Niche’s annual ranking of the best private Kindergarten to 12th Grade Schools in America is out for 2026 which is based on key statistics and millions of reviews from students and parents. No Brooklyn-based independent school made it into the top 100, Brooklyn’s private schools that rank within the top 200 are Saint Ann’s, Poly Prep, BASIS Independent Brooklyn and Packer. Note that independent schools offering Kindergarten to 8th Grade (or Grades 6 to 8) are not included in this ranking. The list below is not a complete overview of best ranked private schools in NYC but rather an extraction of the schools the Brooklyn Bridge Parents readers attend.
Best private K – 12 schools in America
- #24 Avenues The World School in Manhattan
- #28 Lycee Francais de New York in Manhattan
- #81 United Nations International School in Manhattan
- #115 Saint Ann’s School in Brooklyn Heights
- #122 Poly Preparatory Country Day School in Fort Hamilton
- #132 BASIS Independent Brooklyn
- #133 Leman Manhattan in Manhattan
- #191 Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn Heights
- #205 Berkeley Carroll School in Park Slope
- #228 BASIS Independent Manhattan
- #397 LREI (“Little Red”) in Manhattan
- #523 Brooklyn Friends in Downtown Brooklyn
The 2026 Niche Best Private K-12 Schools ranking is based on rigorous analysis of key statistics and millions of reviews from students and parents. Ranking factors include the quality of colleges that students consider, student-teacher ratio, private school ratings, and more. SAT/ACT scores have been removed from this year’s rankings to reflect a general de-emphasis on test scores in the college admissions process. Data sourced from the U.S. Department of Education, Niche users, and the schools directly. Read more here.
Photos: Saint Ann’s & Poly Prep
