GREENVILLE, N.C. (Stacker.com) — Private schools, in some form, existed long before the concept of free public education in America.

Students were often educated through church-sponsored programs, private tutoring, and boarding schools. Public schools on a large scale were proposed by Horace Mann in the 1830s. The concept gained momentum, and by 1870, nearly 80% of kids aged 5 to 14 were enrolled in public schools. Today, according to the most recent enrollment data, about 4.7 million students—or 10% of students enrolled in kindergarten through grade 12—are enrolled in private schools.

Private schools are widely marketed as a better option when compared to public schools, and private school proponents will often point to standardized test scores to substantiate this claim. While private school students have consistently outperformed public school students on standardized tests, recent studies have shown private schools themselves are not the primary driver of success, nor are standardized tests the most accurate measure of student well-being.

Researchers have found that student success is more directly related to family attributes, like having parents who graduated from college, and higher incomes—more common amongst private school students than public school students—than simply whether the students attended a public or private school.

Still, private schools provide unique advantages and opportunities like smaller class sizes, more individualized instruction, and greater curricular flexibility. To better understand how private school offerings vary across the country, Stacker compiled a list of the best private high schools in North Carolina using 2023 rankings from Niche. Niche uses eight weighted factors for its rankings. A majority of the score is based on academics and grades, but other factors include culture and diversity, health and safety, clubs and activities, resources, and surveys of parents, teachers and students.

Editor’s note: The original article had inaccuracies when multiple schools in North Carolina had the same name. In most of these instances, the wrong data was displayed in the ranking. Stacker sincerely apologizes for the errors.

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#30. Charlotte Christian School

– City: Charlotte
– Enrollment: 1,134 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#29. The Oakwood School

– City: Greenville
– Enrollment: 394 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#28. Covenant Day School

– District: Matthews
– Enrollment: 990 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#27. Davidson Day School

– District: Davidson
– Enrollment: 456 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#26. Woodlawn School

– District: Mooresville
– Enrollment: 212 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#25. Trinity Academy

– City: Raleigh
– Enrollment: 562 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#24. The O’Neal School

– District: Southern Pines
– Enrollment: 544 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#23. Cannon School

– District: Concord
– Enrollment: 1,003 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#22. Cary Christian School

– District: Cary
– Enrollment: 785 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#21. Wayne Country Day School

– City: Goldsboro
– Enrollment: 310 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#20. Carolina Friends School

– City: Durham
– Enrollment: 501 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#19. Carolina Day School

– City: Asheville
– Enrollment: 600 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#18. Saint Mary’s School

– City: Raleigh
– Enrollment: 309 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#17. Camelot Academy

– City: Durham
– Enrollment: 148 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#16. Cape Fear Academy

– City: Wilmington
– Enrollment: 652 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#15. Fayetteville Academy

– City: Fayetteville
– Enrollment: 388 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#14. St. David’s School

– City: Raleigh
– Enrollment: 606 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#13. Christ School

– City: Asheville
– Enrollment: 294 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#12. Trinity School of Durham & Chapel Hill

– City: Durham
– Enrollment: 561 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#11. Forsyth Country Day School

– District: Lewisville
– Enrollment: 924 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#10. Gaston Day School

– District: Gastonia
– Enrollment: 505 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#9. Greensboro Day School

– City: Greensboro
– Enrollment: 878 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#8. Ravenscroft School

– City: Raleigh
– Enrollment: 1,232 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#7. Salem Academy

– District: Winston-salem
– Enrollment: 70 (3:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#6. Charlotte Latin School

– City: Charlotte
– Enrollment: 1,469 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#5. Charlotte Country Day School

– City: Charlotte
– Enrollment: 1,738 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#4. Asheville School

– City: Asheville
– Enrollment: 294 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#3. Providence Day School

– City: Charlotte
– Enrollment: 1,863 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#2. Durham Academy

– City: Durham
– Enrollment: 1,237 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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#1. Cary Academy

– District: Cary
– Enrollment: 787 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+