boston
- 10 Campus Dr, Dedham, MA 02026
College Admissions Highlights: Between 2019 and 2023, the greatest numbers of grads matriculated into the following universities: Harvard (52), BC (27), Georgetown (26), Tufts (25), Middlebury (24), Dartmouth (23), Williams (20), Yale (19), Princeton (18), Brown (18), UVA (17), Northeastern (15), Duke (15), Hamilton (15), and Colby (12).
Academic Highlights: The school has a 16% acceptance rate. 48 boarding students live on campus 5 days a week. 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio with average class size 12. 49% identify as students of color. 16 AP courses offered. 91% earned 3 or better on their AP exams. 50+ student clubs. 5 Theatre productions each year. Over 40 athletic teams.
St. Mark’s School – Boston
- 25 Marlboro Rd, Southborough, MA 01772
College Admissions Highlights: In the last three years, three or more students have attended the following schools: BC, Brown, Carnegie Mellon, Colby, Colgate, Cornell, Dartmouth, Emory, Georgetown, Hamilton, MIT, Middlebury, NYU, Northeastern, Tufts, UC Berkeley, UMass, UMich, USC, Vanderbilt, and WashingtonU.
Academic Highlights: 75% of students board. 70% of faculty have advanced degrees. 4:1 student-to-teacher ratio. The average class size is 12. Students can earn a Classics Diploma or Global Diploma which give an opportunity to travel. 50 athletic teams with over 100 multisport athletes. 20% of the student body participates in theater productions.
Best Colleges in Boston – Additional Resources
We hope you found our blog on private schools in Boston (and the surrounding area) 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.
