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.

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.

1) Commonwealth School

Location:  151 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02116

Tuition (9-12): $52,502

Enrollment (seniors): 42

Average SAT Score: 1550

Average ACT Score: Not Reported

College Admissions Highlights:

From 2017-2022, multiple students enrolled in the following highly-selective colleges: Boston College (5), Brown (7), Columbia (5), Cornell (5), Carleton (3), Harvard (8), Haverford (7), Johns Hopkins (5), NYU (7), Swarthmore (4), Tufts (7), UC Berkeley (3), University of Chicago (11), Oxford (2), Wellesley (5), and Washington University in St. Louis (5).

Academic Highlights:

  • Of 42 seniors, 16 were National Merit Commended Scholars and 6 were Semifinalists.
  • 75% of AP test-takers scored a 4 or 5.
  • Students design and create their own independent projects.
  • Juniors take Calculus and seniors take college-level Theoretical or Multivariable Calculus.
  • Students take multiple art electives.

2) Groton School

Location: 282 Farmers Row, Groton, MA 01450

Tuition (9-12): $59,995 (Includes Boarding)

Enrollment (9-12): 380

Average SAT Score: 1420

Average ACT Score: 31

College Admissions Highlights:

Large numbers of students from the Classes of 2018 to 2022 have matriculated into: UChicago (29), Georgetown (18), Harvard, (17), Yale (16), Princeton (13), Brown (11), Stanford (11), Boston College (10), Columbia (10), Middlebury (10), Penn (10), Colby (8), Cornell (8), Dartmouth (8), Hamilton (8), and Northwestern (8).

Academic Highlights:

  • 73% of students score a 4 or 5 on AP tests.
  • 4:1 student-to-faculty ratio.
  • 80% of faculty possess advanced degrees.
  • Students come from 25 states and 16 countries.
  • 46% are students of color.

3) Phillips Academy Andover                           

Location: 7 Chapel Ave, Andover, MA 01810

Tuition (9-12): $66,290 (Boarding); $51,380 (Day)

Enrollment (seniors): 348

Average SAT Score: 1460 (most recent available)

Average ACT Score: 31 (most recent available)

College Admissions Highlights:

The greatest number of members of the Class of 2022 matriculated into the following colleges: UChicago (14), Yale (12), Cornell (12), Harvard (12), Tufts (10), Princeton (9), MIT (8), University of Michigan (7), UVA (7), NYU (7), Brown (7), Columbia (6), and Georgetown (6).

Academic Highlights:

  • There are 847 boarding students and 302 day students.
  • 45 states and 54 countries are represented.
  • 45% of the student body receives financial aid.
  • Andover grades on a 6.0 scale.
  • 57% are students of color.

Best Colleges in Boston (Continued) 

4) The Roxbury Latin School

Location: 101 St Theresa Ave, West Roxbury, MA 02132

Tuition (9-12): $37,900

Enrollment (seniors): 54

Mid-50% SAT Score: 1360-1540

Average ACT Score: Not Reported

College Admissions Highlights:

From 2017-2021, the greatest number of grads went on to enroll in the following institutions: Harvard (33), Georgetown (18), 14 (Brown), Tufts (12), Bowdoin (9), Princeton (8), Boston College (8), UMass (7), Trinity College (7), Yale (6), Dartmouth (6), Colby (6), and Amherst (6).

Academic Highlights:

  • Roxbury Latin is a school for boys founded in 1645.
  • 74% of students scored a 4 or 5 on their AP exams.
  • 7:1 student-to-teacher ratio.
  • The school typically has close to a 17% acceptance rate.
  • 38% identify as students of color.

5) Buckingham Browne & Nichols School

Location: 80 Gerrys Landing Rd, Cambridge, MA 02138

Tuition (9-12): $57,200

Enrollment (seniors): 133

Average SAT Score: 1400

Average ACT Score: 31

College Admissions Highlights:

From 2018-21 the following colleges enrolled 10 or more grads: Boston College, Brown, Colby, Harvard, NYU, Northeastern, Tufts, and Tulane. The following matriculated 5 or more: Amherst, Bates, Bowdoin, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Middlebury, Northwestern, Princeton, Stanford, UChicago, Penn, UVA, WashU, Wesleyan, and Yale.

Academic Highlights:

  • 77 upper school teachers have master’s degrees and 13 possess doctorates.
  • The school works on a trimester calendar.
  • Language offerings include Chinese, Arabic, French, Russian, Latin, and Spanish.
  • 71% of students earned at least an A- in their courses last year.
  • From 2018-2021, they produced 18 National Merit Semifinalists, 17 Finalists, and 7 Scholars.

