Private schools.
Prim, proper, and prestigious.
These privately funded institutions, no matter the specific type, are not subject to the regulations governing public schools. Attending private schools can provide students with better standards and quality of education. However, like public schools, different private schools are for the better or worse—depending on what you feel your child’s needs are. Read along to learn about these top 5 Bay Area K-12 private schools to help you decide!
[Rankings and information based on the Niche List of 2023 Best Private K-12 Schools]
If you are interested in enrolling your child, here are the types of private schools that you can choose from:
Traditional private school
Boarding school
Charter school
Montessori school
Religious and cultural school
Waldorf school
The Top 5 K-12 Private Schools in the Bay Area
**note: tuition is for the highest grade offered**
#1. The Nueva School
Location: Hillsborough, CA
No. of students: 853
The student-teacher ratio is 6:1, with a yearly tuition of $53,350. The average SAT score is 1500 (100 responses), and the average ACT score is 34 (82 responses). According to a Niche Poll, 92% of the students and parents agree that the school’s student body is creative and that 93% believe teachers of this school are well-qualified and care about their students.
Beyond great academic structure, students have access to an extensive library, quiet workspaces, and wonderful peer help. Moreover, 20% of attendees receive financial aid, which makes this school still a plausible option for those who may not have a private school fully in their budget.
The Nueva School offers academic registration for the following grades:
Lower school (pre-K to fourth grade)
Middle school (fifth to eighth grade)
High school (ninth to twelfth grade)
Students enrolled at this particular private school generally apply for colleges and universities such as Stanford, Brown, or the University of California - Berkeley.
#2. The Harker School
Location: San Jose, CA
No. of students: 1,972
The student-teacher ratio is 6:1, with a yearly tuition of $56,650. The average SAT score is 1490 (440 responses), and the average ACT score is 33 (147 responses). According to a Niche Poll, 96% of the students and parents agree that the school’s student body is competitive (with 46% votes for creative) and 67% believe teachers of this school are well-qualified and care about their students.
However, 82% of students and parents (22 responses) do
believe that Harker provides a multitude of clubs and organizations to join,
with a high number of girls' athletic participation. Furthermore, Harker is the
#3 best high school for STEM in the entirety of California.
The private school offers academic registration for the following:
Preschool
Lower school (kindergarten through grade five)
Middle school (grades six to eight)
Upper school (grades nine to twelve)
Harker students typically are interested in applying for colleges and universities such as Stanford, University of California - Berkeley, and the University of California - Los Angeles.
#3. The Head-Royce School
Location: Oakland, CA
No. of students: 900
Founded in 1893, the student-teacher ratio is 8:1, with a yearly tuition of $51,000. The average SAT score is 1420 (141 responses), and the average ACT score is 33 (75 responses). According to Niche Polls, 88% of the students and parents agree that the school is competitive, and 75% agree that students are creative. 100% believe that the teachers are well-qualified—however, Niche has only recorded 12 responses, so take this statistic with a grain of salt.
In particular, this school ranks highly for its diversity,
with a majority female student body. Additionally, much of the students from this
school are POC. Furthermore, the school ranks #10 of 387 in the category of
Best College Prep Private High Schools in California.
The Head-Royce School offers academic registration for the following grades:
Kindergarten to fifth grade
Sixth to eighth grade
Ninth to twelfth grade
Students enrolled at Head-Royce School are particularly interested in applying for colleges like the University of California - Los Angeles, University of California - Berkeley, and the University of Southern California.
#4. The Quarry Lane School
Location: Dublin, CA
No. of students: 850
The private school was developed by founder and president Dr. Sabri Arac in 1991.
The student-teacher ratio is 7:1, with a yearly tuition of
$45,254. The average SAT score is 1430 (153 responses), and the average ACT
score is 32 (75 responses). According to a Niche Poll, 89% of the students and
parents agree that the school’s student body is competitive, and 87% believe
the students are creative. While 84% of the students and parents believe
teachers genuinely care about students (64 responses), 91% do believe the
teachers adequately lead the classroom (64 responses).
In particular, girls' athletic participation is ranked extremely high, with clubs and activities being overall a great feature of this institution. Moreover, the school ranks as #6 out of the best high schools for STEM in California, posing another great benefit for students attending.
Academic registration is available for the following grades:
Preschool (available only at the Pleasanton location)
Lower school (junior kindergarten to fifth grade)
Middle school (grades six to eight)
High school (grades nine to twelve)
Students enrolled at The Quarry Lane School are interested in colleges such as the University of California - Los Angeles, University of California - Berkeley, and Stanford University.
#5. Convent & Stuart Hall
Location: San Francisco, CA
No. of students: 1,100
Independent, Catholic, K-12, Sacred Heart education in the heart of the city, since 1887.
The student-teacher ratio is 6:1, with a yearly tuition of $37,840. The average SAT score is 1310 (131 responses), and the average ACT score is 30 (83 responses). According to a Niche Poll, 89% of the students and parents agree that the school’s student body is competitive, and 78% believe the students are creative. Additionally, 83% believe that the teachers are well-qualified—however, Niche has only recorded 12 responses, so take this statistic with another grain of salt.
Nationally, this school’s major distinction only lies in that it ranks #15 out of 1,145 for the best Catholic high schools. To compare, the school only ranks nationally #544 out of 8,786 in the best high schools for STEM. However, the school has a vast variety of clubs and activities for students to enjoy, and athletics are a major part of the student body culture.
Convent & Stuart Hall offers education with the following divisions and forms:
Lower form (kindergarten through second grade)
Middle form (grades three to five)
Upper form (grades six to eight)
High school (grades nine to twelve)
Convent & Stuart Hall students look at colleges such the University of California - Los Angeles, University of California - Berkeley and Boston University.
Hopefully today's blog provided you with information on Bay Area's top five private schools K-12 and now you have more insights on their relative SAT and ACT scores as well as the academic environments!
To conclude, it is always important to conduct your own research on the school you want your children to attend (or perhaps you are a student yourself). However, we sincerely hope that this concise blog provides an accurate and comprehensive preview of the top K-12 private schools of this wonderful Bay Area, filled with opportunities all around us.
