Top 10 Catholic Schools in Illinois in 2027

1. Loyola Academy

Loyola Academy ranks first for combining the largest enrollment among Illinois Catholic high schools with a century-plus Jesuit academic tradition. Founded in 1909 and run by the Society of Jesus, the Wilmette campus offers dozens of Advanced Placement courses alongside a full honors track. Its size lets it field both nationally ranked athletics and specialized electives smaller schools can't match. Graduates routinely enter top-tier Midwestern and national universities.

Loyola suits families wanting a large, resource-rich campus over an intimate one — class sizes and hallway crowds reflect an enrollment in the thousands, not hundreds. Tuition runs near the top of the state's Catholic-school range, and the North Shore location means a longer commute for South Side or western-suburb families. Compared to St. Ignatius below, Loyola trades urban grit and a single historic building for suburban scale and breadth of programming.

2. St. Ignatius College Prep

St. Ignatius College Prep ranks second as the oldest Catholic secondary school in Chicago, founded in 1869 by the Society of Jesus. Its landmark building on Roosevelt Road anchors a Jesuit curriculum built on classical rigor — four years of theology, mandatory service hours, and a demanding humanities core. The school's near-universal four-year college matriculation reflects that academic intensity. Its Near West Side location puts it minutes from the Loop.

It fits students who want Jesuit rigor in a dense urban setting rather than a suburban campus, and who can handle a demanding homework load from freshman year on. Unlike Loyola Academy above, Ignatius keeps its enrollment smaller and its footprint compact, trading athletic facility size for architectural history and downtown access. Commuting students rely heavily on CTA and Metra, which some suburban families find a drawback.

3. Fenwick High School

Fenwick High School ranks third for pairing Dominican-order academics with one of the western suburbs' strongest college-prep reputations. Founded in 1929 in Oak Park, it runs a required theology sequence across all four years and a heavily AP-weighted curriculum. Its debate, mock trial, and speech programs have produced repeated state-level results, reinforcing the school's identity beyond athletics. The campus sits directly on the CTA Green Line, unusual for a suburban Catholic school.

Fenwick works for families who want suburban campus space without giving up Chicago transit access, a middle ground between Ignatius's urban core and farther-out suburban schools. It's coed, unlike single-sex options like Mother McAuley or Mount Carmel further down this list, so it won't appeal to families specifically seeking single-gender instruction. Tuition sits in the upper-middle range for Illinois Catholic high schools.

4. Mount Carmel High School

Mount Carmel High School ranks fourth as Chicago's most football-decorated Catholic school, an all-boys campus run by the Carmelite order since 1900. Its South Side program has sent numerous alumni into Division I and NFL rosters, and IHSA playoff appearances are a near-annual occurrence. Academically, the school pairs a Catholic values-based curriculum with a full college-counseling office. The building itself, on South Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Mount Carmel is built for families prioritizing athletics and an all-boys formation environment over the coed setting of Fenwick above it. It draws heavily from Chicago's South Side and southern suburbs, so commute times can be long for North Shore or western families. Its single-sex model pairs naturally with sister school Mother McAuley for social and extracurricular crossover events.

5. Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School

Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School ranks fifth as one of Chicago's largest all-girls Catholic schools, founded in 1958 by the Sisters of Mercy. Its liberal-arts label reflects a curriculum heavy on writing, literature, and language alongside standard AP science and math tracks. The Mount Greenwood campus fields extensive fine-arts and athletic programs exclusively for young women. Longstanding ties to Mount Carmel give students a built-in coed social network despite the single-sex classroom setting.

It's the right fit for families specifically seeking an all-girls learning environment on Chicago's South Side, rather than the coed setting of Marist or Fenwick. McAuley's size gives it breadth in clubs and arts that smaller single-sex schools can't match, though that scale means less individual attention than a small school offers. Commute distance is a factor for northern or western suburban families.

6. Marist High School

Marist High School ranks sixth for its broad, coed college-prep program run by the Marist Brothers on Chicago's Southwest Side since 1955. The school offers a wide AP and honors slate alongside a fine arts and performing arts program that draws students beyond its immediate neighborhood. Its athletic program spans nearly every IHSA sport for both boys and girls. Marist's size lands between the largest Chicago Catholic schools and smaller suburban ones.

Marist suits families wanting coed instruction with the community feel of a single Southwest Side campus, an alternative to the single-sex model of Mount Carmel or Mother McAuley nearby. It doesn't carry the same national name recognition as Loyola or St. Ignatius, but tuition is correspondingly lower. Families farther from the Southwest Side will find the commute longer than for closer alternatives.

7. Benet Academy

Benet Academy ranks seventh as the western suburbs' primary Benedictine-run Catholic high school, formed in 1967 from the merger of two single-sex academies in Lisle. Monks and sisters from the nearby Benedictine communities remain part of the faculty and campus life. The school runs a strong AP program and has built one of the DuPage County area's more competitive athletic departments across multiple sports. Its coed model has held since the 1967 merger.

