2023 Best Private Schools in the Seattle Area

• Seattle, WA•

• Private School•

• 5-12

• •
  Rating 4.43 out of 5  105 reviews

Senior: The education was amazing, and the teachers really care about each student's individual progress. There are so many opportunities to explore what you're interested in! Our electives are in-depth and curiosity-nourishing, and are taught by very qualified teachers who are clearly passionate about what they do. There are a million clubs (and ways to create your own club), plenty of sports, and an overall abundance of ways to make lifelong friends. Independent and self-driven students can really thrive here. The only thing I was not a fan of was the college counseling experience around financial aid specifically. I had to figure out how to manage the FAFSA and CSS profiles on my own, and I wish I had had more help picking out affordable schools.... Read 105 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 838

• Student-teacher ratio 9:1

• Redmond, WA•

• Private School•

• 5-12

• •
  Rating 4.36 out of 5  92 reviews

Freshman: It is an amazing experience to go to Overlake! Coming in as a new student, it was amazing how inclusive the students and faculty are. The teachers hold office hours and really want you to succeed. They even write extensive recommendations for outside school projects and applications. The teachers are honestly amazing and the coursework is challenging. For more advanced student they offer Honors and AP classes and the teachers will always push you regardless. The student body is amazing and since the campus is large you meet people from multiple different grades. A wide range of electives, clubs and hangout spots make the Overlake experience one to remember.... Read 92 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 529

• Student-teacher ratio 6:1

• Kirkland, WA•

• Private School•

• 5-12

• •
  Rating 4.52 out of 5  21 reviews

Parent: The teachers really care about each student's individual progress. The education is amazing, and there are so many opportunities to explore what are students interested in. They are taught by very qualified teachers who are clearly passionate about what they do. There are a lot of clubs ,plenty of sports you can try. Independent and self-driven students can really thrive here.my daughter loves and enjoy EPS.... Read 21 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 428

• Student-teacher ratio 8:1

• Seattle, WA•

• Private School•

• 6-12

• •
  Rating 4.22 out of 5  69 reviews

Parent: UPrep has been such a great place for our family. Our sons began in 6th grade and while they are very different students, they each found great friends and lots of ways to engage and learn at UPrep. UPrep’s fantastic teachers have created a culture where kids feel free to experiment with new things. Academics are both rigorous and collaborative so it feels really positive rather than overly competitive. The school embraces cutting edge curriculum like their intensives program where kids spend 3 weeks focusing completely on one area of study. The athletics program has an inclusive no-cut policy. The parent/guardian community is welcoming and we have enjoyed volunteering and making lots of lasting friendships. Finally, the outstanding college counseling office expertly guided our son successfully through the college search process! So clearly we love UPrep and highly recommend it!... Read 69 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 628

• Student-teacher ratio 7:1

• Seattle, WA•

• Private School•

• 6-12

• •
  Rating 4.19 out of 5  109 reviews

Junior: I am a junior at SAAS and I love it. I have been at SAAS since middle school. The amazing science and arts electives are something that is unique to here. I can take neuroscience right after ceramics right after psychology if I want! Theater and visual arts are particularly strong. All academic classes have different levels to them so that each student can choose how much they would like to challenge themselves. The most challenging classes are American Studies (joint Honors English/Honors History) and Advanced Chemistry. The teachers are great and have diverse teaching styles, so there's always someone who teaches the way you learn. While SAAS has excellent sports teams (soccer, volleyball, golf, and ultimate frisbee are the strongest), the school doesn't revolve around sports like a traditional high school. The college prep is amazing, they have answered all of my questions incredibly well and I have total faith in them going into college applications. I've enjoyed my time at SAAS!... Read 109 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 1,115

• Student-teacher ratio 4:1

• Tacoma, WA•

• Private School•

• PK, K-12

• •
  Rating 4.37 out of 5  113 reviews

Senior: Annie Wright has been such an amazing institution to study at for my high school career. As a full IB Diploma student, I found the courses challenging, thought-provoking, and fascinating! The small community and class sizes are very beneficial to creating the best learning environment. Additionally, community events and traditions build long-lasting connections and memories that you can carry with you through life. Lastly, as a 5-day boarding student, I can confidently say that the dorms added so much to my high school experience, being able to live with your friends across the grade levels.... Read 113 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 749

