Best Private Schools in Maryland – 2025
February 24, 2025
Are you seeking a boarding or day school? Do you want your child’s high school to have a religious affiliation? College Transitions’ list of the Best Private Schools in Maryland will focus primarily on our area of expertise—college admissions. As such, we will highlight the job each school does of sending their graduates on to the region/nation’s premier 4-year schools. If you are a Maryland parent actively searching for the best-fit private schools for your child or teen (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.
Best Private Schools in Maryland
Here’s a quick preview of the best private schools in Maryland that made our list. Detailed profiles and stats can be found when you scroll below.
1) McDonogh School
2) Holton-Arms School
3) Georgetown Preparatory School
4) Gilman School
5) Key School
6) Landon School
7) Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart
8) The Bryn Mawr School
9) The Park School of Baltimore
10) Bullis School
Please note that inclusion on our 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 Maryland, 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 Maryland.
McDonogh School – Maryland
- 8600 McDonogh Rd, Owings Mills, MD 21117
College Admissions Highlights: Over the last two years, McDonogh students matriculated to these prestigious colleges and universities: Amherst, BC, Brown, Bucknell, Case Western, Columbia, Cornell, Davidson, Duke, Emory, Georgetown, Harvard, Hofstra, John Hopkins, NYU, Northeastern, Penn State, Stanford, Ohio State, U Miami, U Michigan, UNC Chapel Hill, Notre Dame, Penn, USC, Vassar, Villanova, Wake Forest, Washington U, William & Mary, and Williams.
Academic Highlights: 67% of faculty hold advanced degrees. Average of 16 students per class. 7:1 Student-teacher ratio. 33 Advanced level courses for students interested in AP level courses. About 75 upper school students live on campus. 31 Varsity athletic teams winning 21 championships in the last 5 years.
Holton-Arms School – Maryland
- 7303 River Rd, Bethesda, MD 20817
College Admissions Highlights: Over the last four years, students from Holton-Arms have matriculated into the following schools: BC, Brown, Bucknell, Carnegie Mellon, Case Western, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Davidson, Duke, Emory, Georgetown, Hamilton, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Middlebury, NYU, Northeastern, Pepperdine, Rice, Stanford, Trinity, UCLA, UChicago, U Michigan, Penn, USC, UVA, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Washington U, and Yale.
Academic Highlights: Holton-Arms is an all-girls institution. 6:1 student-to-teacher ratio. The average class size is 15. 83% of teachers earned advanced degrees. 47% students of color. 85% of upper school students enrolled in at least one Fine & Performing Arts class. More than 80% participate in the more than 20 athletic teams.
Georgetown Preparatory School – Maryland
- 10900 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda, MD 20852
College Admissions Highlights: Colleges that welcomed graduates from Georgetown Prep over the last three years include: Baylor, BC, Brown, Bucknell, Carnegie Mellon, Case Western, William & Mary, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, George Washington, Georgetown, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, MIT, NYU, Northeastern, Princeton, Stanford, Tufts, US Military Academy, UC Berkeley, UChicago, U Mass, UMichigan, Notre Dame, USC, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, and Yale.
Academic Highlights: Georgetown Prep is an all boys school with about 24% of student boarding. 86% of teachers possess advanced degrees. 43% students identify as non-white. The average class size is 15, with a 1:8 faculty-student ratio. Must complete 100 community service hours over 4 years. 26 AP and 4 Post-AP courses. 32 team sports are offered.
Gilman School – Maryland
- 5407 Roland Ave, Baltimore, MD 21210
College Admissions Highlights: In the last four years, graduates from Gilman School have enrolled at: BC, Brown, Bucknell, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Carnegie Mellon, Case Western, U Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Davidson, Georgetown, GaTech, Harvard, Howard, Johns Hopkins, MIT, U Michigan, NYU, Northeastern, Notre Dame, Northwestern, Penn State, Pepperdine, Princeton, Stanford, Tufts, Vanderbilt, UVA, Wake Forest, WashU, William & Mary, and Yale.
Academic Highlights: Gilman is an all boys school. The average class size is 15. 7:1 student-faculty ratio. 45% of students identify as people of color. 67% of faculty members possess advanced degrees. 10 AP & 7 post AP courses available. Over 20 national merit finalists in the last 5 years. Over 30 interscholastic athletic teams in the upper school.
Key School – Maryland
- 534 Hillsmere Dr, Annapolis, MD 21403
College Admissions Highlights: Members of the last two years, were accepted into the following schools: American, BU, Brown, Bucknell, Case Western, Colby, Drexel, Emory, George Washington, GaTech, Hamilton, Lafayette, Middlebury, NYU, NC State, Northeastern, Penn State, Pratt, Purdue, Swarthmore, Temple, Univ of Colorado – Boulder, U Mass, Tennessee, UVA, Vanderbilt, VaTech, Wake Forest, Washington U, and William & Mary.
Academic Highlights: 5:1 student-to-faculty ratio. The average class size is 16 students. 75% of faculty have advanced degrees. 14 advanced courses are offered. 39% are students of color. 84% of graduates earned college merit scholarships. 40 Interscholastic teams. Over 60 clubs and activities. More than 35 visual and performing arts opportunities.
