Explore the best schools in your area based on rigorous analysis of key statistics and millions of reviews from students and parents using data from the U.S. Department of Education. Read more on how this ranking was calculated.
Niche User: Andover truly is a special place! The opportunities for learning within the self are endless. I have adopted a true growth mindset at this community, learned from my peers, which represent youth from every quarter. This community is equitable, kind, generous, and truly incredible. My teachers believe in my potential to succeed. #SayYesToAndover #BigBlueNice #WelcomeHome #SmartWithHeartRead 65 Reviews
Senior: Exeter has been and will always be home for me. It was in many ways even more difficult academically than college as the grind never stopped: classes from early morning to 6pm, a lot of homework each night and difficult papers. But it was the one place where I learned for the sake of learning, and I never felt that I was wasting my time. Exeter changed me and I grew up so much in those four years. I learned how to live in a dorm and made incredible friends. Exeter pushed me academically through the best classes and the best teachers in the world to learn more and more everyday and the Harkness method really deepened my understanding of any subject as well as my excitement and love for the topics we were discussing. The campus is beautiful and the town has many nice places to eat such as a mexican place, a couple of sandwich places, a few higher-end restaurants as well.There is a big and beautiful forest in school grounds.Read 191 Reviews
Alum: St. Paul's was the best four years of my life. I will never again find a community like the one I had at SPS. My teachers were incredible role models and I still talk to them often. My peers challenged me, and it was a competitive environment, but not in a detrimental way; the competition simply pushed each of us to become the best student we possibly could be and taught us all how to work hard. The most notable thing I've found as a graduate of SPS is I can run into someone I hardly knew, and we connect like we are best friends. St. Paul's was truly an unforgettable experience.Read 53 Reviews
Parent: The academics of The Lawrenceville are among the best. The teachers are all qualified and have extensive experience from the best high schools and colleges. The school offers many college level courses covering a variety of topics.The student advisors, housemasters and subject teacher provide the students/parents feedbacks through the interim reports, end of semester reports besides of the grade. Most of the teachers are very proud of being the lifetime learners, and they are the role models to the students.I appreciate the efforts to make the campus even more beautiful through various construction projects.Read 101 Reviews
Junior: Choate Rosemary Hall is a really fun boarding school overall. It’s administration continues to build new facilities for students to explore, most recently St. John Hall. It’s been really useful for Clubs and leisure as well as studying. Sometimes, their facilities aren’t utilized very often, so it could be a bad return on investment. The safety is also a concern, since Choate is on a prominent crossroad in its town with a lot of traffic.Read 100 Reviews
Senior: I stayed at this school because of the academics, and I am so glad that I did. Every teacher here adores their subject. There are some teachers that aren't as good as others, but every teacher I've had here has at least loved their job. All teachers are free sometime between classes and encourage meeting. I got through Honors Precalculus by meeting with a teacher near every day.Many students are close with at least one teacher, and every teacher has a few students they are really close to. The focus seems to be in the STEM fields, but all classes are good (just not advertised as much). Students are diverse racially and economically (yes, not everyone is a rich kid here), but not so politically--it is very liberal. The academic rigor causes a great deal of stress and theres definite "stress competition". A lot of people don't sleep. Overall, the students are excited about their classes and there are definitely a lot of nerds.Read 78 Reviews
Senior: Bishop Ireton High School is a small Catholic high school in Alexandria, Virginia. The high school has great academics and many different types of extra curricular activities. The school greatly prepares students for college starting from freshman year all the way to senior year. Bishop Ireton is improving every year and plans to make some big renovations soon!Read 135 Reviews
Alum: There is too big of a divide between the different races when it comes to social life. Teachers should also be constantly reviewed by the students and made sure that they work to fix their biggest problems so that the teachers become better. While the rumors about certain teachers, such as the talk about how harshly Mr. Henry graded, when it was still around a few years ago or the relatively bad teaching quality of certain teachers, they should have been reviewed by the faculty and worked on so that the students get better education and learn to enjoy the classes that they take.Read 23 Reviews
Freshman: Harvard-Westlake truly changed my life. Since coming to H-W as a new seventh grader and still, I have had experiences impossible anywhere else. The competitive nature of the community pushes me to go further than I thought I could, and I have become interested in so many topics that I never thought I would be interested in. Due to the large class sizes, I have met and made so many friends with similar interests as I have, and many with different interests that opened me to even more experiences. If you are considering applying, there is definitely something for you here, and you will not regret your decision!Read 111 Reviews
