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Best private high schools in Alabama

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 Alabama 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. St. Luke’s Episcopal School (Mobile)
– Enrollment: 620 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

#24. Providence Classical School (Huntsville)
– Enrollment: 171 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

#23. Shoals Christian School (Florence)
– Enrollment: 254 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

#22. Whitesburg Christian Academy (Huntsville)
– Enrollment: 742 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

#21. Springwood School (Lanett)
– Enrollment: 250 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

#20. Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School – Anniston (Anniston)
– Enrollment: 121 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

#19. John Carroll Catholic High School (Birmingham)
– Enrollment: 588 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

#18. Madison Baptist Academy (Madison)
– Enrollment: 59 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

#17. Briarwood Christian School (Birmingham)
– Enrollment: 1850 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

#16. Houston Academy (Dothan)
– Enrollment: 714 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

#15. Westminster Christian Academy (Huntsville)
– Enrollment: 725 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

#14. Trinity Presbyterian School (Montgomery)
– Enrollment: 607 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

#13. The Donoho School (Anniston)
– Enrollment: 350 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

#12. The Westminster School at Oak Mountain (Birmingham)
– Enrollment: 563 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

#11. Tuscaloosa Academy (Tuscaloosa)
– Enrollment: 440 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

#10. Bayside Academy (Daphne)
– Enrollment: 711 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

#9. St. Bernard Preparatory School (Cullman)
– Enrollment: 212 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#8. Saint James School (Montgomery)
– Enrollment: 882 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#7. UMS-Wright Preparatory School (Mobile)
– Enrollment: 1150 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#6. St. Paul’s Episcopal School (Mobile)
– Enrollment: 1198 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#5. St. John Paul II Catholic High School (Huntsville)
– Enrollment: 334 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#4. The Montgomery Academy (Montgomery)
– Enrollment: 805 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#3. Randolph School (Huntsville)
– Enrollment: 920 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#2. The Altamont School (Birmingham)
– Enrollment: 365 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#1. Indian Springs School (Indian Springs)
– Enrollment: 321 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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