Top private schools near Saint Louis, MO: 4 ranked lists
There is no single best school. These lists rank schools near Saint Louis on measures parents ask about, from federal data and tuition we verified on each school’s own website.
We looked at the 95 private schools in Saint Louis 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 (32 ranked)
- Smallest classes: fewest students per teacher (74 ranked)
- Largest schools (91 ranked)
- Lowest published tuition (17 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 32 high schools that reported a figure are ranked; schools that did not report are left out, not ranked last. 14 reported 100%, so ties are listed by enrollment, largest first.
| # | School | Graduates to a 4-year college | Grades | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MICDS | 100% | PreK-12 | 8 mi |
| 2 | St. Joseph's Academy | 100% | 9-12 | 9 mi |
| 3 | Visitation Academy | 100% | PreK-12 | 11 mi |
| 4 | Cor Jesu Academy | 100% | 9-12 | 8 mi |
| 5 | Villa Duchesne Upper and Lower School | 100% | PreK-12 | 9 mi |
| 6 | Villa Duchesne School | 100% | PreK-12 | 9 mi |
| 7 | Cardinal Ritter College Prep High School | 100% | 9-12 | under 1 mi |
| 8 | St. Louis Priory School | 100% | 7-12 | 13 mi |
| 9 | Incarnate Word Academy | 100% | 9-12 | 6 mi |
| 10 | Providence Academy | 100% | PreK-12 | 10 mi |
Source: 2023-24 federal Private School Universe survey (as each school reported it). Showing 10 of 32 ranked schools.
Smallest classes: fewest students per teacher
Students per full-time-equivalent teacher, lowest first, among the 74 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 | The St. Michael School of Clayton | 3.2 students per teacher | PreK-8 | 3 mi |
| 2 | Rohan Woods School | 3.4 students per teacher | PreK-6 | 8 mi |
| 3 | Torah Prep School of St. Louis | 3.5 students per teacher | PreK-8 | 6 mi |
| 4 | H.F. Epstein Hebrew Academy | 3.5 students per teacher | PreK-12 | 7 mi |
| 5 | Villa Duchesne School | 3.8 students per teacher | PreK-12 | 9 mi |
| 6 | Thomas Jefferson School | 4 students per teacher | 7-12 | 10 mi |
| 7 | The Waldorf School of St. Louis | 4 students per teacher | PreK-8 | 6 mi |
| 8 | City Academy | 5.4 students per teacher | PreK-6 | 3 mi |
| 9 | Saul Mirowitz Jewish Community School | 5.7 students per teacher | K-8 | 13 mi |
| 10 | Crossroads College Preparatory School | 6.3 students per teacher | 7-12 | 2 mi |
Source: 2023-24 federal Private School Universe survey. Showing 10 of 74 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 | Greenways Academy | 3,015 students | 1-12 | 5 mi |
| 2 | MICDS | 1,220 students | PreK-12 | 8 mi |
| 3 | St. Louis University High School | 1,036 students | 9-12 | 1 mi |
| 4 | Chaminade College Preparatory School | 872 students | 6-12 | 9 mi |
| 5 | St. Joseph's Academy | 587 students | 9-12 | 9 mi |
| 6 | Visitation Academy | 555 students | PreK-12 | 11 mi |
| 7 | Lutheran High School South | 550 students | 9-12 | 8 mi |
| 8 | Cor Jesu Academy | 519 students | 9-12 | 8 mi |
| 9 | St. Catherine Laboure School | 482 students | K-8 | 10 mi |
| 10 | St. Gabriel the Archangel School | 475 students | K-8 | 4 mi |
Source: 2023-24 federal Private School Universe survey. Showing 10 of 91 ranked schools.
Lowest published tuition
We have a verified tuition figure for 17 of the 95 schools near Saint Louis, 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 | St. Margaret Mary Alacoque School | $5,900 (lowest: K-5), 2026-27 | PreK-8 | 11 mi |
| 2 | Victory Christian Academy | $7,000 to $9,000 (lowest: K-5), 2026-27 | K-12 | 13 mi |
| 3 | St. Margaret of Scotland School | $9,300 (lowest: K-5), 2026-27 | PreK-8 | 1 mi |
| 4 | Cardinal Ritter College Prep High School | $10,800, 2026-27 | 9-12 | under 1 mi |
| 5 | St. Mary's South Side Catholic High School | $13,500, 2027-28 | 9-12 | 4 mi |
| 6 | Principia School | $14,900 to $22,800 (lowest: K-5), 2026-27 | PreK-12 | 12 mi |
| 7 | Lutheran High School South | $18,250, 2026-27 | 9-12 | 8 mi |
| 8 | Ursuline Academy | $19,950, 2026-27 | 9-12 | 9 mi |
| 9 | Cor Jesu Academy | $21,725, 2026-27 | 9-12 | 8 mi |
| 10 | St. Joseph's Academy | $21,990, 2026-27 | 9-12 | 9 mi |
Source: each school’s own website, checked by ChoiceFunded. Showing 10 of 17 ranked schools.
Questions parents ask
Which is the best private school in Saint Louis?
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 95 private schools within 6 miles of Saint Louis on measures parents ask about, each with its source, so you can build a short list and then visit.
Which Saint Louis private high schools send the most graduates to a 4-year college?
14 of the 32 high schools near Saint Louis that reported a figure said 100% of their graduates went on to a 4-year college, among them MICDS, St. Joseph's Academy and Visitation Academy (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. Tuition figures were read on each school’s own website, and the school’s page links the source.