The Bronx was well-represented on a recent ranking of New York City’s top private high schools, as Riverdale County School and Horace Mann School placed second and fifth, respectively, on Niche’s evaluation of the city’s elite institutions. Additionally, the Bronx is home to Niche’s third-ranked public school, Bronx High School of Science in Bedford Park’s Educational Mile.
Second to top-ranked Trinity High School on the Upper West Side, Riverdale Country School, where annual tuition ranges from $52,575-$61,305, earned the highest marks for its academics, teachers, clubs and activities, and college prep.
Fieldston’s Horace Mann, which teaches nursery through 12th grade, also earned top marks for those same categories but scored lower on its sports category than the other top four. Tuition at Horace Mann ranges between $42,940-$59,800 annually.
The Brearley School, an all-girls school on the Upper East Side, ranked third, while Regis High School — the only tuition-free Jesuit high school in the U.S. — ranked fourth.
Bronx High School of Science, which also landed 16th on Niche’s Best Schools list consisting of schools in New York City and New Jersey, has 2,937 students from 9-12 and has routinely earned the top spot in Niche’s top public school rankings and its college prep standings. Bronx High of School of Science was one of only three area public schools to make the Best Schools list.
For its 2023 Best Schools and Districts, Niche graded 92,743 public schools, 30,112 private schools and 11,820 school districts nationwide on the basis on their academics, teachers, clubs and activities, and college prep, diversity, food, administration, resources and facilities, and sports.
Nationally, Trinity High School also ranked sixth-best on Niche’s private school rankings, where Riverdale and Horace Mann placed 11th an 21st, respectively.
Niche’s rankings don’t solely rely on test scores and academic performance, a major factor for other school-ranking systems.
A Washington Post op-ed penned by Simone Ispa-Landa and Wendy Espeland noted that rankings from lists based purely on performance and academic standards — which can overwhelming favor private institutions — can skew the nation’s public schools, leading to school closures, lower home values and teacher layoffs.
Crucially, they contend the pressure of rankings can allow mishandling of students burdened by societal pressures and heightening mental health challenges.
“We should acknowledge that one-size-fits-all metrics do not fairly measure what matters most in many schools,” the article reads. “Right now, what matters most is finding ways to address and improve student mental health so they can get back on track with learning. We should reward schools for innovation, for creating programs that will take time to evaluate.”
Reach Robbie Sequeira at rsequeira@schnepsmedia.com or (718) 260-4599. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
