Ohio is home to thousands of schools, but only a handful earned top marks in Niche's latest rankings.
Niche's Best Schools in Ohio 2027 ranking evaluated schools across the Buckeye State and U.S. using
academic performance data, student and parent reviews, and school characteristics. Schools in Greater Cincinnati, Greater Cleveland and Greater Columbus claimed most of the spots in the top 25.
Here's what the ranking shows.
Western Reserve Academy No. 1 on list of Ohio top K-12 schools
Western Reserve Academy, a private boarding and day school in Hudson, earned the No. 1 spot in the statewide ranking. Tuition is $80,000 for boarding students and $51,750 for day students, with a 100% average graduation rate.
The school enrolls 443 students, and more than 40% receive financial aid.
Laurel School ranks No. 2 statewide
The private, all-girls school in Shaker Heights stood out in academics, clubs & activities and college prep. The school enrolls more than 600 students.
Yearly tuition is $39,345, with 45% of students receiving financial aid. Laurel School also offers a coeducational early childhood program for children ages 18 months to 5 years.
University School rounds out top three for Ohio's best schools
University School in Hunting Valley received high ratings for academics, college preparation and extracurricular opportunities. It also has an additional Shaker Heights campus.
The all-boys school boasts over 800 students and half of all students receive financial aid. Annual tuition is $43,940.
What the top three schools have in common
The three highest-ranked schools share several traits. Western Reserve Academy, Laurel School and University School are all private institutions in Northeast Ohio's Cleveland metro area.
Laurel is an all-girls school, University School is traditionally an all-boys school, and Western Reserve Academy is coeducational. All three received an A+ overall grade from Niche.
Top 25 K-12 schools in Ohio
While Greater Cincinnati placed eight schools in the top 25, the three highest-ranked schools were all private institutions in Northeast Ohio. These are the 25 schools that earned a spot on the Best Schools ranking:
- Western Reserve Academy (Hudson)
- Laurel School (Shaker Heights)
- University School (Hunting Valley)
- Hathaway Brown School (Shaker Heights)
- Columbus Academy (Gahanna)
- The Seven Hills School (Cincinnati)
- Olney Friends School (Barnesville)
- Cincinnati Country Day School (Cincinnati)
- The Wellington School (Columbus)
- Indian Hill High School (Indian Hill)
- Dublin Jerome High School (Dublin)
- The Summit Country Day School (Cincinnati)
- Solon High School (Solon)
- Maumee Valley Country Day School (Toledo)
- Hudson High School (Hudson)
- Grand River Academy (Austinburg)
- Mariemont Junior High School (Mariemont)
- Columbus School for Girls (Columbus)
- Bexley High School (Bexley)
- William Mason High School (Mason)
- Mariemont High School (Mariemont)
- Deer Run Elementary School (Dublin)
- Solon Middle School (Solon)
- Toledo Pre-Medical and Health Science Academy (Toledo)
- Walnut Hills High School (Cincinnati)
The full ranking can be found on Niche's website.
How Niche determined the ranking
According to Niche's mthodology, academics account for 60% of a school's score. The remaining 40% comes from factors including teacher quality, diversity, extracurricular activities, facilities, athletics, and parent and student satisfaction surveys.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 3 NE Ohio schools are best in top 25 rankings for 2027
