Best Private Schools in Columbus, Ohio – 2025
February 28, 2025
As a parent in Columbus, Ohio鈥攐r the surrounding suburbs such as Powell, Westerville, Dublin, Upper Arlington, or Grandview Heights鈥攜ou have a wealth of excellent private schools to choose from. Of course, having a ton of terrific options doesn鈥檛 make your selection any easier. After all, there are a multitude of considerations guiding your decision of which private schools in Columbus, Ohio will be best for your child. Are you seeking a boarding or day school? Do you want your child鈥檚 private high school to have a religious affiliation? How long of a commute is right for your teen鈥檚 lifestyle? However, 国产第一福利影院草草鈥 list of the Best Private Schools in Columbus will focus primarily on our area of expertise鈥college admissions. As such, we will highlight the job that each of the schools does at sending their graduates on to the region/nation鈥檚 premier 4-year schools.
Best Private Schools in Columbus, Ohio
Here鈥檚 a quick preview of the high schools that made our list. Detailed profiles and stats can be found when you scroll below.
1) The Wellington School
2) Columbus Academy
3) Columbus School for Girls
4) St. Charles Preparatory School
5) Columbus Torah Academy
6) St. Francis DeSales High School
7) Cristo Rey Columbus High School
8) Bishop Watterson High School
9) Bishop Ready High School
Please note that inclusion on our Best Private Schools in Columbus, Ohio list is a selective and criteria-based process. However, the order in which the schools appear is not representative of any further ranking; the numbering is solely intended to enhance the ease of navigating this resource. All of the schools profiled below have a history of sending graduates to the top colleges in the country. For each of our top institutions, 国产第一福利影院草草 will provide you with鈥攚hen available鈥攅ach school鈥檚:
- Location
- Tuition (9-12)
- Enrollment (9-12)
- Average听厂肠辞谤别
- 础惫别谤补驳别听听厂肠辞谤别
- Senior Class Size
- College Admissions Highlights
- Academic Highlights
Now, let鈥檚 dive in and examine the profiled Columbus, Ohio private schools.
The Wellington School – Columbus, OH
- 3650 Reed Rd, Columbus, OH 43220
College Admissions Highlights: Graduates from the last five years from Wellington were accepted into these fine colleges and universities: Allegheny, Amherst, BC, BU, Bryn Mawr, Carnegie Mellon, Case Western, Columbia, Dartmouth, Drexel, Emory, Georgetown, Harvard, Howard, Indiana, Loyola, NYU, Northwestern, Ohio State, Princeton, Purdue, Swarthmore, Syracuse, Tufts, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, WashingtonU, Williams, and Yale.
Academic Highlights: The student to teacher ratio is 8:1. 67 countries of origin for students past and present.聽 17 advanced courses, many in which students can sit for AP exams after completing. Wellington International Student Experience enables all students the opportunity to go abroad. 14 varsity sports with 38 teams. 76% students play at least one sport.
Columbus Academy – Columbus, OH
- 4300 Cherry Bottom Rd, Gahanna, OH 43230
College Admissions Highlights: Over the last two years, students from Columbus Academy have gone on to continue their studies at these fine institutions: Baylor, BC, BU, Brown, Bucknell, Case Western, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Davidson, Duke, Emory, Georgetown, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Kenyon, NYU, Northeastern, Princeton, Stanford, Trinity, UCLA, UChicago, UMiami, UMichigan, UNC Chapel Hill, Notre Dame, USC, UVA, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, WashingtonU, William & Mary, and Yale.
Academic Highlights: The student to teacher ratio is 7:1. 70% of teachers hold advance degrees. 40% students of color. Honors and advanced courses prepare students for AP exams. 93% of students scored a 3 or higher on the AP exams. 145 AP Scholars. Art, theatre, & music every day. 60+ sports. The Academy Life is a student newspaper which covers school and world events.
Columbus School for Girls – Columbus, OH
- 65 S Drexel Ave, Columbus, OH 43209
College Admissions Highlights: Columbus school graduates over the last five years have gone on to enroll at these fine colleges & institutions: American, BC, Brown, Carnegie Mellon, Case Western, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Harvard, Howard, Kenyon, NYU, Northwestern, Pitzer, Purdue, Skidmore, Ohio State, Tufts, UChicago, UMiami, UMichigan, Notre Dame, USC, UVA, Vanderbilt, Vassar, Villanova, VaTech, Wake Forest, WashingtonU, and Wesleyan.
Academic Highlights: Columbus School for girls serves females from 51 central Ohio zip codes. 42% of the student body identify as people of color. 41% of upper school faculty have earned a doctoral degree. 17 AP & 8 advanced courses. Arts curriculum offer visual from ceramics to drawing, musical orchestra to choir, and theater.聽 10 athletic teams & 25+ clubs and organizations.
St. Charles Preparatory School – Columbus, OH
- 2010 E Broad St, Bexley, OH 43209
College Admissions Highlights: The two most recent classes were admitted to these prestigious colleges and universities: American, Baylor, Belmont, BC, Bucknell, Case Western, Clemson, Colorado School of Mines, Denison, Drexel, Duquesne, Embry-Riddle, Emory, GaTech, Hofstra, Indiana, Johns Hopkins, Loyola, Middlebury, Penn State, Purdue, RIT, SMU, Ohio State, Tennessee, UT Austin, U Chicago, UGA, Michigan, Notre Dame, Villanova, VaTech, Wake Forest, and Yale.
