Best Private Schools in Delaware – 2024
February 26, 2024
If you live in Delaware and are considering a private school for your child, there are quite a few wonderful options spread across the First State. Of course, having so many choices can feel a bit overwhelming. Are you seeking a boarding or day school? Do you want your child’s high school to have a religious affiliation? How far of a daily commute do want your child to have? In the end, 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 Delaware will focus primarily on our area of expertise—college admissions. As such, we will examine the job that each of the high schools does at sending their graduates on to the region/nation’s premier 4-year schools.
Best Private Schools in Delaware
Here’s a quick preview of the best private schools in Delaware that made our list. Detailed profiles and stats can be found when you scroll below.
1) St. Andrew’s School
2) Tower Hill School
3) Wilmington Friends
4) Sanford School
5) Archmere Academy
6) The Tatnall School
7) Caravel Academy
8) Padua Academy
9) Ursuline Academy
10) Salesianum School
Please note that inclusion on our Best Private Schools in Delaware 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 profiled, College Transitions will provide you with each institution’s:
- 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 full list.
St. Andrew’s School – Delaware
- 350 Noxontown Road, Middletown DE 19709
College Admissions Highlights: Students from the Classes of 2020-2023 matriculated into: Davidson (16), Brown (12), Princeton (12), UVA (11), Penn (9), Wesleyan (8), NYU (7), Tufts (7), Dartmouth (6), Duke (6), Middlebury (6), Vanderbilt (6), Wake Forest (6), Williams (6), BC (5), Columbia (5), Georgetown (5), Harvard (4), and Yale (4).
Academic Highlights: St. Andrew’s is a boarding school. Average class size 10, with a 5:1 student-to-teacher ratio. 41% students of color. 14% international students. All students participate in a club or sports. Over 80 clubs available and 23 athletic teams. All students participate in the extensive arts program. 70% of students participate in community service.
Tower Hill School – Delaware
- 2813 W. 17th Street, Wilmington, DE 19806
College Admissions Highlights: Students from the Class of 2023 matriculated into: Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Emory, Georgetown, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Northeastern, NYU, Penn, Rice, Swarthmore, Tufts, UC Berkeley, UMichigan, UMiami, UVA, USC, VaTech, Wake Forest, and William & Mary.
Academic Highlights: Average class size 15, 8:1 student to teacher ratio. 37% Identify as students of color. 84% of faculty have advanced degrees. Over 20 advanced courses. 88% of students scored a 3+ on AP Tests. 22 DIAA Varsity Athletic teams. 17 Performing Ensembles. 4000+ community service hours.
Wilmington Friends – Delaware
- 101 School Road, Wilmington, DE 19803
College Admissions Highlights: From 2021-2022, students from Wilmington Friends matriculated into these fine institutions: American, Barnard, BU, Brown, Bucknell, Case Western, Columbia, Drexel, Emory, Harvard, NYU, Northwestern, UMiami, Notre Dame, UVA, Villanova, Wake Forest, & Williams.
Academic Highlights: 34% identify as students of color. 53 teaching faculty have advanced degrees. Global education curriculum including International Baccalaureate & School Year Abroad. All students participate in at least 1 of the 23 athletic teams. Over 45 student clubs and committees. 25+ visual and performing arts courses.
Sanford School – Delaware
- 6900 Lancaster Pike, Hockessin, DE 19707
College Admissions Highlights: In the last few years, Sanford graduates have gained admissions: American, Bard, BC, Brown, Case Western, William & Mary, Columbia, Dartmouth, Duke, Georgetown, Howard, Johns Hopkins, MIT, NYU, Northwestern, Purdue, Stanford, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UMass, Penn, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Wesleyan, and Williams.
Academic Highlights: 36% students of color. 18 AP and 12 honors courses. Class of 2024 had 6 students named National Merit commended scholars and 1 finalist. 43 AP Scholars. 23 visual and performing art courses. All students participate in at least one of the 26 athletic teams. 26 student clubs.
Archmere Academy – Delaware
- 3600 Philadelphia Pike Claymont, DE 19703
College Admissions Highlights: From 2019-2022 period students enrolled in American, BU, Bucknell, William & Mary, Dartmouth, Duke, Emory, Furman, Georgetown, GaTech, Johns Hopkins, NYU, Northeastern, US Naval Acad, UGA, UMiami, UMichigan, Notre Dame, Penn, Vanderbilt, Villanova, VaTech, Wake Forest, and Yale.
