Best Private Schools in Los Angeles – 2025

February 23, 2025

The LA area is home to a number of well-regarded private schools. Choosing from the hundreds of available options can be a challenging enterprise as you seek to find which private schools in Los Angeles (LA) will be best for your child. Are you seeking a boarding or day school? Do you want your child’s high school to have a religious affiliation? Ultimately, your decision will need to balance your teen’s academic, emotional, and social needs with financial and logistical considerations. However, College Transitions’ list of the Best Private Schools in Los Angeles will focus primarily on our area of expertise—college admissions. As such, we will highlight the job that each high school does at sending their graduates on to the nation’s premier 4-year schools.

Best Private Schools in Los Angeles

Here’s a quick preview of the best private schools in LA that made our list. Detailed profiles and stats can be found when you scroll below.

1) Harvard-Westlake School

2) Brentwood School

3) Flintridge Preparatory School

4) Marlborough School

5) Polytechnic School

6) Sage Hill School

7) The Webb Schools

8) Westridge School

9) Loyola High School of Los Angeles

10) Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences

Please note that inclusion on our Best Private Schools in Los Angeles (LA) 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 identified schools, the College Transitions team 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 top private high schools in LA in detail:

#1 Best Private Schools in Los Angeles

Harvard-Westlake School – Los Angeles

700 N Faring Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90077

College Admissions Highlights: Over the last five years, multiple students have matriculated to these fine institution’s: BC, Brown, Carnegie Mellon, Case Western, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Emory, Georgetown, Harvard, Kenyon, MIT, NYU, Northwestern, Pomona, Princeton, SMU, Stanford, Tufts, UC Berkeley, UCLA, U Chicago, U Michigan, Penn, USC, UT Austin, UVA, Vanderbilt, Vassar, WashingtonU, Williams, and Yale.

Academic Highlights: 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio. 20 AP courses are offered with a 96% passing rate. Of 190 teachers, 151 hold advanced degrees. 62% are self-identified students of color. Over 100 student-led clubs, 8 student publications and over 40 concerts, dance, plays and performances a year. 65% of students participate in 30 interscholastic sports.

Tuition (9-12): $49,700
Enrollment (seniors): 283
Average SAT Score: 1463
Average ACT Score: 33

#2 Best Private Schools in Los Angeles

Brentwood School – Los Angeles

100 S Barrington Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90049

College Admissions Highlights: Graduates over the last 4 years have enrolled at Barnard, BC, BU, Brown, Bucknell, Carnegie Mellon, Colgate, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Emory, Georgetown, GaTech, Harvard, Kenyon, NYU, Northeastern, Pepperdine, Princeton, SMU, Stanford, Tufts, UCBerkeley, UCLA, UChicago, UMichigan, Penn, USC, UVA, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Washington U, Wesleyan, and Yale.

Academic Highlights: The average class size in high school is 17 students. 91 of the 124 teachers possess advanced degrees. 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio. 50% are students of color and 19% of those enrolled receive financial aid. 24 AP courses offered; 84% students scored a 3 or above on AP tests. 18 Sports offered with 71% of students playing at least one sport.

Tuition (9-12): $53,300
Enrollment (seniors): 136
Average SAT Score: 1355
Average ACT Score: 30

#3 Best Private Schools in Los Angeles

Flintridge Preparatory School – Los Angeles

4543 Crown Ave, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011

College Admissions Highlights: Students over the last two years have gone on to study at Berklee College of Music, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Emory, Georgetown, Grinnell, Harvard, MIT, NYU, Northeastern, Rice, Stanford, Tufts, Trinity (Dublin), UC Berkeley, UCLA, Penn, UChicago, USC, WashU, and Williams.

Academic Highlights: 15 AP classes are offered along with 22 honors courses. 12 of the 70 faculty members possess doctoral degrees; 33 have master’s degrees. The average class size is 15 students. 8:1 student-to-teacher ratio. Students are 30% Asian, 11 Latino, 3% African American, and 17% Two or More Races.