Academic Highlights: St Charles is an all boys school representing 56 different zip codes. 81% of faculty hold advanced degrees.聽 14 AP courses with 85% students scoring 3 or higher on the exams. 32.1% of seniors have completed an in-depth research experience or internship. 15 varsity teams with multiple JV or freshman teams for maximum participation.
Columbus Torah Academy – Columbus, OH
- 181 Noe Bixby Rd, Columbus, OH 43213
College Admissions Highlights: Since 2005, students from CTA have been accepted into many fine colleges & universities: BU, Brandeis, Brown, Case Western, Cornell, Denison, Emory, George Washington, Hofstra, Indiana, NYU, Ohio State, Otterbein, Pratt, Princeton, RIT, Rutgers, UChicago, UCincinnati, UMaryland, UMiami, UMichigan, Penn, Pitt, USF, WashingtonU, Yeshiva, USC, and UVA.
Academic Highlights: Student to teacher ratio is 9:1. About 50% of faculty have an advanced degree. 1:1 technology plan. Depending on interest, AP classes available in Calculus, English, & Science. More than a 1000 alumni. 3 season of athletics with 6 teams in the high school. Students are encouraged to take a gap year in Israel after high school to deepen Jewish literacy; guidance department counsels on how to defer admissions.
St. Francis DeSales High School – Columbus, OH
- 4212 Karl Rd, Columbus, OH 43224
College Admissions Highlights: Graduates in a recent class have chosen these colleges and universities to continue their studies: Belmont, Bowling Green State, Case Western, Clemson, Denison, Fordham, Harvard, Indiana, IUPUI, Loyola, Michigan State, Penn State, Purdue, Saint Mary’s, Southeastern, William & Mary, Ohio State, UC Irvine, Cincinnati, Maryland, South Carolina, Tennessee, Valparaiso, and Xavier.
Academic Highlights: Student to teacher ratio 17:1. 55% of faculty have advanced degrees. 37% identify as non-white. 20 AP & college credit through Ohio’s College Credit program. Innovation, engineering, and architecture department with CADD certification. 60+ clubs, performing arts, campus ministry, and service organizations. 22 varsity sports.
Cristo Rey Columbus High School – Columbus, OH
- 400 E Town St, Columbus, OH 43215
College Admissions Highlights: Cristo Rey Columbus alumni have attended colleges and universities locally such as Ohio State, Ohio Wesleyan, Columbus College of Art & Design, Denison, and Ohio Dominican.聽 And all over the country, like Brown, Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, Johns Hopkins, U of San Diego, Loyola Marymount, Marshall, NYU, Northwestern, Notre Dame, UMass, Santa Clara, and Spelman.
Academic Highlights: Cristo Rey Columbus is a part of the Cristo Rey Network with 37 schools across the US.聽 All students participate in a work-study program to cover some of the cost of their education. Yearly retreats for each grade level. 7 AP courses. 3 sports seasons with 14 sports and an option to play with local public school if the sport is not offered. 19 student clubs & organizations.
Bishop Watterson High School – Columbus, OH
- 99 E Cooke Rd, Columbus, OH 43214
College Admissions Highlights: Bishop Watterson HS students have been accepted at these colleges and universities: Allegheny, Amherst, Barnard, BC, Brandeis, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Carnegie Mellon, U Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, Davidson, Duke, Emory, Hamilton, Howard, Johns Hopkins, Kenyon, U Mass, MIT, U Michigan, NYU, UNC Chapel Hill, Northeastern, Notre Dame, Pepperdine, Princeton, Stanford, US Air Force Acad, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, and Washington U.
Academic Highlights: Student to teacher ratio is 10:1. 69% of faculty hold advanced degrees. 19 AP classes. One member of the class of 2023 had a perfect ACT score, 11 had a perfect subject score. Classes typically have 9100+ service hours. Over 100 students participate in student council & senior leadership. 27 varsity sports programs. Choir includes mixed, concert, handbell, & a Gold Standard A Cappella opportunities.
Bishop Ready High School – Columbus, Oh
- 707 Salisbury Rd, Columbus, OH 43204
College Admissions Highlights: Bishop Ready graduates from a recent 2 year sample, went onto these universities and colleges: Arizona State, BU, Bowling Green State, Citadel, Coastal Carolina, Duquesne, Loyola of Chicago, Miami U, Missouri U of Science & Tech, Ohio State, Ohio U, Ohio Wesleyan, Otterbein, US Military Academy, US Air Force Academy, U Cincinnati, UConn, Notre Dame, West Virginia, Wittenberg, and Xavier.
Academic Highlights: 12 AP & 31 College Credit Plus courses. 70% of students earn college credit for AP scores. 81% of professional staff have advanced degrees. 90+ service hours for each graduate.聽 Yearly retreats with classmates. ~90% of students participate in the 22 clubs & organizations. 17 athletic teams were over 70% have been District Champions or better.
Final Thoughts 鈥 Best Columbus, Ohio Private Schools
We hope you found our blog on Columbus, Ohio private schools to be helpful. All high school students and families may wish to explore further information regarding the college search and admissions process at our Dataverse,听Blog, and聽.