America’s private high schools opened long before their public counterparts and even before the United States was first established. The Roman Catholic Church in the 1700s started private schools in Florida and Louisiana while in New York (a former Dutch colony called New Amsterdam), the Dutch West India Company and Dutch Reformed Church set up private schools that filled the void left by the colonies’ lack of an education system.
That changed in the 1840s when the U.S. instituted a uniform public school system. To stay relevant, private schools changed from marketing themselves as the only option to portraying their education as the “best” option. To this day, private high schools have positioned themselves as fast-tracks to admittance into elite universities. Faced with the rigorous demands of the highly competitive college admissions process and increased pressure over getting into the “right” school, parents (most often parents with means) often consider private schools for their children.
Stacker compiled a list of the best private high schools in Mississippi using rankings from Niche. Private schools have historically catered to America’s most elite, with exorbitant tuition and legacy admissions ensuring the socioeconomic exclusivity of student bodies. Scholarships, incremental transparency in the admissions process, and improved (albeit still imperfect and unequal) access to excellent early education for students of all backgrounds have allowed more low-income students and minorities today to take advantage of these schools. Still, white students continue to represent the vast majority of private-school students.
Read on to find out the best private high schools in your state.
#25. Cathedral School (Natchez)
– Enrollment: 666 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: B+
#24. Heritage Academy (Columbus)
– Enrollment: 481 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: B+
#23. Northstar Academy (Southaven)
– Enrollment: 1726 (38:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: B+
#22. Brookhaven Academy Educational Foundation (Brookhaven)
– Enrollment: 428 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: B+
#21. Clinton Christian Academy (Clinton)
– Enrollment: 280 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: B+
#20. Grace Christian School (Louisville)
– Enrollment: 135 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-
#19. Presbyterian Christian School (Hattiesburg)
– Enrollment: 945 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-
#18. Vicksburg Catholic School (Vicksburg)
– Enrollment: 263 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-
#17. Magnolia Heights School (Senatobia)
– Enrollment: 628 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-
#16. Russell Christian Academy (Meridian)
– Enrollment: 460 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-
#15. Lee Academy (Clarksdale)
– Enrollment: 317 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-
#14. Our Lady Academy (Bay St Louis)
– Enrollment: 227 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-
#13. Mt. Salus Christian School (Clinton)
– Enrollment: 129 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-
#12. Trinity Episcopal Day School (Natchez)
– Enrollment: 125 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-
#11. Madison-Ridgeland Academy (Madison)
– Enrollment: 1310 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-
#10. Northpoint Christian School (Southaven)
– Enrollment: 960 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-
#9. Sacred Heart Catholic School (Hattiesburg)
– Enrollment: 741 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A-
#8. St. Patrick Catholic High School (Biloxi)
– Enrollment: 539 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A
#7. Tupelo Christian Preparatory School (Belden)
– Enrollment: 561 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A
#6. St. Joseph Catholic School (Madison)
– Enrollment: 400 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A
#5. Lamar School (Meridian)
– Enrollment: 571 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A
#4. Saint Stanislaus High School (Bay St. Louis)
– Enrollment: 308 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A
#3. Jackson Academy (Jackson)
– Enrollment: 1200 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A
#2. Jackson Preparatory School (Flowood)
– Enrollment: 837 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A
#1. St. Andrew’s Episcopal School (Ridgeland)
– Enrollment: 1059 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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