Landon School – Maryland
- 6101 Wilson Ln, Bethesda, MD 20817
College Admissions Highlights: Over the last four years, graduates have matriculated into these fine institutions: Amherst, BC, Bucknell, CalTech, Carnegie Mellon, Case Western, Colgate, Columbia, Davidson, Dartmouth, Emory, Georgetown, Hamilton, Harvard, johns Hopkins, Kenyon, MIT, NYU, Northwestern, Pepperdine, Princeton, Swarthmore, Ohio State, Tufts, UC Berkeley, U Chicago, U Michigan, Penn, Notre Dame, UVA, Vanderbilt, Villanova, Wake Forest, Wesleyan, and Yale.
Academic Highlights: The average class size at this all-boys school is 14. 41% identify as students of color. 100% of seniors complete a service or ethics capstone project.. Landon offers 40 clubs and 60 elective courses. 100% of students participate in arts for at least 2 years. 21 athletic options with strength & conditioning all 3 seasons.
Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart – Maryland
- 9101 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814
College Admissions Highlights: A three year sampling of college acceptances for Stone Ridge students: American, BC, Brown, Bucknell, Case Western, Colgate, William & Mary, Cornell, Dartmouth, Davidson, Duke, Georgetown, Ga Tech, Hamilton, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Loyola, MIT, Middlebury, NYU, Northeastern, Ohio State, Pepperdine, Princeton, RPI, Stanford, Tufts, UCLA, U Chicago, Florida, Michigan, UNC Chapel Hill, Notre Dame, Penn, UVA, Vanderbilt, Vassar, Wake Forest, Washington U, and Wellesley.
Academic Highlights: Stone Ridge is an all-girls school. 7:1 student-to-teacher ratio. The average teacher has 16 years of experience. Of 57 faculty members, 43 have master’s & 12 have doctoral degrees. 36% diversity represented in the upper school. 22 AP courses. 84% scored a 3 or higher on exam. There are 8 performing art opportunities like Step Team & A Cappella. 26 Varsity and JV athletic teams in the upper school.
The Bryn Mawr School – Maryland
- 109 W Melrose Ave, Baltimore, MD 21210
College Admissions Highlights: Over the last four years, Bryn Mawr graduates matriculated to the following colleges and universities: BC, BU, Brandeis, Brown, Bryn Mawr, Bucknell, Carnegie Mellon, Case Western, Columbia, Cornell, Davidson, Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Loyola, MIT, NYU, Northeastern, Penn State, Pomona, Princeton, Rice, Stanford, Tufts, UC Berkeley, UChicago, U Maryland, Penn, USC, UVA, Villanova, Washington U, Wellesley, William & Mary, and Yale.
Academic Highlights: Bryn Mawr is an all-girls school. There are 28 AP and Post-AP courses offered. 5 national merit finalists in the last two years. 7 world language options including Russian, Arabic and Greek. Seniors have an opportunity to be a part of the Edith Hamilton Scholars ending with a convocation speech.
The Park School of Baltimore – Maryland
- 2425 Old Court Rd, Baltimore, MD 21208
College Admissions Highlights: Park School graduates chose to attend these colleges over the last five year: Barnard, BC, Bowdoin, Brown, Bucknell, Carnegie Mellon, Case Western, Columbia, Cornell, Davidson, Emory, Hamilton, Howard, Johns Hopkins, Loyola, Middlebury, NYU, Northeastern, Oberlin, Princeton, RIT, Skidmore, Ohio State, UT Austin, Tufts, UC Berkeley, U Chicago, Michigan, UNC Chapel Hill, Penn, UVA, Vanderbilt, Vassar, VaTech, Wesleyan, and Yale.
Academic Highlights: 7:1 student-to-teacher ratio. The average class size is 15. 115 of the 99 faculty hold advanced degrees. The average amount of teaching experience is 22 years. 44% identify as people of color or international students. 85% of AP test-takers scored a 3 or better. 70% participation on the 22 athletic teams in the upper school. 83% of upper school students enrolled in at least one art course.
Bullis School – Maryland
- 10601 Falls Rd, Potomac, MD 20854
College Admissions Highlights: In the last 4 years, graduates from Bullis have matriculated to these college: BC, Bucknell, Cornell, Drexel, Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Howard, Johns Hopkins, NYU, Northeastern, Penn State, Rice, Stanford, Ohio State, Tufts, UC Berkeley, UMiami, UMichigan, Chapel Hill, Penn, USC, US Autsin, UVA, Villanova, VaTech, Wake Forest, Washington U, and William & Mary.
Academic Highlights: Average class size 15. 1:7 faculty to student ratio. 70% of faculty hold advanced degrees. 2.5% international students. 24 AP courses are offered. Offers signature programs in Entrepreneurship, STEM, and Visual & Performing Arts. 53 Interscholastic sports teams. Over 40 opportunities for clubs and leadership within the upper school.
Best Private Schools in Maryland – Additional Resources
We hope you found our blog on private schools in Maryland 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.