• Student-teacher ratio 8:1

• Seattle, WA•

• Private School•

• K-12

• •
  Rating 3.83 out of 5  81 reviews

Senior: Bush feels like a small liberal arts college in Seattle. And the academics feel like college too! Round table discussions, experience project learning, high teacher to student ratio.... Read 81 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 629

• Student-teacher ratio 8:1

• Tacoma, WA•

• Private School•

• PK, K-12

• •
  Rating 4.34 out of 5  92 reviews

Parent: My two children have very different learning styles and needs and they are both challenged, supported, and thriving at Charles Wright. We are grateful for the school's commitment to caring for students and families and faculty who care deeply for their students. Charles Wright stands by and infuses the school's values of integrity, compassion, excellence, respect, and perseverance into the daily life and it is reflected in the school's culture. My children started in Lower School and I now have one in Middle School and one in Lower School and their experience has been transformational. We will stay through grade 12 and look forward to their educational journey ahead!... Read 92 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 557

• Student-teacher ratio 7:1

• Seattle, WA•

• Private School•

• 6-12

• •
  Rating 4.35 out of 5  68 reviews

Parent: Our youngest child is in the 4th year at NWS. Our oldest child is in a different school (senior) and that school has a very high rank with this site. The ranking is only as relevant as your child and family fit. NWS has a strong social justice and sustainability focus, integrated with a thoughtful curriculum. One distinction is their Humanities program. The curriculum integrates language arts, social studies, and geography in Middle School and history, English, philosophy, art history, and literature in Upper School. I did not realize the full meaning of the benefits until I was in a debate with my student with a very integrative argument! The real world is integrative, so why not educate our students that way. The teachers and administrators are passionate about building a whole child and cultivating a caring school culture. When a significant event happens in the real world, the teachers allow time for reflection. I love how they teaches through the child's eyes.... Read 68 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 452

• Student-teacher ratio 7:1

• Bellevue, WA•

• Private School•

• 5-12

• •
  Rating 3.53 out of 5  62 reviews

Parent: My daughter has thrived in the middle school at Forest Ridge. Her teachers care deeply not only about her academic development and achievement, but also about her as a person. You won't find a team of teachers and administrators who are more caring and who know how girls learn and operate, especially during the difficult middle school years. While no one wants to be doing digital learning, this school was able to pivot seamlessly during this pandemic, and we have been beyond thrilled with level of academics that have continued at home, which is a testament to the wonderful teachers.... Read 62 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 300

• Student-teacher ratio 5:1

• Redmond, WA•

• Private School•

• PK, K-12

• •
  Rating 3.96 out of 5  81 reviews

Parent: This school has provided our three children an incredible foundation since preschool. Our children are now in 5th, 3rd and 1st grade and have developed a love for learning in all aspects of the curriculum. The community is incredibly special and the administration and faculty deeply cares for students and it show each & every day. Navigating school through this covid era is not easy, but the school has done an incredible job to continue the mission, education and social and emotional needs of students. Highly recommend!... Read 81 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 908

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Seattle, WA•

• Private School•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.96 out of 5  101 reviews

Senior: Seattle Prep is a great place with a tight-knit community. For the most part, the teachers are committed to helping you succeed, and there are some truly amazing students and teachers. However, the Prep administration tends to not listen to concerns of their students. This is mostly NOT TRUE of individual teachers, but it is especially true of the administration. Also, they boast of diversity, yet aren’t diverse at all and don’t seem inclined to do anything to change that. Personally, I enjoyed my experience here, but there are definitely problems that need to be fixed.... Read 101 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 720

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• Mercer Island, WA•

• Private School•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 4.05 out of 5  19 reviews

Parent: NYHS has been a great choice for our son. We love the small class size, which enables each student to receive the full attention of every teacher. The teachers are excellent and the course offerings are challenging and adaptive to the interests of the students and faculty. In a small school, teachers are able to request and read multiple drafts of every essay, fostering the development of high level writing skills. The teachers make themselves available during lunch or after school, ensuring that students with questions are able to have them answered in a timely manner. The campus itself feels like comfortable home, with beautiful and inviting spaces both indoors and out, and even space to garden and raise chickens and bees! The school is deeply invested in college prep, and is highly interactive with parents in supporting the application process. We could not be more pleased with the education our son is receiving, both the Judaics and the general education components, at NYHS.... Read 19 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 53

• Student-teacher ratio 2:1

• Seattle, WA•

• Private School•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 4.21 out of 5  260 reviews

