This is from the 2009 Dallas Business Journal's Big Book of Lists and it ranks Dallas area private schools by enrollment - followed by additional schools I added that did not appear on the list.
Private Schools do not take the TAKS/STAAR tests.
The enrollment number is from the 2007-2008 school year.
The tuition number is from the 2008-2009 school year.
Enrollment - School - Tuition - Grade Levels
General Location - Comments
1) 1,500 - Trinity Christian Academy - $14,600 - K-12
North Addison - Very, very conservative school; great reputation; monied; had some negative publicity in 2004
2) 1,458 - Prestonwood Christian Academy - $15,095 - PK-12
West Plano - Conservative school; above average academics and sports; great facilities; attached to Prestonwood Baptist Church which has a huge membership and has a high profile
3) 1,243 - Greenhill School - $21,050 - PK-12
Southwest Addison - Excellent college prep school similar to prep schools up east; liberal; no uniforms; non-religious independent school
4) 1,200 - Parish Episcopal School - $18,325 - PK-12
Two campuses, both in Far North Dallas, but several miles apart. Good reputation.
5) 1,174 - Liberty Christian School - $13,500 - K-12
Argyle - Very good reputation; nice facilities; in an area where there are few other private school options
6) 1,140 - Episcopal School of Dallas - $21,750 - PK-12
Preston Hollow/North Dallas (two campuses, plus outdoor learning location) - The rich and famous have their kids here; great but not superior academics and good facilities and they are working on the sports; lots of wealth here; had some negative publicity in 2011
7) 1,125 - Fort Worth Country Day School - $15,700 - K-12
Southwest Ft. Worth - This has always been THE private school in Ft. Worth
8) 1,086 - Nolan Catholic High School - $10,925 - 9-12
East Ft. Worth
9) 1,043 - Bishop Lynch High School - $11,850 - 9-12
Northeast Dallas - Large, solid coed Catholic school; loves their sports; often the 2nd choice for kids who can't get into Ursuline or Jesuit, but it's not a bad option
10) 1,041 - The Hockaday School - $20,496 - PK-12
North Dallas - Very prestigious all girls school; one of the best private schools in the country; has boarding students from all over the world, plus day students
11) 1,030 - Jesuit College Preparatory School - $11,800 - 9-12
North Dallas - great Jesuit school; boys only
12) 963 - Trinity Valley School - $14,885 - K-12
Southwest Ft. Worth
13) 890 - St. Monica Catholic School - $8,535 - PK-8
North Dallas - largest K-8 Catholic school in Dallas; solid school; cheaper alternative than the more expensive private schools in North Dallas; they are very aggressive about making sure each child is ready for kindergarten and 1st grade and will retain or delay students if necessary
14) 865 - Temple Christian Schools - $5,620 - PK-12
Ft. Worth - Baptist. Homeschoolers can take 1-4 classes per semester for pro-rated tuition costs
15) 865 - The Oakridge School - $14,630 - PK-12
West Arlington/East Ft. Worth area
16) 840 - The Shelton School - $18,852 - PK-12
Far North Dallas - Students have documented learning disabilities such as dyslexia and ADHD; does not take kids with behavior problems; world's largest LD school; excellent school with well-trained teachers; has sports, theatre; lots of wealthy families.