Senior: Academically speaking, Horace Mann offers a lot to each student. The courses are challenging and really help develop your thinking skills, rather than just memorizing a bunch of facts to get good grades. Teachers here really care about what you write - they rarely, if ever, just slap a grade on. Good grades are earned solely through showing the teacher your thought process. There are a plethora of clubs and it's super easy to start one if the school lacks an organization that you're interested in. However, I felt excluded a lot, as most of my peers were extremely wealthy and Jewish. I, coming from a middle-class background, struggled a lot with the reality of my situation and my friends who seemed to looked down on the poor.Read 102 Reviews
High School Senior: I love my school! One of the best things about the school is the community. The school tries to make freshmen feel as welcome as possible when they first start at school. Freshmen are assigned to a CAP group (Connections and Advisory Program) which consists of a faculty advisor, 8-9 other freshmen, and three senior mentors. During the summer, senior mentors write letters, call, and hang out with their freshmen, which helps the freshmen meet their fellow CAP group freshmen and seniors. Also, freshmen have orientation and Freshmen Retreat together before school starts with everyone else, so they really get to know the school and each other before the year begins. Even after freshmen year, everyone is so kind and inviting. I joined sports and dance and met a lot of upperclassmen and, as I got older, younger students, that have continued to be my friends even after they've graduated. I love the students' welcoming nature (I can pretty much have a conversation with anyone) and the overall nice feeling.Read 65 Reviews
Freshman: I've been attending Harker since kindergarten (I'm going to be a freshman), and I really love it! The academics are amazing, and the teachers are committed to educating and are full of knowledge. The athletics program is getting better and better every year. However, some problems I have are the dress code and the administration favoring those whose parents donate lots of money to the school. Overall, Harker is an amazing school and is worth the exorbitant tuition.Read 105 Reviews
Parent: Trinity has been an amazing experience for my daughter. She came in 9th grade from an all girls school (Brearley) and my daughter had the fortune of choosing between Trinity, Dalton, Horace Mann and Exeter. We were worried about the academic intensity but my daughter was well-prepared by her time at Brearley and thrived in an environment where students are constantly challenged and pushed to do their very best. She loves her classmates, and finds the school much more diverse than Brearley. Overall a great experience so far!Read 44 Reviews
Alum: Our 3 kids attended Nysmith from pre-K to 8th grade and it was the best decision of our lives! They never wanted to miss a day of school, because Nysmith knows how to make learning fun. Our kids went on to a great high school (TJ), that was perfect for their math/science/technology interests, and attended their #1 college choices. They were not only ready academically after Nysmith, but they were also happy and confident. The teachers, who are experts and passionate about the subjects they teach, treated the kids with kindness and respect, welcomed their questions, nurtured their curiosity, and helped my kids discover their gifts and abilities - sometimes before they even knew what they were. I highly recommend Nysmith. Or, better yet, don't listen to me...look at their website, see how their alums are doing, schedule a tour and a couple of student visit days for your child. See for yourselves what Nysmith is all about!Read 4 Reviews
Sophomore: Groton is a warm and welcoming place. I am only a tenth grader, but I am glad that I came here. Academics are TOP-NOTCH!Read 16 Reviews
Alum: Nobles is a special place rich with tradition, oozing with school pride, and steadfast in strong community principles. I feel so fortunate to have spent my high school life in such a place where I was accepted, encouraged and challenged all in perfect harmony. The teachers are happy to be there too--they are also encouraged to challenge themselves and develop as educators and that is clear in the way they immerse themselves in their curriculum and their afternoon program duties. I love nobles more than words can share--could not recommend it more!Read 26 Reviews
Senior: Sidwell Friends School has been an amazing place to foster my intellectual growth. Sidwell is a Quaker school and Quaker values (especially community and integrity) are very present within the school environment. Students are very involved in the school community and participate in various activities including club, plays, athletics, orchestra, chorus, and jazz. Teachers are always available to help and foster students that are sensible, compassionate and bright. At Sidwell I have been surrounded by students that genuinely care about whats going on the world around them, want to change the world, and are using their education to do so.Read 38 Reviews
Junior: There are so many opportunities at the school, that you can honestly do anything you want to pursue your passion. The teachers are always there for you, and are there to help you improve all the time. The academics are strong, and it's honestly so manageable. Poly does truly have a really competitive environment. Because the school is so small, you get to know everyone, and you realize the amount of competition that exists within every grade. Sometimes, you really just feel stupid in a class (I know I have). But I love this school so so much, and I have honestly met some of the best people in the whole world. Though it is competitive, everyone is welcoming, and once you feel a part of the Poly community, you feel like you can conquer the world. I am so happy I chose this school and don't regret my decision to come. GO POLY!Read 90 Reviews
