National Directory / OH
Best Catholic high schools in Ohio
Ohio families choosing a Catholic high school usually start with one of three metros - Cincinnati, Cleveland, or Akron - where the state's best-known schools sit within commuting distance of each other. This page ranks the schools families most often shortlist, covers all-boys and all-girls options, and walks through HSPT and admissions reality for the current cycle.
Families applying in Ohio can take the free HSPT practice test first, then use the city lists below to compare schools that actually require the exam.
Ohio has 64 Catholic schools serving high-school grades across 35 cities, from the Cincinnati and Dayton corridor in the southwest to the Cleveland and Akron metros in the northeast, with a third cluster around Columbus and Toledo. The state's Catholic schools operate under six Latin-rite dioceses - the Archdiocese of Cincinnati plus the dioceses of Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo, Youngstown, and Steubenville - alongside the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma, and most metro schools belong to athletic leagues like the Greater Catholic League (GCL) in Cincinnati or the Crown Conference and North Coast League in the Cleveland-Akron area.
What separates one Ohio Catholic high school from another is rarely the basics. It is school identity (Jesuit, Marianist, Franciscan, Lasallian, Holy Cross, or diocesan), single-gender versus coed - Ohio runs a deep bench of all-boys and all-girls schools - enrollment size, entrance-exam policy, and how tuition and aid actually work. The best-of lists below start with the schools families most often shortlist; the region-by-region directory keeps every school visible so you can build a short list from what is actually commutable, then compare admissions details.
Best Catholic high schools in Ohio
There is no official ranking of Ohio's Catholic high schools, and "best" lists from Niche and similar sites mix different methodologies and reshuffle every year. This list is a curated, sourced starting point: it organizes the schools families most often shortlist by metro, using NCES 2023-24 enrollment figures and HSPT information reviewed from each school's own site where available. Use it to build a compare list, then dig into the admissions and HSPT sections below.
How we ranked these schools
- Location and commute - most Ohio families choose among two or three commutable schools, so the lists are organized by metro: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Akron, Columbus, Toledo, and Dayton.
- School identity and charism - Jesuit (St. Xavier, St. Ignatius, Walsh Jesuit, St. John\u2019s Jesuit), Marianist (Moeller), Franciscan (Elder), Lasallian (La Salle), and Holy Cross (St. Edward) schools all form students differently.
- Single-gender versus coed - Ohio has a strong all-boys and all-girls bench in Cincinnati and Cleveland in particular; many families have a clear preference.
- Enrollment size - from NCES 2023-24 data, a signal for campus and class size rather than a quality measure.
- HSPT and admissions coverage - schools with source-reviewed HSPT records in our directory link straight to their HSPT pages; for the rest, confirm the entrance-exam policy directly with the school.
- College outcomes where published - the strongest schools publish matriculation lists; ask each school for its own profile rather than relying on a single ranking.
Cincinnati
The Archdiocese of Cincinnati shortlist is the state's deepest: two order-run all-boys schools families compare head to head (St. Xavier and Moeller), two more all-boys options (Elder and La Salle), a full all-girls track, and the largest Catholic high school in the state.
Cleveland
Cleveland's shortlist is anchored by its two all-boys preps - St. Ignatius, one of the most decorated Jesuit schools in the country, and St. Edward, the Holy Cross school with the International Baccalaureate program - with strong all-girls and coed options around them.
Akron and Northeast Ohio
Akron families choose among Hoban, Walsh Jesuit, and St. Vincent-St. Mary - three very different identities within a few miles - plus the Elms for the all-girls track.
Columbus and Central Ohio
Columbus's Catholic high schools split between the two large coed diocesan schools (Watterson and DeSales) and the smaller options, with all-boys St. Charles as the metro's single-gender standout.
Toledo and Northwest Ohio
Toledo's Catholic high schools cluster around St. John's Jesuit and Central Catholic, with Notre Dame Academy anchoring the all-girls track and a long tail of smaller schools across northwest Ohio.
No list can tell you which school fits your child. Use these as a starting shortlist, then compare on commute, size, identity, programs, and aid - the how-to-compare section below lays out the full framework.
All-boys Catholic high schools in Ohio
Ohio is one of the strongest states in the country for all-boys Catholic high schools, with nine schools spread across the major metros. Most are run by religious orders - Jesuit, Marianist, Franciscan, Lasallian, or Holy Cross - which shapes everything from academics to campus culture:
The all-girls counterparts are just as deep: Ursuline Academy, St. Ursula, Mount Notre Dame, and Mercy McAuley in Cincinnati; Magnificat, Beaumont, and Saint Joseph Academy in the Cleveland metro; Our Lady of the Elms in Akron; and Notre Dame Academy in Toledo.