Academic Highlights: Average class size is 15 students, with a 9:1 student-teacher ratio. 86% of teachers hold advanced degrees. 93% of AP test takers scored 3 or higher. 8 students in the 2024 class were recognized by National Merit. A unique class offered at Archmere: Advanced Cancer Research and Analysis. 82% of the student body participates in the 23 athletic teams.
The Tatnall School – Delaware
- 1501 Barley Mill Road, Wilmington, DE 19807
College Admissions Highlights: Tatnall four year college acceptance from 2020-2023: American, Barnard, BU, Brown, William & Mary, Columbia, Cornell, Furman, GaTech, Howard, Lafayette, Middlebury, Pratt, Princeton, RPI, Tufts, Tulane, UF, UMiami, Penn, Tennessee, UVA, Villanova, and VaTech.
Academic Highlights: 7:1 student-teacher ratio. 25 AP & honors classes. 36 interscholastic teams with 20% of graduates go on to participate in collegiate athletics. 6 state of the art facilities for STEM and performing arts. Upperclassmen curate, install, exhibit, and sell their artwork at an annual spring event.
Caravel Academy – Delaware
- 2801 Del Laws Road Bear, DE 19701
College Admissions Highlights: Caravel’s class of 2023 were accepted to institutions such as: College of Charleston, Dickinson, Drexel, Duquesne, George Mason, George Washington, Hamilton, LSU, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, Thomas Jefferson, Delaware, U Maryland, U Miami, USF, and VCU.
Academic Highlights: 15+ AP classes. 2023 AP School Honor Roll. 33 seniors scored a 3 or higher on AP exams with 3 National Merit Semifinalists. 21 Athletic options with multiple state championships. All students participate in at least one of the 20+ activities & clubs. All seniors graduate with at least 80 hours of community service.
Padua Academy – Delaware
- 905 North Broom Street Wilmington, DE 19806
College Admissions Highlights: From 2018-2022, graduates of Padua were accepted by these fine institutions: American, Bard, BC, Bucknell, Case Western, Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, LSU, NYU, Northwestern, Pomona, Princeton, RIT, William & Mary, US Air Force Acad, UCLA, UMichigan, Notre Dame, USC, Vanderbilt, VaTech, & Wellesley.
Academic Highlights: Padua is an all girls institution. 26 AP Courses are offered. 86% of students scored 3 or higher on their AP Tests in 2023 with 42 AP Scholars. Juniors & Seniors are able to experience a global education with international teacher-led trips. 10,450 hours of volunteer work in 2022-23 school year. Over 60% participate in one of 16 varsity athletic programs. 50+ clubs and activities.
Ursuline Academy – Delaware
- 1106 Pennsylvania Avenue Wilmington, DE 19806
College Admissions Highlights: In a recent 5-year period students have been accepted at American, BU, Bucknell, William & Mary, Cornell, Duke, Emory, Georgetown, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, NYU, Princeton, Purdue, UC Berkeley, UGA, UMichigan, UNC Chapel Hill, Notre Dame, Penn, USC, Villanova, VaTech, Wake Forest, and Yale.
Academic Highlights: Ursuline is an all girls school for grades 6-12. 8:1 average student teacher ratio. 24 AP Courses. 55 juniors & seniors received AP Scholar awards. 41%of graduates purse a degree in a STEM-related major. 13 sports are offered & they have earned 65 State Championships. 113 hours on average of community service per student.
Salesianum School – Delaware
- 1801 N. Broom Street Wilmington, DE 19802
College Admissions Highlights: From 2018-2023 period students enrolled in American, Brown, BC, Bucknell, Carnegie Mellon, William & Mary, Cornell, Dartmouth, Georgetown, GaTech, Hamilton, Johns Hopkins, MIT, NYU, Northeastern, Princeton, US Military Acad, UCLA, UMiami, UMichigan, Notre Dame, Penn, Villanova, VaTech, and Wake Forest.
Academic Highlights: Salesianum is an all boys school. Average class size is 18 students, with a 12:1 student to faculty ratio. 25 AP courses. 79% of teachers have a master’s degree. 80% of the students participate in clubs. 28 Fine arts electives. 81 hours of community service on average per student. 28 athletic teams, intramurals & clubs.
Best Private Schools in Delaware – Additional Resources
We hope you found our blog on private schools in Delaware 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