Parent: My daughter grew from a fourth grader wanting to attend Holy Names Academy because its building looked like Hogwarts, to a rising ninth grader wanting to attend for the all-girls academic excellence, to now a high school senior with a nuanced understanding of an all-girls high school experience. Her confidence and sense of self as a young woman has grown impressively. The faculty and staff transitioned to 100% online during the pandemic without skipping a beat, and bent over backwards to accommodate the students during the many months of online school. Our experience has been wonderful!... Read 260 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 570

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Sammamish, WA•

• Private School•

• 6-12

• •
  Rating 3.87 out of 5  139 reviews

Freshman: Eastside Catholic is a very welcoming school. I found the teachers very helpful, funny and kind. I understood concepts well and I enjoyed every day at school! The course selection is amazing and includes an array of subjects. I like the college readiness classes such as the UWHS classes. I found many classmates who were sweet and accepting of everyone. I liked Health class as it taught us many helpful strategies to tackle addiction, mental health, and improve overall wellbeing. I liked the fact that there were posters in the bathroom and on the walls which gave students information about mental health and how to seek help. I love school assemblies because they are filled with school spirit and fun games. I greatly appreciate the service opportunities given by Eastside Catholic because it really helps me find volunteer activities that I enjoy and love doing. I also appreciate how easy it is to talk to counselors and the staff at Student Services for whatever questions I might have.... Read 139 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 865

• Student-teacher ratio 11:1

• Seattle, WA•

• Private School•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.89 out of 5  211 reviews

Junior: As a rising junior, I've had my fair share of experiences and change within my high school. Bishop Blanchet was very adaptive with the online learning system during my first year and prepared me for my sophomore year. Since I've been back in person, I've gotten the chance to participate in more clubs and extracurriculars ranging from the arts to academic clubs. As a college preparatory school, I would rank Bishop Blanchet's curriculum fairly high because of the courses offered and the teachers there. However, Blanchet is missing one key factor, the opportunity of enrolling in running start or any other dual enrollment program. A change I would like to see at Bishop Blanchet is a change in their diversity and inclusivity strategies. Although this school focuses heavily on advertising its community as diverse and accepting, the ways in which implement these ideas aren't always effective.... Read 211 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 854

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• Tacoma, WA•

• Private School•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 4.14 out of 5  205 reviews

Senior: Bellarmine has given me many opportunities I otherwise wouldn't have had at any other school. Despite this, I'm not certain it has been worth the cost. Bellarmine's course catalog is decent, with a fair selection of AP and honors classes. Some important courses are missing, like AP Bio and AP Euro, but altogether a decent selection. Its true strength lies in its co-curricular programs: Model UN, Robotics, and Marine Chemistry. Model UN and Robotics can be had at other schools, but Marine Chem is unique to Bellarmine. The opportunity it provides for high schoolers to get involved in real research is unparalleled, and has opened so many doors for me. Bellarmine's Junior Encounter is fantastic and actually changed my life. Go on Encounter! One more thing: the teachers are a mixed bag. I've had some fantastic teachers during my time here, especially in the English and History departments and others who are either lazy or downright cruel, though COVID was likely the cause of this.... Read 205 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 897

• Student-teacher ratio 18:1

• Poulsbo, WA•

• Private School•

• 6-12

• •
  Rating 4.53 out of 5  17 reviews

Parent: Amazing before, during, and coming out of covid. This school knows how to talk the talk by leading with their hearts and heads and adapting to lead, not follow, excellence in education standards. This year has been off to a great start. West Sound is as magical in person as it has been remote. I have faith that West Sound will continue to lead and bring us back to a new normal. I would highly recommend considering West Sound. Academy. Our experience continues to exceed expectations.... Read 17 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 85

• Student-teacher ratio 8:1

• Clyde Hill, WA•

• Private School•

• PK, K-12

• •
  Rating 4.21 out of 5  73 reviews

Parent: We never dreamed our 3 kids (1st, 5th and 7th grades) would attend private school, but Covid quickly changed that, so we decided to look into it more. I would encourage others to do the same. You never know until you get all the details and take a tour what is possible. What do you have to lose? Now our eyes are opened to a new world that fits our family so well! We were fitting in less and less in the changing public school culture and academics, at BCS our family feels at home, equipped and cared for. It feels natural. Our kids are noticed, loved and guided by quality staff and teachers. They found friends quickly and now have less social anxiety and more focus. They keep asking if they can stay, and of course, our answer is YES!... Read 73 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,050