6) Concord Academy

Location: 166 Main St, Concord, MA 01742

Tuition (9-12): $68,840 (Boarding); $55,130 (Day)

Enrollment (9-12): 406

Average SAT Score: 1419

Average ACT Score: Not Reported

College Admissions Highlights:

Over the last five years, the greatest number of students have entered the following colleges: Tufts (26), Wesleyan (21), Northeastern (15), Brown (14), NYU (14), Barnard (13), WashU (12), Northwestern (10), Skidmore (10), Columbia (9), Conn College (9), Oberlin (9), Smith (9), Bowdoin (8), Carnegie Mellon (8), Cornell (8), and Dartmouth (8).

Academic Highlights:

  • The average class size is 12 students.
  • 6:1 student-to-teacher ratio.
  • Over 200 courses are offered.
  • 60% day students, 40% boarding.
  • 39-acre campus and 70+ organizations.

7) Middlesex School

Location: 1400 Lowell Rd, Concord, MA 01742

Tuition (10-12): $69,280 (Boarding); $55,970 (Day)

Enrollment (seniors): 111

Average SAT Score: 1380

Average ACT Score: 30

College Admissions Highlights:

The Class of 2022 matriculated into the following schools: Harvard (5), Colby (4), Conn College (4), Georgetown (4), NYU (4), St. Lawrence (4), UChicago (4), Boston College (3), Brown (3), Chapman (3), Colorado College (3), Lafayette (3), Syracuse (3), Bowdoin (2), Cornell (2), and Tufts (2).

Academic Highlights:

  • 54 of 68 teachers possess advanced degrees.
  • The average class size is 12.
  • Students come from 28 states and 15 foreign countries.
  • Boarding students make up 70% of the student body.
  • Classes are conducted six days per week.

Best Colleges in Boston (Continued) 

8) Milton Academy

Location: 170 Centre St, Milton, MA 02186

Tuition (9-12):  $65,950 (Boarding); $57,800 (Day)

Enrollment (seniors): 192

Average SAT Score: 1295-1490 (most recent available)

Average ACT Score: 29-33 (most recent available)

College Admissions Highlights:

From 2020 to 2022, the greatest number of students enrolled in UChicago (22), Harvard (22), Georgetown (19), Boston College (19), NYU (13), Brown (12), Bowdoin (12), Tufts (12), Amherst (10), Columbia (10), GWU (9), Northeastern (9), Middlebury (9), Wesleyan (9), Tulane (8), Colby (8), and Barnard (8).

Academic Highlights:

  • The average class size is 14 students.
  • 5:1 student-to-teacher ratio.
  • The school was founded in 1798.
  • The average teacher has 11 years of experience.
  • 46% identify as students of color.

9) Noble and Greenough School

Location: 10 Campus Dr, Dedham, MA 02026

Tuition (9-12): $61,700 (5-Day Boarding); $55,700 (Day)

Enrollment (7-12): 632

Average SAT Score: 58% scored 1400 or above.

Average ACT Score:  62% scored 31 or above.

College Admissions Highlights:

Between 2018 and 2022, the greatest numbers of grads matriculated into the following universities: Harvard (52), Boston College (31), Dartmouth (25), Williams (25), Middlebury (25), Tufts (25), Brown (24), Georgetown (24), UVA (18), Colby (16), Hamilton (16), Yale (14), Duke (14), and Princeton (14).

Academic Highlights:

  • The school has a 17% acceptance rate.
  • 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio.
  • 45% identify as students of color.
  • 90% earned 3 or better on their AP exams.
  • 50+ student clubs.

10) St. Mark’s School

Location: 25 Marlboro Rd, Southborough, MA 01772

Tuition (9-12): $69,960 (Boarding); $55,710 (Day)

Enrollment (seniors): 90

Average SAT Score: Not Reported

Average ACT Score: Not Reported

College Admissions Highlights:

In the last three years, three or more students have attended the following schools: Boston College, Brown, Carnegie Mellon, Colby, Colgate, Cornell, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Hamilton, MIT, Middlebury, MIT, NYU, Stanford, Tufts, UC Berkeley, UMich, UNC Chapel Hill, USC, Washington & Lee, and Wesleyan.

Academic Highlights:

  • 75% of faculty have advanced degrees.
  • 5:1 student-to-teacher ratio.
  • The average class size is 12.
  • 58% possess a GPA of 3.61 or better.
  • 75% are boarding students.

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.