Tuition (9-12): $47,750
Enrollment (7-12): 530
Mid-50% SAT Score: 1340-1510
Mid-50% ACT Score: 30-35

#4 Best Private Schools in Los Angeles

Marlborough School – Los Angeles

250 S Rossmore Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90004

College Admissions Highlights: Students from the last two years have matriculated into an incredible array of schools including: Barnard, Baylor, BU, Bucknell, CalTech, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, DePaul, Duke, Georgetown, GaTech, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Macalester, NYU, Northwestern, PRatt, Princeton, Rice, Stanford, Trinity, UCLA, U Chicago, U Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn, USC, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Wesleyan, Washington U, and Yale,

Academic Highlights: Marlborough is an all-girls institution. There are 17 AP & 13 Advanced Topic courses offered. Average class size is 14 students. 55% self-identify as non-white. Signature programs include Honors Research Program in humanities, science or social sciences; Capstone Program in arts, social justice or entrepreneurship; Debate and Robotics. 85% acceptance rate to highly-selective colleges. 8:1 student-to-teacher ratio. 33 Athletic Teams.

Tuition (9-12): $52,850
Enrollment (seniors): 111
Median SAT Score: 1455
Median ACT Score: 31

#5 Best Private Schools in Los Angeles

Polytechnic School – Los Angeles

1030 E California Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91106

College Admissions Highlights: In ta recent five year sample, students went on to attend Amherst, Bowdoin, Brown, CalTech, Carnegie Mellon, Claremont McKenna, Columbia, Cornell, Duke, Harvard, MIT, NYU, Northwestern, Pomona, Princeton, Purdue, Rice, Stanford, Tufts, UChicago, U Michigan, USC, Wake Forest, and Yale.

Academic Highlights: Three years of a foreign language are required. 16 AP courses are offered. The average class size is 15. 72% identify as students of color. Offer Poly-Enriched courses for deeper understanding in American Studies, Biological Research, Chemistry, Modern Latin America and Psychology. A Global Initiative Program can earn a certificate with the completion of a capstone project. Arts include performing such as dance, music and theatre + visual. Athletics bosts 51 Prep League MVP’s and 52 Collegiate Athletes.

Tuition (9-12): $47,100
Enrollment (seniors): 92
Mid-50% SAT Score: 1340-1530
Mid-50% ACT Score: 31-35

#6 Best Private Schools in Los Angeles

Sage Hill School – Los Angeles

20402 Newport Coast Dr, Newport Beach, CA 92657

College Admissions Highlights: Colleges attended graduates from Sage Hill School over the last three years include: American, Barnard, BU, Brown, Cal Poly, Carnegie Mellon, Case Western, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Davidson, Duke, Georgetown, GaTech, Harvard, Howard, Johns Hopkins, Macalester, MIT, NYU, Northeastern, Ohio State, Pepperdine, Pratt, Princeton, Rice, Tufts, UC Berkeley, U Chicago, U Michigan, UNC Chapel Hill, Penn, USC, UVA, Vanderbilt, Villanova, Wake Forest, Washington U, Wellesley, William & Mary, & Yale.

Academic Highlights: Sage Hill has one college counselor for every 34 students. Average class size is 14 students. Sage Hill offers 20 AP courses and 2 post-AP courses. In the past 10 years, the school produced 65 National Merit Finalists, 71 Semifinalists, and 230 Commended scholars. 42 Total sports teams and more than 80 clubs.

Tuition (9-12): $53,770
Enrollment (seniors): 148
Average SAT Score: 1441
Average ACT Score: 32

#7 Best Private Schools in Los Angeles

The Webb Schools – Los Angeles

1175 W Baseline Rd, Claremont, CA 91711

College Admissions Highlights: The top colleges Webb students have matriculated to the most: Babson, Barnard, BU, Bryn Mawr, Brown, CalPoly, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Cornell, Emory, Georgetown, George Washington, Harvard, Harvey Mudd, Johns Hopkins, NYU, Northeastern, Northwestern, Pepperdine, Pitzer, Stanford, Tufts, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UChicago, Penn, USC, Wellesley, Washingotn U, and Yale.