• Student-teacher ratio 11:1

• Seattle, WA•

• Private School•

• PK, K-12

• •
  Rating 3.73 out of 5  22 reviews

Senior: Seattle Waldorf high school is very community-oriented. The teachers become your mentors and aren't just there for the job. Because we are a small school, classes become tight-knit units where peers rely on each other. Throughout my 16 years attending Seattle Waldorf school, I have learned that community is vital to a good education. I am comfortable with all of my peers and have made deep connections with people I might not have outside of school. The material we learn grows with us. For example, we started reading in third grade because that was when our brains were ready to learn how to read. My Waldorf experience has made me who I am today. Because our school is small, I am working on diversifying our school starting with the curriculum as president of the DEI club. I love my SWS community and will be sad to leave it when I graduate.... Read 22 reviews

• grade A

• Students 318

• Student-teacher ratio 7:1

• Bellevue, WA•

• Private School•

• 5-12

• •
  Rating 4.55 out of 5  44 reviews

Parent: My daughter joined Hillside as a 6th grader and is now in her senior year. She has developed critical thinking skills, writing skills, and the ability to work on projects. Through her time here, she has made many mistakes, corrected course, and has been gently guided, mentored, and coached by the excellent teachers at hillside. I am so thankful we chose this school!... Read 44 reviews

• grade A

• Students 39

• Student-teacher ratio 4:1

• Seattle, WA•

• Private School•

• PK, K-12

• •
  Rating 3.89 out of 5  149 reviews

Alum: The thing I relished the most about this school was the loving community. Back in public school I dreaded attending each day. I strongly felt like nobody cared about me. But when I transferred to this private Christian school it was like a whole new world! Right from the start everyone was so welcoming and nice. It was something special to attend class and be taught by teachers who you could clearly tell cared about their students. Subjects that I used to find difficult were made easier thanks to those very teachers. I was also able to overcome a lot of the anxiety I'd developed back in public school thanks to the kindness I was met with. I surprised myself by participating in theater, various clubs, and tons of other activities that I in any other setting would never have taken part in. I can confidently say that the only reason why I'm a Christian today is because that school not only taught me about the love of God but made me FEEL it too. Attending Kings changed me for the better.... Read 149 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,346

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1

• Everett, WA•

• Private School•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 4.11 out of 5  94 reviews

Senior: My time at Archbishop Murphy High School was absolutely amazing! I met some of the best teachers and administrators here. When I first stepped onto AMHS's campus, I felt like I was home. The environment is very welcoming; you will never feel like an outsider. Class sizes are small and perfect. The resources I had at my hands were great. If I did not have the Academic Resource Center, I would have felt lost. They truly helped me feel more confident in myself that I could achieve my goals. I will never forget the experience I had at Archbishop Murphy High School.... Read 94 reviews

• grade A

• Students 432

• Student-teacher ratio 10:1

• Seattle, WA•

• Private School•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 4.03 out of 5  89 reviews

Parent: O'Dea has been a great experience for my son. My son rows crew so he did not participate with the school's team since he is with a private rowng club. The boys are very congenial with each other and strive to be inclusive whether or not you are a school athlete because the school is a brotherhood. They have a house system (like Harry Potter) that reinforces these bonds. The teachers have been amazing and supportive and also stress character development. If your son has learning challenges the school goes above and beyond providing academic support with a whole department focused on student support for individual learning challenges. The school is oustanding in integrating technology with learning and when distance learning happened due to the pandemic the education was SEAMLESS, the technology and training were already in place. It is a great school and very happy that my son's high school experience was so positive.... Read 89 reviews

• grade A

• Students 490

• Student-teacher ratio 18:1

• Burien, WA•

• Private School•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.97 out of 5  172 reviews

Parent: In recent years, Kennedy has had their “rip off the bandaid” moment. It was inevitable, nothing thrives in a vacuum. It would have been easiest for the school to just reapply another bandaid, put on a positive facade and push everyone forward while praying that cancel culture will soon forget about all of the long standing fractures that run deep and wide. However, the school still sits vulnerably with it’s wounds exposed, allowing time for effective healing. New administration is fully aware of the current conditions at Kennedy, yet they believe that with patience, perseverance, compassion and time, Kennedy will someday become the amazing school that it is destined to be - where educating an adolescent involves more than textbooks and tests; it’s a place where diversity, equity and inclusion are valued and a part of making the student’s high school experience a success.... Read 172 reviews

• grade A

• Students 804

• Student-teacher ratio 10:1