100 Best Private High Schools in Illinois: 2017

Where your child goes to school matters. Parents move to some communities solely for the local schools, and they are willing to shell out big bucks in tuition to send their child to the best private schools. According to the latest ranking from Niche.com, the University of Chicago Lab School is the No. 1 private high school in Illinois.

In its 2017 list released this month, the education and real estate website ranked 100 private Illinois high schools as the state's best. The rankings are "based on rigorous analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Education along with test scores, college data, and ratings collected from millions of Niche users," according to Niche.com.

Skeptical? You can pick apart the site's full methodology here.

The University of Chicago Lab School, ranked 36th nationally. U of C's Lab School jumped up from the third spot in the 2016 ranking. The Latin School fell from No. 1 in 2016 to No. 4. The country's highest ranking Midwest school is in Michigan — Cranbrook Schools, in Bloomfield Hills, a suburb of Detroit, coming in at 19th on the national list.

Here are the top 100 private high schools in Illinois. Follow the links to learn more about the schools' individual scores and read comments from students and parents.

1. University of Chicago Lab School, Chicago
2. Lake Forest Academy, Lake Forest
3. North Shore Country Day School, Winnetka
4. The Latin School of Chicago, Chicago
5. Francis W. Parker School, Chicago
6. Rochelle Zell Jewish High School, Deerfield
7. Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart, Lake Forest
8. The Willows Academy, Des Plaines
9. St. Ignatius College Preparatory School, Chicago
10. Benet Academy, Lisle
11. Elgin Academy, Elgin
12. Northridge Preparatory School, Niles
13. Morgan Park Academy, Chicago
14. The Chicago Academy for the Arts, Chicago
15. Roycemore School, Evanston
16. Marmion Academy, Aurora
17. Fenwick High School, Oak Park
18. Loyola Academy, Wilmette
19. Lycée Français de Chicago, Chicago
20. Wheaton Academy, West Chicago
21. St. Viator High School, Arlington Heights
22. Ida Crown Jewish Academy, Chicago
23. Chicago Waldorf School, Chicago
24. Keith Country Day School, Rockford
25. St. Francis High School, Wheaton
26. St. Rita of Cascia High School, Chicago
27. Hanna Sacks Bais Yaakov High School, Chicago
28. Carmel Catholic High School, Mundelein
29. Universal School, Bridgeview
30. Islamic Foundation School, Villa Park
31. Regina Dominican High School, Wilmette
32. College Preparatory School of America, Lombard
33. Judah Christian School, Champaign
34. IC Catholic Prep, Elmhurst
35. St. Teresa High School, Decatur
36. Marian Central Catholic High School, Woodstock
37. Marquette Manor Baptist Academy, Downers Grove
38. Westminster Christian School, Elgin
39. Lake County Baptist School, Waukegan
40. Timothy Christian High School, Elmhurst
41. Routt Catholic High School, Jacksonville
42. Rosary High School, Aurora
43. Nazareth Academy, LaGrange Park
44. Montini Catholic High School, Lombard
45. Althoff Catholic High School, Belleville
46. The High School of St. Thomas More, Champaign
47. Logos Christian Academy, Niles
48. Joliet Catholic Academy, Joliet
49. Hinsdale Adventist Academy, Hinsdale
50. St. Anthony High School, Effingham
51. Peoria Notre Dame High School, Peoria
52. Sacred Heart Griffin High School, Springfield
53. Metro-East Lutheran High School, Edwardsville
54. Mount Carmel High School, Chicago
55. Brother Rice High School Chicago, Chicago
56. Central Catholic High School, Bloomington
57. Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School, Chicago
58. Schaumburg Christian School, Schaumburg
59. Lutheran High School, Springfield
60. Aqsa School, Bridgeview
61. Aquin Catholic Junior/Senior High School, Freeport
62. St. Edward Central Catholic High School, Elgin
63. Cornerstone Christian Academy of McLean County, Downs
64. Marist High School, Chicago
65. Resurrection High School, Chicago
66. St. Bede Academy, Peru
67. Providence Catholic High School, New Lenox
68. Marquette Academy, Ottawa
69. Rockford Lutheran Junior/Senior High School, Rockford
70. Notre Dame High School College Prep, Notre Dame
71. Trinity High School, River Forest
72. Christ Our Rock Lutheran High School, Centralia
73. Boylan Catholic High School, Rockford
74. Marquette Catholic High School, Alton
75. St. Laurence High School, Burbank
76. Westlake Christian Academy, Grayslake
77. Newman Central Catholic School, Sterling
78. Marian Catholic High School, Chicago Heights
79. St. Patrick High School, Chicago
80. Aurora Christian Schools, Aurora
81. Chicago Hope Academy, Chicago
82. Southwest Chicago Christian Schools, Palos Heights
83. Illiana Christian High School, Lansing
84. Peoria Christian School, Peoria
85. Bishop McNamara High School, Kankakee
86. Guerin Preparatory High School, River Grove
87. Luther North College Prep, Chicago
88. Walther Lutheran High School, Melrose Park
89. Aurora Central Catholic High School, Aurora
90. Holy Trinity High School, Chicago
91. Alleman High School, Rock Island
92. Gordon Tech High School, Chicago
93. St. Benedict Preparatory School, Chicago
94. Illinois Lutheran High School, Crete
95. Schlarman Academy, Danville
96. Faith Lutheran High School, Crystal Lake
97. Calvary Christian Academy, Normal
98. Rockford Christian Schools, Rockford
99. Mater Dei High School, Breese
100. Quincy Notre Dame High School, Quincy

The top five private high schools in the United States are:

• Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts
• Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, New Hampshire
• The Lawrenceville School, Lawrenceville, New Jersey
• Harvard-Westlake School, Studio City, California
• St. Paul's School, Concord, New Hampshire

A high ranking, according to Niche.com’s methodology, generally indicates:

Students are very happy with their experiences in all aspects, including academics, teachers, health, safety, resources, facilities, extracurriculars, sports, and fitness

The school is an exceptional academic institution in terms of teachers, students, resources for learning, and student outcomes

The school is made up of a diverse population and fosters an accepting, positive school culture

Students are actively involved in a variety of extracurriculars and sports the school offers

Disagree? Want to talk up your school? Share your views in the comments.