Academic Highlights: The Webb School of California is all-boys; the Vivian Webb School is all-girls. 63% are boarding students. 23% are international students. 90% of faculty members have an advanced degree. 6:1 student-to-teacher ratio. Webb Schools offer 42 teams in 15 sports. 30+ field excursions taken by students in a year.

Tuition (9-12): $59,790 (Day); $84,070 (Boarding)
Enrollment (seniors): 108
Average SAT Score: 1500 (from those who submitted)
Average ACT Score: 34 (from those who submitted)

#8 Best Private Schools in Los Angeles

Westridge School – Los Angeles

324 Madeline Dr, Pasadena, CA 91105

College Admissions Highlights: In the past three years, Westridge students have been admitted to BU, Brown, Cal Poly, Cal Tech, Cornell, Duke, FSU, George Washington, Hamilton, Harvard, Harvey Mudd, Johns Hopkins, MIT, NYU, Northwestern, Pepperdine, Pitzer, Pomona, Pratt, Princeton, RPI, SCAD, Skidmore, Stanford, UC Berkeley, U Chicago, Michigan, UNC Chapel Hill, Penn, USC, UVA, Washington U, Wellesley, and Yale.

Academic Highlights: Westridge is an all-girls school. 8:1 Student-Teacher ratio. average class size is 13 students. 70% of faculty hold advanced degrees, 14% of those have doctorates. Offers electives such as Banned Books and Censorship, Ethics, AP Computer Science A, Full Stack Web Development, and Journeys in Film. 31 advanced courses. 15 athletic teams and 4 theatre productions a year are available for students.

Tuition (9-12): $48,200
Enrollment (seniors): 75
Mid-50% SAT Score: 1370-1500
Mid-50% ACT Score: 32-33

#9 Best Private Schools in Los Angeles

Loyola High School of Los Angeles – Los Angeles

1901 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90006

College Admissions Highlights: Loyola grads the last four years have headed to the following schools: BC, CalPoly, Columbia, Dartmouth, Duke, Georgetown, Grinnell, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Loyola, MIT, NYU, Northeastern, Penn State, Pomona, Princeton, SMU, Stanford, Tufts, UC Berkeley, UCLA, U Chicago, U Michigan, Notre Dame, USC, UT Austin, Vanderbilt, Villanova, VaTech, Washington U and Yale.

Academic Highlights: Loyola is an all-male institution. 66% of students identify as non-white. All 117 faculty members hold professional degrees, including 81 at the master’s level and 17 at the doctoral level. 26 AP courses are on the menu. All students participate in a a grade level Service & Justice program.

Tuition (9-12): $27,255
Enrollment (seniors): 290
Average SAT Score: 1293
Average ACT Score: 28.5

#10 Best Private Schools in Los Angeles

Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences – Los Angeles

1714 21st St, Santa Monica, CA 90404

College Admissions Highlights: Over a recent 3 year period, multiple students have enrolled at each of the following colleges: BU, Bowdoin, Brown, CalTech, Case Western, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Emory, Georgetown, Harvard, Howard, MIT, NYU, Northwestern, Pepperdine, Pomona, Princeton, Stanford, Trinity, Tufts, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UChicago, UMichigan, Notre Dame, Penn, USC, UVA, Vanderbilt, Villanova, Wesleyan, WashU, and Yale.

Academic Highlights: 8:1 Student-Teacher ratio. 56% of students identify as colored. The school replaced AP courses with Crossroads Advanced Studies (CAS) classes. Typically CAS classes are only for seniors and are capped at three per year. Senior year, students take on a 3-week immersive project and take a retreat. Students interested in EMMI, Crossroad’s renowned classical strings program have to audition. Crossroads offers 17 high school sports teams, 3 of which have won state titles.

Tuition (9-12): $52,847
Enrollment (9-12): 578
Average SAT Score: Not Reported
Average ACT Score: 29

Best Private Schools in Los Angeles – Final Thoughts

We hope you found our blog on private schools in Los Angeles 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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High School Success

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).