America’s private high schools opened long before their public counterparts and even before the United States was first established. The Roman Catholic Church in the 1700s started private schools in Florida and Louisiana while in New York (a former Dutch colony called New Amsterdam), the Dutch West India Company and Dutch Reformed Church set up private schools that filled the void left by the colonies’ lack of an education system.

That changed in the 1840s when the U.S. instituted a uniform public school system. To stay relevant, private schools changed from marketing themselves as the only option to portraying their education as the “best” option. To this day, private high schools have positioned themselves as fast-tracks to admittance into elite universities. Faced with the rigorous demands of the highly competitive college admissions process and increased pressure over getting into the “right” school, parents (most often parents with means) often consider private schools for their children.

Stacker compiled a list of the best private high schools in Tennessee using rankings from Niche. Private schools have historically catered to America’s most elite, with exorbitant tuition and legacy admissions ensuring the socioeconomic exclusivity of student bodies. Scholarships, incremental transparency in the admissions process, and improved (albeit still imperfect and unequal) access to excellent early education for students of all backgrounds have allowed more low-income students and minorities today to take advantage of these schools. Still, white students continue to represent the vast majority of private-school students.

Read on to find out the best private high schools in your state.

#25. Knoxville Catholic High School (Knoxville)
– Enrollment: 646 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

#24. Christian Brothers High School (Memphis)
– Enrollment: 831 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

#23. St. Agnes Academy-St. Dominic School (Memphis)
– Enrollment: 775 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

#22. Pope John Paul II Preparatory School (Hendersonville)
– Enrollment: 756 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

#21. Girls Preparatory School (Chattanooga)
– Enrollment: 510 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A

#20. Briarcrest Christian School (Eads)
– Enrollment: 1634 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#19. Brentwood Academy (Brentwood)
– Enrollment: 706 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#18. Franklin Road Academy (Nashville)
– Enrollment: 999 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#17. St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School (Sewanee)
– Enrollment: 236 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#16. St. George’s Independent School – Collierville Campus (grades 6-12) (Collierville)
– Enrollment: 1076 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#15. Pleasant View School (Memphis)
– Enrollment: 383 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#14. University School of Jackson (Jackson)
– Enrollment: 1007 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#13. Battle Ground Academy (Franklin)
– Enrollment: 850 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#12. Webb School of Knoxville (Knoxville)
– Enrollment: 1015 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#11. The Webb School (Bell Buckle)
– Enrollment: 405 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#10. Hutchison School (Memphis)
– Enrollment: 831 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#9. McCallie School (Chattanooga)
– Enrollment: 944 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#8. The Ensworth School (Nashville)
– Enrollment: 1189 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#7. Baylor School (Chattanooga)
– Enrollment: 1022 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#6. Memphis University School (Memphis)
– Enrollment: 630 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#5. Harpeth Hall School (Nashville)
– Enrollment: 720 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#4. Montgomery Bell Academy (Nashville)
– Enrollment: 829 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#3. Lausanne Collegiate School (Memphis)
– Enrollment: 851 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#2. St. Mary’s Episcopal School (Memphis)
– Enrollment: 827 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

#1. University School of Nashville (Nashville)
– Enrollment: 1071 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+

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