17) 838 - St. Marks School of Texas - $22,874 - 1-12
North Dallas - Boys only; one of the best private schools in the country; great teachers, academics and facilities; seems to take boys who are old for their grades (boys who start first grade at age 7 and graduate at age 19); does not offer preschool or kindergarten
18) 820 - Prince of Peace Christian School - $10,750 - PK-12
North Carrollton - (not to be confused with Prince of Peace Catholic school in Plano); good school; very loyal families
19) 812 - Ursuline Academy - $12,900 - 9-12
North Dallas - all girls Catholic high school; very good; great facilities; benefits from having Melinda Gates (Bill's wife) as an alum
20) 803 - All Saints Episcopal School - $13,900 - K-12
West Ft. Worth
21) 711 - Pantego Christian Academy - $9,445 - PK-12
Arlington and Mansfield
22) 680 - Dallas Christian Academy - $11,100 - PK-12
Mesquite - Pretty good reputation; best private school in that part of town
23) 677 - St. Rita Catholic School - $7,500 - K-8
North Dallas, same campus as Jesuit - very well-regarded; wealthy
24) 670 - First Baptist Academy - $11,175 - PK-12
Downtown Dallas - many students have parents who work downtown; urban city feel to the campus; conservative Southern Baptist; 10% of students learning disabled
25) 600 - Good Shepherd Episcopal School - $13,308 - PK-8
North Dallas - well-regarded solid school
26) 575 - Pope John Paul II High School - $11,500 - 9-12
Plano - has never been at full capacity; education and facilities seem to be pretty good; only private school to participate in (and win) Academic Decathlon
27) 570 - Legacy Christian Academy - $10,700 - PK-12
Frisco
28) 525 - St. Alcuin Montessori School - $17,866 - PK-8
North Dallas - great school
29) 525 - Dallas International School - $15,400 - PK-12
North Dallas - mostly taught in French, but also teaches in Spanish and English with Chinese added in 6th grade
30) 521 - St. Patrick Catholic School - $4,200 - PK-8
Lake Highlands - good, not great
31) 500 - DeSoto Private School - $4,528 - PK-6
DeSoto
32) 500 - St. John's Episcopal School - $12,280 - PK-8
East Dallas - pretty good school
33) 485 - Carrollton Christian Academy - $10,675 - PK-12
Carrollton
34) American Heritage Academy, Carrollton - closed after 2008-2009 school year
35) 445 - Ann and Nate Levine Academy - $17,510 - PK-8
Far North Dallas - Jewish; good school
36) 438 - McKinney Christian Academy - $10,225 - PK-12
McKinney
37) 432 - Lake Country Christian School - $8,660 - PK-12
Fort Worth
38) 422 - Lamplighter - $16,700 - PK-4
North Dallas - excellent school; feeds into the other elite private schools; wealthy families
39) 414 - St. Maria Goretti Catholic School - $5,298 - PK-8
Arlington
40) 413 - The Highlands School - $10,900 - PK-12
Irving - Run by the controversial Legionaries of Christ Catholic order; single gender classes from 4-12th grades; mediocre, but adequate academics; pretty school setting; very conservative
41) 405 - Christ the King Catholic School - $9,350 - K-8
University Park area - good school; wealthy families
42) 400 - Lakehill Preparatory School - $14,453 - K-12
East Dallas/Lakewood - good school; non-religious
43) 375 - St. Pius Catholic School - $3,900 - K-8
East Dallas
44) 355 - Lakeland Christian Academy - $4,700 - K-9 (adding high school)
Lewisville
45) 344 - Cistercian Preparatory School - $15,100 - 5th-12th
Irving - boys only; really great school; seems to accept scholar/athletes mostly; Catholic; extremely competitive admissions; probably the best private school in the Dallas area
46) 340 - Akiba Academy - $15,950 - PK-8
North Dallas - Jewish; good reputation; same campus as Yavneh Academy, the Jewish high school
47) 334 - Burton Adventist Academy - $7,450 - PK-12
Arlington - Seventh-Day Adventist
48) 337 - The Covenant School - $13,000 - K-12
North Dallas
49) 310 - St. John's the Apostle Catholic School - $6,438 - PK-8
North Richland Hills
50) 306 - The Canterbury Episcopal School - $10,550 - K-12
DeSoto - one of the better private schools in the southern half of Dallas
Notable omissions (not all schools provide info to DBJ)
Bishop Dunne Catholic School - grades 6-12, coed, South Dallas, $11,000
Cambridge School of Dallas - grades 6-12, co-ed, North Dallas, classical Christian education with motivated students
Coram Deo Academy - 3 campuses - Dallas, Flower Mound, Carrollton - PK-12 - classical Christian education; full or part-time students (the part-timers are homeschoolers who come to school 3 days a week); about 1,000 students between the 3 campuses with Flower Mound being the largest with about 660; challenging curriculum
Canyon Creek Christian Academy - Richardson - Baptist - 530 students - PK-12 - about $9,000 - been around since the 1970s - generally well-regarded
Yavneh Academy - North Dallas - Modern Orthodox Jewish high school, co-ed, attracts Jewish students of all affiliations; growing fast; about $21,000
Fairhill School - Far North Dallas - grades 1-12 - 235 students - for students with learning disabilities - college prep - about $14,000
The Dallas Academy - White Rock lake area - grades 3-12 - about 143 students - for students with learning disabilities - 80-90% of students go on to college; about $16,000
Oak Hill Academy - North Dallas - grades PK-12 - for students with learning disabilities, they also seem to take some kids with bi-polar. The school has two tracks, one for college bound kids and one for non-college bound kids - about $15,000