Catholic high schools in Ohio at a glance
- Schools
- 64 serving high-school grades
- Cities
- 35 across Ohio
- Students listed
- 28,645 across 64 schools reporting enrollment
- Average enrollment
- 448 students among schools with published NCES enrollment
- Grade span
- 36 schools serve grades 9–12 only; 28 also span lower grades
- Verified HSPT guides
- 18
Find schools by city
Applying to a Catholic high school in Ohio?
Use the free diagnostic to establish an HSPT baseline before deciding how much preparation is necessary.
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Looking for Catholic schools near you?
If your search was for catholic schools near me, start with our Catholic schools near me guide — it turns the search into a local shortlist: find your state, narrow to your metro, then compare the real schools in your commute on HSPT requirements, scholarships, cost, and fit. For Ohio specifically, pick a city above for the local list, then open each school page to confirm HSPT dates and admissions deadlines.
Catholic high schools in the Cincinnati metro
The Archdiocese of Cincinnati is home to the state's deepest Catholic high school market, and the city itself runs two full single-gender tracks: all-boys St. Xavier (Jesuit), Archbishop Moeller (Marianist), Elder (Franciscan), and La Salle (Lasallian) alongside all-girls Ursuline Academy, St. Ursula Academy, Mount Notre Dame, and Mercy McAuley, with coed options like McNicholas, Roger Bacon, Purcell Marian, and the Summit Country Day School - the largest Catholic high school in Ohio at about 1,001 students. Hamilton's Badin, Mason's Royalmont Academy, and Middletown's Bishop Fenwick serve the northern suburbs. Note that St. Xavier, Elder, La Salle, Roger Bacon, and Ursuline Academy are not in the NCES directory snapshot below; they appear with official links in the best-of and all-boys sections.
Catholic high schools in the Cleveland metro
The Diocese of Cleveland runs the state's second-largest Catholic school market. The city itself holds six directory schools, and the metro ring adds Beaumont in Cleveland Heights, Gilmour Academy in Gates Mills, Magnificat in Rocky River, Lake Catholic in Mentor, Trinity in Garfield Heights, and the Lyceum in South Euclid. The two schools families ask about most - St. Ignatius (Jesuit, founded 1886) and St. Edward (Holy Cross, International Baccalaureate) in Lakewood - sit outside the NCES snapshot and appear with official links below. All-girls options include Magnificat, Beaumont, and Saint Joseph Academy; coed schools include Villa Angela-St. Joseph, Gilmour, Lake Catholic, Benedictine, and Cleveland Central Catholic.
Catholic high schools in the Akron area
Akron's Catholic high schools are Archbishop Hoban (the city's largest, about 841 students), Our Lady of the Elms (PK-12, all-girls), Chesterton Academy of Akron, and the Academy of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The metro's flagship all-boys option is Walsh Jesuit in Cuyahoga Falls (about 928 students), and St. Vincent-St. Mary - the school that produced LeBron James - is the area's best-known name despite sitting outside the NCES snapshot; it links from the best-of list below. Akron sits in the Diocese of Cleveland.
Catholic high schools in Columbus and central Ohio
Columbus's Catholic high schools are Bishop Watterson and St. Francis DeSales - both around 860 students - plus Bishop Hartley and Cristo Rey Columbus, with all-boys St. Charles Preparatory (not in the NCES snapshot; official link below) rounding out the shortlist. East of the metro, Newark Catholic and Fisher Catholic in Lancaster serve Licking and Fairfield counties.
Catholic high schools in Toledo and northwest Ohio
Toledo's three directory schools are St. John's Jesuit (all-boys, about 735 students), Central Catholic, and St. Francis de Sales, with all-girls Notre Dame Academy (not in the NCES snapshot; official link below) completing the metro set. Northwest Ohio spreads the rest out: Cardinal Stritch in Oregon, St. Joseph Central Catholic in Fremont, Delphos St. John's, Lima Central Catholic, Sandusky Central Catholic, Calvert Catholic in Tiffin, and Lehman Catholic in Sidney.
Catholic high schools in Dayton and southwest Ohio
Dayton's Chaminade Julienne and Carroll High School anchor the GCL's western wing, and Catholic Central in Springfield serves the metro's northern edge. Families here typically choose between the Dayton pair or commute east toward Cincinnati's deeper field.
Other Catholic high schools in Ohio
The directory below uses NCES Private School Locator 2023-24 data. A handful of Ohio schools appear twice under slightly different names (St. Ursula Academy, Summit Country Day, Our Lady of the Elms, St. Martin de Porres, Calvert Catholic, and Notre Dame in Portsmouth), and several well-known Ohio schools - St. Xavier, Elder, La Salle, Roger Bacon, Ursuline Academy, St. Ignatius, St. Edward, St. Vincent-St. Mary, and St. Charles - are absent from this NCES snapshot entirely; they appear in the best-of and all-boys lists above with links to their official sites. Schools outside the directory don't yet have profile pages on this site.
