Cincinnati Country Day School landed the No. 2 spot among private high schools in Greater Cincinnati, according to Niche's 2027 rankings, reported Sept. 30 by the Enquirer.
The Indian Hill coeducational school trailed only The Seven Hills School in Madisonville, which claimed the top position for a third straight year. Summit Country Day School rounded out the top three. All five schools in the top tier earned an A+ overall grade from Niche: Seven Hills, Cincinnati Country Day, Summit Country Day, St. Xavier High School and Ursuline Academy.
The ranking, first reported by the Cincinnati Enquirer, evaluates schools on a mix of data from the U.S. Department of Education, accrediting agencies and college outcomes. College enrollment carries the most weight at 20%, measuring the share of seniors who go on to a four-year college. A newly added culture and diversity grade, parent and student surveys, the average quality of colleges graduates attend and the colleges students express interest in are each weighted at 14%.
The Greater Cincinnati lists a total of 53 area schools, of which the Enquirer published the top 25, separate from Niche's Ohio statewide rankings reported by WKRC on Sept. 28. On that broader list, Cincinnati Country Day placed No. 6 among Ohio's best college-prep private high schools and No. 8 among the state's best private schools overall.
Seven Hills dominated the statewide results. The Madisonville school earned No. 1 in several Ohio categories, including Best Private K-12 School, Best Private High School, Best College Prep Private High School and Best High School for STEM. Summit Country Day also appeared in the Ohio top 10, finishing No. 9 on the college-prep list and No. 10 among the state's best private schools.
For east-side families considering private schools, the two Niche lists measure different pools. The statewide ranking spans all of Ohio. The regional list focuses on Greater Cincinnati, where Cincinnati Country Day's No. 2 finish places it ahead of 23 other local programs. Niche draws its data from the U.S. Department of Education, school accrediting agencies and parent and student surveys.