Our Redeemer Lutheran School - North Dallas - PK-6 - 140 students
Dallas Lutheran School - North Dallas - 7-12th grades - about $12,000; seems to attract students looking for a smaller school environment
Zion Lutheran School - Northeast Dallas - PK-8th grades
All Saints Catholic School - Far North Dallas - K-8 - about $7,000 - the school is several miles away from the church - well-regarded school - school holds 400 students
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School - East Dallas - K-8 - about 870 students - about $5,500 - very popular school, very popular Catholic Parish, beautiful church, school is a bit spread out, but nearby
Prince of Peace Catholic School - West Plano - PK-8 - about $6,000 - very popular Catholic school - not to be confused with Prince of Peace Christian School
St. Mark's Catholic School - Central Plano - PK-8 - about $4,800 to $7,500 - well regarded school; not be confused with St. Mark's School of Texas
Notre Dame School - near Uptown area of Dallas - for students ages 6-21 who have mild to moderate mental disabilities such as Down Syndrome
Bending Oaks - Northeast Dallas - grades 8-12 - college like scheduling - 6-8 students per class, 50% of students have learning disabilities; also attracts creative type kids who don't like traditional schooling; 95% of graduates attend college, famous graduate - Lance Armstrong
Newfound School - Carrollton - PK-12 - for students with behavior and learning issues such as High Functioning Autism, Asperger's, PDD, Emotional and Behavior issues, LD, ADHD, bipolar, $16,000-19,000
St. Anthony School - Carrollton - K-12 - therapeutic school for students with high-functioning Autism, ADHD, LD, PDD, Sensory issues, bi-polar, anxiety, school phobia - about $18,000
Grace Academy - North Dallas - PK-6 - Christian - $6,000-9,200
Spring Creek Academy for the Gifted, Talented and Highly Motivated - Plano - K-12 - for students who are high level athletes, professional actors, dancers, or musicians who need a flexible school schedule due to training and traveling and missing school - has a lot of high-ranking gymnasts as students
White Rock North School - Lake Highlands area - infants to 6th grade
Hillier School of Highland Park - Highland Park - grades 1-8 - for students with learning disabilities
The Highlander School - Lake Highlands area - PK-6th grade - about 200 students - a Carden curriculum school - many parents use this school rather than the local public elementary schools (as they are hit or miss in that part of town) and then go to public school starting at 7th grade
Kessler School - North Oak Cliff/Kessler Park area - PK-5th grade - about $8,500
Preston Hollow Presbyterian School - Preston Hollow/North Dallas - K-6 - 118 students - for students with learning disabilities
Providence Christian School of Texas - North Dallas - PK-8 - 435 students - pre-school and kindergarten are part-time (called Enrichment) - classical Christian education - about $12,000
The Westwood School - Far North Dallas - PK-12 upper school is new - an IB World School, Montessori school - about $11,000-16,000
Willow Bend Academy - Plano and Lewisville - meets 4 hours a day. Good for students who have other things to do like competitive sports or music or are child actors or models or travel a lot with their families. Also good for students who don't like school in general. Self-paced classes on the computer. You can also use this school as supplemental to other schooling to make up credits or enhance homeschooling - about $9,000 for full time.
Bridge Builder Academy - Plano - all teaching is done 1 on 1 by certified teachers in the student's home. They do have one classroom in Plano. Can handle regular ed students as well as those with disabilities such as ADHD, LD, PDD and autism - about $21,000.
Yorktown Education - Plano - Individualized learning, non-competitive, happy and quiet environment with flexible scheduling, advanced students can work ahead, grades 6-12 - $9,000
Vanguard Preparatory School - Far North Dallas - serves children with social, emotional and learning differences. Therapeutic program. PK-12
Crossroads Academy - Cedar Hill - independent school for gifted, average, slow learner or learning disabled students, small class sizes, seems to have a disproportionate number of seniors which means students are transferring there from public school to avoid the state's exit tests, so this would be a good option for those who struggle with the state-mandated tests. Also offers high school diploma programs for homeschoolers and adults. $4,050.00 Grades 1-12
Holy Cross Catholic School - Frisco - PK3-5th grade (eventually will go to 8th grade). $6,700-$9,100.
Fusion Academy - Plano and Dallas - opened Fall 2014. 6th-12th grades. All classes are 1-on-1. Good for students who have LD's, need special attention, have professional careers, want to get through school faster. Middle school $35,000. High school $42,000. These are tuitions for full time students, but there is also the option to just take a class or two. No homework. Therapeutic support.
St. Philip's School and Community Center - South Dallas. PK3-6th grade. Ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas. Member of the Independent Schools Association.
St. Philip's Academy - Frisco. Episcopal. K-3rd and adding a grade every year. About $10,000.
...and believe it or not, there are even more private schools in the Dallas area!
