Top private schools near Washington, DC: 5 ranked lists
There is no single best school. These lists rank schools near Washington on measures parents ask about, from federal data, the state’s official OSP list and tuition we verified on each school’s own website.
We looked at the 56 private schools in Washington or within 6 miles of downtown. Each list below uses one measure, says where it comes from and shows the top 10. A school can rank high on one measure and not appear on another, so read the lists together. We leave out any list with fewer than 5 qualifying schools, and no school can pay to appear or move up.
- Most graduates going on to a 4-year college (20 ranked)
- Smallest classes: fewest students per teacher (37 ranked)
- Largest schools (44 ranked)
- On the official OSP list (31 ranked)
- Lowest published tuition (6 ranked)
Most graduates going on to a 4-year college
Share of each high school’s graduates who went on to a 4-year college, as the school reported it. Only the 20 high schools that reported a figure are ranked; schools that did not report are left out, not ranked last. 10 reported 100%, so ties are listed by enrollment, largest first.
| # | School | Graduates to a 4-year college | Grades | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sidwell Friends School | 100% | PreK-12 | 4 mi |
| 2 | National Cathedral School | 100% | 4-12 | 4 mi |
| 3 | Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School | 100% | 9-12 | 3 mi |
| 4 | Archbishop Carroll High School | 100% | 9-12 | 3 mi |
| 5 | The Field School | 100% | 6-12 | 4 mi |
| 6 | Edmund Burke School | 100% | 6-12 | 4 mi |
| 7 | St. Jerome Institute | 100% | 9-12 | 3 mi |
| 8 | Mysa School | 100% | K-12 | 2 mi |
| 9 | Muhammad University of Islam | 100% | 1-12 | 4 mi |
| 10 | Living Word Christian School | 100% | 3-12 | 3 mi |
Source: 2023-24 federal Private School Universe survey (as each school reported it). Showing 10 of 20 ranked schools.
Smallest classes: fewest students per teacher
Students per full-time-equivalent teacher, lowest first, among the 37 schools with at least 50 students (so very small schools do not fill the list). This ratio is the closest measure of class size in the federal data; actual class sizes can be larger.
| # | School | Students per teacher | Grades | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Capitol Hill Day School | 4 students per teacher | PreK-8 | 2 mi |
| 2 | Lowell School | 4.2 students per teacher | PreK-8 | 6 mi |
| 3 | The School for Ethics and Global Leadership | 5.2 students per teacher | 11-12 | 1 mi |
| 4 | River School | 5.4 students per teacher | PreK-5 | 4 mi |
| 5 | Parkmont School | 5.6 students per teacher | 6-12 | 3 mi |
| 6 | St. Anselm's Abbey School | 6.2 students per teacher | 6-12 | 3 mi |
| 7 | St. Anthony Catholic School | 6.2 students per teacher | K-8 | 2 mi |
| 8 | Annunciation Catholic School | 6.3 students per teacher | PreK-8 | 4 mi |
| 9 | The Field School | 6.6 students per teacher | 6-12 | 4 mi |
| 10 | St. Peter School | 6.6 students per teacher | PreK-8 | 2 mi |
Source: 2023-24 federal Private School Universe survey. Showing 10 of 37 ranked schools.
Largest schools
Kindergarten to grade 12 enrollment each school reported, largest first. Pre-K children are not counted in the federal figure.
| # | School | Students (K-12) | Grades | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Johns College High School | 1,794 students | 9-12 | 5 mi |
| 2 | Caroline Education Community International Psa | 1,390 students | PreK-12 | 1 mi |
| 3 | Sidwell Friends School | 1,129 students | PreK-12 | 4 mi |
| 4 | Washington International School | 846 students | PreK-12 | 3 mi |
| 5 | National Cathedral School | 597 students | 4-12 | 4 mi |
| 6 | Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School | 512 students | 9-12 | 3 mi |
| 7 | Blessed Sacrament School | 502 students | K-8 | 5 mi |
| 8 | Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School of the Nation's | 449 students | PreK-8 | 4 mi |
| 9 | St. Patrick's Episcopal Day School | 424 students | PreK-8 | 4 mi |
| 10 | Archbishop Carroll High School | 384 students | 9-12 | 3 mi |
Source: 2023-24 federal Private School Universe survey. Showing 10 of 44 ranked schools.
On the official OSP list
31 schools within 6 miles are on the list the state publishes; these are the 10 closest to downtown Washington. Schools whose list entry covers only pre-K or kindergarten are left out here. Being on the list means the program can pay this school; it says nothing about quality.
| # | School | Distance from downtown | Grades |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gonzaga College High School | under 1 mi | not reported |
| 2 | Howard University Early Learning Program | 1 mi | not reported |
| 3 | St. Augustine Catholic School | 1 mi | PreK-8 |
| 4 | St. Peter School | 2 mi | PreK-8 |
| 5 | Templeton Academy | 2 mi | 6-12 |
| 6 | Sacred Heart School | 2 mi | PreK-8 |
| 7 | St. Anthony Catholic School | 2 mi | K-8 |
| 8 | Black Student Fund (BSF) | 2 mi | not reported |
| 9 | Archbishop Carroll High School | 3 mi | 9-12 |
| 10 | Aidan Montessori School | 3 mi | PreK-6 |
Source: the state’s official OSP list (dated September 2026). Showing 10 of 31 ranked schools.
Lowest published tuition
We have a verified tuition figure for 6 of the 56 schools near Washington, so a school missing here may cost less. Ranked by the cheapest grade band each school publishes; required fees can be extra.
| # | School | Published yearly tuition | Grades | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Archbishop Carroll High School | $19,644, 2026-27 | 9-12 | 3 mi |
| 2 | St. Johns College High School | $29,950, 2026-27 | 9-12 | 5 mi |
| 3 | Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School | $40,750, 2026-27 | 9-12 | 3 mi |
| 4 | St. Patrick's Episcopal Day School | $45,420 to $49,980 (lowest: K-5), 2026-27 | PreK-8 | 4 mi |
| 5 | Washington International School | $47,430 to $56,820 (lowest: K-5), 2026-27 | PreK-12 | 3 mi |
| 6 | Sidwell Friends School | $55,250, 2026-27 | PreK-12 | 4 mi |
Source: each school’s own website, checked by ChoiceFunded.
Questions parents ask
Which is the best private school in Washington?
There is no single best school, and we do not rank schools by opinion or reviews. The right school depends on your child, your faith, your budget and your commute. The lists on this page rank the 56 private schools within 6 miles of Washington on measures parents ask about, each with its source, so you can build a short list and then visit.
Which Washington private high schools send the most graduates to a 4-year college?
10 of the 20 high schools near Washington that reported a figure said 100% of their graduates went on to a 4-year college, among them Sidwell Friends School, National Cathedral School and Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School (2023-24 federal Private School Universe survey). The list on this page shows them largest first.
Can a school pay to appear on these lists or move up?
No. Every list is sorted by the measure it names, and the source is printed under each list. Sponsored boxes elsewhere on the site are labelled and never change these lists.
Where do the figures come from?
Enrollment, students per teacher and college-going come from the 2023-24 Private School Universe survey by the National Center for Education Statistics, as each school reported them. The OSP list is the one the state publishes (dated September 2026). Tuition figures were read on each school’s own website, and the school’s page links the source.