Benet fits families in the western suburbs — Naperville, Lisle, Downers Grove — who want Catholic education without a long commute into Chicago proper, unlike the city-based schools ranked above. It's smaller than Loyola or Marist, giving closer faculty-student relationships at the cost of fewer elective options. Compared to Carmel Catholic below, Benet leans slightly more academically selective in admissions.

8. Carmel Catholic High School

Carmel Catholic High School ranks eighth as Lake County's main Catholic option, run by the Carmelite order in Mundelein since the early 1960s. The school offers a standard college-prep curriculum with AP courses and a religious studies requirement each year, plus a fine arts wing added in recent decades. Its athletic conference play draws from Lake County's northern suburbs, an area with fewer Catholic school choices than closer-in suburbs.

Carmel Catholic is the practical choice for Lake County and far-north-suburban families for whom Loyola or Chicago city schools mean an hour-plus commute each way. It doesn't carry the athletic or academic name recognition of Mount Carmel or Fenwick, but it fills a geographic gap those schools don't serve. Tuition runs moderate relative to the Chicago-proximate schools ranked higher.

9. Providence Catholic High School

Providence Catholic High School ranks ninth as the primary Catholic high school serving Joliet and the far southwest suburbs, run by the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart from its New Lenox campus. It offers a coed college-prep curriculum with AP and dual-credit options through partnerships with area colleges. Its athletic programs compete in a southwest suburban Catholic League circuit. The New Lenox campus draws from a wide, largely rural-suburban attendance area.

Providence Catholic works for Will County and Joliet-area families who would otherwise face a long drive to a city or North Shore Catholic school. It's less selective and lower-profile academically than Benet or St. Ignatius, but it's often the only nearby Catholic option for its attendance area. Facilities and program breadth are more modest than the larger Chicago and near-suburb schools above it.

10. Nazareth Academy

Nazareth Academy ranks tenth as La Grange Park's coed Catholic high school, founded in 1900 by the Sisters of St. Joseph. It runs a standard college-prep track with AP offerings and a religious-studies requirement, along with a fine arts program housed in a dedicated performing arts space. Its size is smaller than most schools higher on this list, giving it a closer-knit campus culture. Athletics compete in area Catholic league circuits for both boys and girls.

Nazareth suits western-suburb families wanting a smaller, community-oriented Catholic school rather than the scale of Loyola or Marist. It offers less program breadth and fewer AP sections than the larger schools ranked above, but smaller class sizes mean more individual attention. It's a reasonable, lower-tuition alternative to Benet Academy for La Grange-area families not seeking Benedictine-specific formation.

How we ranked these

Rankings weighted four factors equally: academic outcomes (ACT/SAT averages, AP/IB course depth, and four-year college matriculation), student-teacher ratio, tuition-to-outcome value, and current diocesan or canonical accreditation status. Enrollment stability over the past several years served as a tiebreaker, since a school sustaining strong outcomes across multiple graduating classes signals a durable program rather than one exceptional cohort skewing the data.

Ignored: parish prestige, religious-order branding (Jesuit vs. Dominican vs. diocesan), and self-reported donor or enrollment figures that couldn't be cross-checked against NCES or diocesan office data. Single-season sports titles, homecoming traditions, and open-house marketing copy were excluded as noise unrelated to academic quality, in favor of third-party data from Niche, U.S. News, and each diocese's own school office.

Related questions

What is the difference between a diocesan Catholic school and an independent Catholic school in Illinois?

Diocesan schools operate under direct oversight of the local diocese (Chicago, Joliet, Rockford, Peoria, Belleville, or Springfield), following diocesan curriculum and hiring standards. Independent Catholic schools, often run by religious orders like the Jesuits or Dominicans, set their own admissions, tuition, and governance while still requiring religion coursework and typically retaining a bishop's canonical recognition.

How much does Catholic high school tuition typically cost in Illinois?

Tuition ranges from roughly $8,000-$12,000 per year at parish-affiliated diocesan schools to $18,000-$25,000+ at elite independent college-prep schools in the Chicago suburbs. Most schools offer diocesan tuition assistance, parish subsidies for registered parishioners, and merit or need-based scholarships, so the sticker price rarely reflects what a typical family actually pays after aid.

Do Illinois Catholic schools require students to be Catholic to enroll?

No. Nearly all Illinois Catholic schools accept non-Catholic students, though most require participation in religion classes, retreats, and campus liturgies regardless of faith background. Some schools cap non-Catholic enrollment or give admissions priority to registered parish families, so confirm a specific school's policy before applying, especially at oversubscribed suburban Chicago schools.

Which Illinois diocese has the most highly ranked Catholic schools?

The Archdiocese of Chicago, covering Cook and Lake counties, has by far the largest concentration of top-ranked Catholic schools, benefiting from a larger population base, deeper donor networks, and more competitive admissions. The Diocese of Joliet also places multiple schools in statewide rankings, particularly its west-suburban college-prep high schools.

What college acceptance rates do top Illinois Catholic high schools typically report?