Parent: Great challenging academic curriculum. Also they have the best college counseling staff I have ever seen!Read 35 Reviews
Parent: I like the curriculum, but the homework policies and practices need to be relaxed a bit. It is overwhelming and unreasonable to have 6 hrs of homework each night if they expect students to have balanced lives that include extracurricular, and social activities.....both of which are important to being well rounded individuals and responsible citizens in the school community and the communities in which we all live. The campus is absolutely beautiful. The art museum and science center are incredible resources that enrich the culture of the school and offer inspiration to the students. They offer a wide range of clubs, and sports for students to get involved with. They support and actively pursue diversity and inclusion.Read 198 Reviews
Alum: Overall, my experience at Winsor was overwhelmingly positive. Personally, I would like to see a change in the school’s response to mental health issues. The school’s biggest asset is its faculty. My teachers were passionate, engaging, and valued me as an intellectual and as a person; I feel that they genuinely wanted to see me succeed. Some of my classmates disliked their Winsor experience, but Winsor was undoubtedly the perfect fit for me. Although the work at Winsor can be overwhelming at times, it's worth it. Winsor taught me crucial skills, including critical thinking and time management, and cultivated my intellectual curiosity and my love of learning. Winsor prepared me well for college; I entered college leagues ahead of many of my college classmates. I feel very fortunate to have attended Winsor and am thankful for the opportunities the school has given to me.Read 53 Reviews
Alum: I am an alumni of Flintridge Prep, and I absolutely loved the experience! The community is wonderful- teachers are passionate about their respective fields and will definitely go out of their way to help their students. The students are all very supportive of one another, and despite the academic intensity of the school being pretty high, you never really feel like you're ever competing with anyone. One thing to keep in mind is that Flintridge Prep is mostly about academics. Students do have other non-academic interests such as sports or performing arts, and Prep certainly has extracurricular programs to meet these interests. However, if you are pretty proficient in an extracurricular activity and/or want to pursue it in college, you are better off looking outside of Prep for proper training in your field of interest.Read 85 Reviews
Alum: Westminster gave me the challenges, opportunities and support to become the person I am today. I'm getting my degree at my university but I got my education at Westminster. Now having the chance to compare my high school experience to that of my friends in college it is even more clear that Westminster is an incredibly special place. I have always loved to learn and I think at any other school that love might have diminished instead of being nurtured. I will always treasure my time there!Read 143 Reviews
Senior: Been here 13 years, amazing place, produces articulate and athletic boys who know it. Teachers are almost entirely college level professors with sophisticated appreciation of the material.Read 17 Reviews
Senior: Overall, Walter Payton College Prep is a high school with high academic motivation with both counselors and teachers that take great care to ensure that every student is prepared for their college careers. The ample amount of security and the fact that teachers are trained to respond to certain medical issues such as Diabetes and asthma attacks provide more evidence that students can feel safe and protected while at school. Payton is also ethnically diverse and classes include intense literary discussions, modern as well as interesting experiments in science, and complex mathematical classes that guarantee no student is left behind. Walter Payton College Prep truly defines an ideal College preparatory high school. Possible criticism would include the fact that the school holds only your average diversity of sports, there is sometimes a lack of both sanitation and paper towels in the washrooms, and the school pep rallies are a bit lacking.Read 304 Reviews
Alum: I was from a modest background when I was accepted then attended Hotchkiss. I immediately fit it and felt no judgment from other students or faculty. My horizons were broadened, my education was amazing, I found I could strive for goals I never thought possible from my background.I applied and was accepted to MIT and Standford. I was very well prepared relative to my peers.Many of my best friends and memories are from my days at Hotchkiss, even now, several years out of university. I could not have imagined myself at one of the larger boarding schools in the Northeast. Hotchkiss was a good size, where I knew almost everyone and they knew me. I was able to participate in any activity, such as theater, whereas other schools, it would have been a battle to get a bit part. I'm grateful every day for the opportunity that Hotchkiss presented me.Read 46 Reviews
Alum: Amazing and rigorous academics with dedicated teachers and extensive student body diversity. Going to ncp can be very stressful and competitive, but the experience has prepared me very well, and my counselour helped me plan out all sorts of backup plans senior year along with easing the application process. There is a safe space for anyone regardless of your interests, so many extracurricular activities! I feel very blessed and prepared. The rest of the world is certainly not as diverse as this school was, but it was great exposure as a young adult.Read 491 Reviews