Largest Catholic high schools in Ohio
Enrollment is a useful scale signal - it tells you how big the campus and, roughly, how big the classes are - but it is not a quality measure. These are the largest Catholic high schools in Ohio by NCES 2023-24 enrollment:
Catholic school resources for Ohio families
How Catholic high school admissions work in Ohio
Ohio's Catholic high schools operate under six Latin-rite dioceses - the Archdiocese of Cincinnati plus the dioceses of Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo, Youngstown, and Steubenville - alongside the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma. Each school runs its own admissions office, but the shape of the process is similar statewide: research in 7th grade, apply in 8th grade, test in the fall, and receive decisions in the winter and spring. The Archdiocese of Cincinnati publishes its own find-a-school tool (catholicbestchoice.org), and the diocese-level pages on this site - like the Archdiocese of Cincinnati directory - list the schools assigned to each diocese.
Most schools require an application, prior school records or transcripts, and some form of entrance assessment - in Ohio that is most often the HSPT, though a few schools use their own exams. Tuition and financial-aid applications run on separate deadlines from the admissions application, so collect every deadline in one place early. Ask each admissions office whether one HSPT sitting can be shared across the schools on your list; within the same diocese this is often possible.
A typical Ohio Catholic high school admissions timeline
- Spring-summer of 7th grade: shortlist schools and note each one\u2019s entrance-test policy and tuition/aid dates.
- Fall of 8th grade: applications open, campuses hold open houses, and families register for entrance exams.
- October-December: entrance testing (the HSPT or a school-specific exam) and most application deadlines.
- Winter-spring: financial-aid and scholarship applications are due; admission decisions arrive.
- Spring: enroll, complete placement paperwork, and confirm testing or waiting-list status at any remaining schools.
Which Ohio Catholic high schools use the HSPT?
The HSPT is the most common entrance exam among Ohio's Catholic high schools, but policy varies by school and by application year: some schools give the HSPT, a few use their own exam, and Catholic affiliation alone does not establish which test a school requires. Eighteen Ohio directory entries have source-reviewed HSPT information; the verified list below links to each school's HSPT page.
Our honest status for Ohio
Eighteen Ohio schools in our directory have source-reviewed HSPT information - Archbishop Hoban, Our Lady of the Elms, Moeller, McNicholas, Mercy McAuley, Mount Notre Dame, Purcell Marian, St. Ursula, Summit Country Day, Carroll, Badin, Lima Central Catholic, Royalmont, Lake Catholic, Cardinal Stritch, and Lehman (a few of those are duplicate records for the same school). For the other schools in the directory we don't yet have a confirmed record, and for well-known Ohio schools outside the directory - St. Xavier, Elder, La Salle, St. Ignatius, St. Edward, St. Charles, and St. Vincent-St. Mary among them - confirm the current entrance-exam policy directly with each admissions office. Policies change by year.
Ohio schools with verified HSPT information
How to prepare for the HSPT in Ohio
If your target schools do use the HSPT, start with the free diagnostic to establish a baseline, then build a study plan around the earliest test date on your list. These guides cover the practical questions Ohio families ask:
What is the HSPT?
The sections, timing, and scoring of the exam most Catholic high schools use for admissions.
HSPT vs ISEE vs SSAT
Which entrance exam your target schools use, how they differ, and why it matters for prep.
When to start HSPT prep
How far ahead to start, based on your test date, school list, and how much prep your child can sustain.
How Catholic high schools use HSPT scores
Admissions, placement, scholarships, and why the same percentile can carry different weight at different schools.
Average HSPT scores and scholarships
What the average score means for admissions and how schools use scores for merit aid.
4-week HSPT study plan
A realistic one-month plan for families starting late but still wanting to move the score.
HSPT scholarships for Ohio families
Some Ohio Catholic high schools factor HSPT scores into merit scholarship consideration, but the policy differs by school and year - ask each school's admissions and financial-aid offices directly. The HSPT scholarships by city guide explains how to research it, and the verified scholarship-deadline calendar tracks 2026-2027 dates.
Planning a Catholic high school application in Ohio
Entrance-test rules are set by the school or diocese and can differ even within the same city, so check each school's admissions site before registering. Work this checklist regardless of which schools end up on your list:
- Confirm whether each school requires the HSPT or another entrance test for the current cycle.
- Record application, transcript, recommendation, financial-aid, and scholarship deadlines separately for every school.