The highest-ranked schools report 95-100% four-year college matriculation, with many students admitted to Big Ten flagships, Jesuit universities like Loyola, and selective liberal arts colleges. These figures come from each school's own guidance office, so compare them against third-party sources like Niche or U.S. News rather than accepting a single school's self-published numbers.

How do Catholic school rankings differ from public school rankings in Illinois?

Public school rankings, like those from the Illinois State Board of Education, rely heavily on standardized state assessment data and are directly comparable across all public schools. Catholic school rankings blend self-reported data, third-party aggregators like Niche, and diocesan accreditation, since private schools aren't required to report the same standardized metrics.

Are single-sex Catholic schools still common in Illinois?

Yes, especially in the Chicago area, where several long-established all-boys and all-girls Catholic high schools remain highly ranked and oversubscribed. Proponents cite focused learning environments and strong alumni networks; families should weigh this against the trend toward coeducation seen in most newer or merged Catholic schools statewide.

What accreditation should a legitimate Illinois Catholic school hold?

Legitimate Catholic schools should carry accreditation from a recognized regional body such as Cognia, plus formal recognition from their diocese's Office of Catholic Schools, or canonical approval for independent order-run schools. Lacking either is a red flag; verify directly with the diocese since accreditation status can lapse without the school updating its own website.

FAQ

What makes a Catholic school "top 10" versus just accredited?

Top-ranked schools combine accreditation with measurable outcomes: above-average standardized test scores, strong AP/IB participation, high four-year college matriculation, and sustained enrollment over multiple years. Basic accreditation only confirms a school meets minimum operating and curriculum standards; it says nothing about competitive academic performance relative to peer schools.

Is Catholic school tuition tax-deductible in Illinois?

Tuition itself isn't federally deductible, but Illinois' Invest in Kids tax credit program, when funded, let donors to scholarship-granting organizations claim a state tax credit that indirectly funded tuition for eligible families. Check current state legislation, since this program's status has changed; a 529 plan can also cover up to $10,000/year in K-12 tuition federally.

How competitive is admission to top Illinois Catholic high schools?

The most sought-after Chicago-area Catholic prep schools can have acceptance rates comparable to selective magnet public schools, often requiring the HSPT placement test, an interview, and an application well before eighth grade ends. Less selective diocesan and parish-based schools typically admit most applicants who meet basic academic and behavioral standards.

Do these rankings account for special education or learning support services?

Only indirectly, through overall accreditation and reported student-teacher ratios. Support services vary significantly between schools; some diocesan schools have limited resource rooms while independent college-prep schools offer dedicated learning specialists. Families with a child who has an IEP or 504 plan should contact each admissions office directly, since Catholic schools aren't bound by IDEA requirements.

What is the HSPT and do all Illinois Catholic high schools require it?

The High School Placement Test (HSPT) is a standardized entrance exam most Illinois Catholic high schools use for 8th-grade admissions, testing verbal, quantitative, reading, math, and language skills. Not every school requires it; some smaller or less selective schools use their own assessment, so confirm requirements directly with each target school's admissions office.

How reliable are Niche.com ratings for Catholic schools?

Niche aggregates standardized test data, college outcomes, and crowd-sourced parent and student reviews, making it a useful starting point but not a definitive ranking. Its review component can skew toward vocal minorities, and data currency varies by school. Cross-check Niche with U.S. News and each school's own published outcomes before relying on it heavily.

Do Catholic schools in Illinois report standardized test scores publicly?

Not uniformly. Some diocesan offices publish aggregate ACT or SAT averages for their schools; others leave reporting to individual schools' marketing materials, which may highlight favorable years. Because there's no statewide mandate like there is for public schools, always ask a school directly for its most recent, verifiable average when comparing options.

What's the biggest mistake families make when choosing a Catholic school in Illinois?

Prioritizing a school's historic reputation or alumni prestige over current-year data like faculty turnover, updated tuition assistance policies, and recent college matriculation. A school's reputation can lag its actual present-day quality by years, especially after a change in principal or diocesan leadership, so always ask for the last two years of outcomes, not decade-old brochures.

Can transfer students easily switch between Illinois Catholic schools mid-year?

It happens but isn't simple: sacramental records, prior transcripts, and sometimes a placement test are required, and highly ranked schools may have no open seats mid-year. Families relocating within Illinois should contact the receiving diocese's Office of Catholic Schools directly, since transfer credit evaluation and religion-course requirements vary by diocese.

Are there scholarships specifically for Catholic school students in Illinois?

Yes. Most dioceses run parish-based tuition assistance, and statewide organizations like the Big Shoulders Fund in Chicago and diocesan foundations offer need-based aid. Scholarship-granting organizations have historically administered Invest in Kids credit scholarships when that program was active, so check current availability each admissions cycle since funding levels change annually.

Sources

• https://www.niche.com/k12/search/best-catholic-high-schools/s/illinois/
• https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/illinois
• https://www.ncea.org/
• https://www.archchicago.org/offices/catholic-schools
• https://www.dioceseofjoliet.org/catholic-schools
• https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss/
• https://www.isbe.net/
• https://www.greatschools.org/illinois/

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