The 20 best private high schools in Alabama

Indian Springs School, Indian Springs Village, Ala. (Photo: Sketches, etc.)

We already knew that Alabama has some of the most challenging high schools in America and that our state is home to some of the best high schools in the South, but when it comes to private institutions, which of Alabama’s secondary schools are the best of the best?

Niche.com, a site that seeks to “make choosing a neighborhood, college, or K-12 school a more transparent process” by “providing reviews and insight from everyday experts” set out to answer that question by creating a “Best Private High Schools” ranking system.

Here’s how they explain their process:

The Best Private High Schools ranking provides a comprehensive assessment of the overall experience at private high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It uses data sourced from various government and public data sets, Niche’s own proprietary data, and 123,218 opinion-based survey responses across a variety of topics from 16,688 current students, recent alumni, and parents.

A high ranking in Overall Experience generally indicates that:

— Students are very happy with their experiences in all aspects including academics, teachers, health, safety, resources, facilities, extracurriculars, sports, and fitness;
— The school is an exceptional academic institution in terms of teachers, students, resources for learning, and student outcomes;
— The school is made up of a diverse population and fosters an accepting, positive school culture;
— Students are actively involved in a variety of extracurriculars and sports the school offers.

You can check out a more in-depth explanation of their methodology here.

So after crunching the numbers, what did Niche find out about Alabama’s private schools? The top 20 private schools in Alabama can be found below, and the complete and more detailed rankings can be found here.

1. Indian Springs School (Indian Springs Village, Ala.)
2. Randolph School (Huntsville, Ala.)
3. Tuscaloosa Academy (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
4. The Donoho School (Anniston, Ala.)
5. Bayside Academy (Daphne, Ala.)
6. St. Paul’s Episcopal School (Mobile, Ala.)
7. St. James School (Montgomery, Ala.)
8. Bessemer Academy (Bessemer, Ala.)
9. Montgomery Academy (Montgomery, Ala.)
10. UMS-Wright Preparatory School (Mobile, Ala.)
11. Holy Spirit Catholic Regional School (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
12. Shades Mountain Christian School (Hoover, Ala.)
13. Trinity Presbyterian School (Montgomery, Ala.)
14. Briarwood Christian High School (Birmingham, Ala.)
15. St John Paul II Catholic High School (Huntsville, Ala.)
16. Jefferson Christian Academy (Irondale, Ala.)
17. Parkway Christian Academy (Birmingham, Ala.) (no longer operating)
18. Mountain View Baptist School (Grayson Valley, Ala.)
19. Westminster School at Oak Mountain (Meadowbrook, Ala.)
20. Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School (Montgomery, Ala.)