- Ask whether one HSPT sitting can be shared across the schools you are applying to, especially within the same diocese.
- Compare the daily commute, school size, single-gender versus coed structure, academic programs, and tuition and aid - not just the name.
- Build HSPT prep around the earliest test date on your list, starting with a free diagnostic to set a baseline.
Questions about Catholic high schools in Ohio
What are the best Catholic high schools in Ohio?
There is no official ranking, and "best" lists from sites like Niche reshuffle every year with methodology. Families most often shortlist St. Xavier and Moeller in Cincinnati, St. Ignatius and St. Edward in Cleveland, and Hoban and Walsh Jesuit in the Akron area - but the right school depends on where you live, whether you want single-gender or coed, and what your child needs. Use the best-of list above as a starting point, then compare schools on fit: commute, size, identity, programs, and cost with aid.
What are the best Catholic high schools in Cincinnati?
Cincinnati's shortlist usually starts with St. Xavier (all-boys Jesuit), Archbishop Moeller (all-boys Marianist), Ursuline Academy and St. Ursula (all-girls), Mount Notre Dame, Elder, La Salle, and the Summit Country Day School - the largest Catholic high school in Ohio. The all-boys, all-girls, and coed breakdowns on this page and the Cincinnati city page keep the choice set visible.
Are there all-boys Catholic high schools in Ohio?
Yes - Ohio has nine: St. Xavier, Moeller, Elder, and La Salle in Cincinnati; St. Ignatius and St. Edward in the Cleveland metro; Walsh Jesuit in the Akron metro; St. Charles Preparatory in Columbus; and St. John\u2019s Jesuit in Toledo. Most are run by religious orders (Jesuit, Marianist, Franciscan, Lasallian, or Holy Cross). The all-girls track is just as deep, with Ursuline, St. Ursula, Mount Notre Dame, Mercy McAuley, Magnificat, Beaumont, Saint Joseph Academy, Our Lady of the Elms, and Notre Dame Academy.
Are there all-boys Catholic high schools in Cleveland?
Yes - two, and they are the most-decorated names in Ohio Catholic athletics: St. Ignatius High School, the Jesuit school in Ohio City founded in 1886, and St. Edward High School, the Holy Cross school in Lakewood with the International Baccalaureate program. Both sit just outside the NCES directory snapshot, so they appear in the best-of lists above with links to their official sites.
Do Ohio Catholic high schools require the HSPT?
Most do, but policy varies by school and by application year. Eighteen Ohio directory entries have source-reviewed HSPT information - from Archbishop Hoban and Our Lady of the Elms in Akron to Moeller, Mount Notre Dame, St. Ursula, and Summit Country Day in Cincinnati - and the verified list on this page links to each school's HSPT page. For any school not on that list, confirm the current entrance-exam policy directly with its admissions office.
How many Catholic high schools are in Ohio?
Our directory lists 64 Catholic schools in Ohio that serve high-school grades, across 35 cities. The count is built from NCES Private School Locator data (2023-24) plus school-verified additions; a few schools appear twice under slightly different names, and several well-known schools (St. Xavier, St. Ignatius, St. Edward, and others) are absent from this NCES snapshot and covered separately in the best-of lists.
How many Catholic high schools are in Cincinnati, Akron, and Cleveland?
By NCES 2023-24 data, the directory lists 12 entries in Cincinnati (about 10 unique schools), 5 in Akron, and 6 in Cleveland - and roughly a dozen more across each metro\u2019s surrounding suburbs. St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron and St. Ignatius and St. Edward in Cleveland are well-known additions outside the NCES snapshot.
What is the largest Catholic high school in Ohio?
By NCES 2023-24 enrollment, the Summit Country Day School in Cincinnati is the largest Ohio Catholic high school at about 1,001 students, followed by Walsh Jesuit (928) and Archbishop Moeller (899). NCES enrollment figures are updated annually and may differ from a school\u2019s current headcount.
When is the HSPT given at Ohio Catholic high schools?
Ohio Catholic high schools that use the HSPT typically test in the fall of 8th grade, most often between October and December, ahead of winter and spring admission decisions. Each school posts its own date, usually by early fall, so confirm with each admissions office and build prep around the earliest date on your list - the when-to-start-HSPT-prep guide walks through the timing.
Applying to a Catholic high school in Ohio?
Use the free diagnostic to establish an HSPT baseline before deciding how much preparation is necessary.
3 days free · cancel anytime
Source: NCES Private School Locator 2023-24, plus school-verified directory additions (August 2026). Enrollment figures come from NCES and may not reflect current-year numbers; confirm admissions, tuition, and testing details directly with each school. Read the methodology.