Catholic high schools in Cincinnati, OH

Catholic high schools in Cincinnati

There is no official ranking of Cincinnati's Catholic high schools, and "best" lists from Niche and similar sites reshuffle every year. The schools below are the ones families in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati most often shortlist, split by gender structure so you can start with the options that fit your family. All are within a short drive of each other - the hardest part of the Cincinnati choice is usually picking between two strong single-gender or two strong coed schools, not finding one.

What families compare

• School identity - Jesuit (St. Xavier), Marianist (Moeller), Franciscan (Elder), Lasallian (La Salle), and Ursuline schools all form students differently.
• Single-gender versus coed - Cincinnati runs a full all-boys and all-girls track alongside strong coed schools; many families have a clear preference.
• Enrollment size - from about 340 students at Mercy McAuley to about 1,001 at Summit Country Day, the largest Catholic high school in Ohio.
• HSPT and admissions coverage - schools with source-reviewed HSPT records in our directory link straight to their HSPT pages.
• Location and commute - schools span the city (St. Xavier, Elder, La Salle, Roger Bacon) and the northern suburbs (Moeller, St. Ursula, Mount Notre Dame, McNicholas, Mercy McAuley).

All-boys Catholic high schools in Cincinnati

Cincinnati's all-boys schools anchor every "best" conversation about the city: two order-run preps families compare head to head - St. Xavier (Jesuit) and Moeller (Marianist) - plus Franciscan Elder and Lasallian La Salle.

All-girls Catholic high schools in Cincinnati

The all-girls track is just as deep, from the two historic academies (Ursuline and St. Ursula) to Mount Notre Dame in Reading and Mercy McAuley, formed in 2018 from the merger of McAuley and Mother of Mercy.

Coed Catholic high schools in Cincinnati

The coed options range from Summit Country Day - a PK-12 school that is the largest Catholic high school in Ohio - to neighborhood schools like McNicholas, Purcell Marian, and Roger Bacon.

Suburban options round out the choice set: Badin in Hamilton, Bishop Fenwick in Middletown, and Royalmont Academy in Mason. Compare on fit - commute, size, identity, and aid - rather than a headline rank.

Catholic elementary schools in Cincinnati

The Archdiocese of Cincinnati runs one of the country's largest parish elementary school systems, and its official finder - catholicbestchoice.org - lists every parish school by neighborhood. This directory only covers schools that serve high-school grades, so the three entries below are the Cincinnati directory schools that also include elementary grades; the finder carries the full parish list.

• Immaculate Conception Academy — KG-12, about 112 students
• St. Edmund Campion Academy — Grades 1-12, about 30 students
• St. Rita School for the Deaf — PK-12, about 74 students

For the full city-by-city list, compare the best Catholic high schools in Ohio statewide, or use the Catholic schools near me guide to route by location.

HSPT & admissions at Cincinnati Catholic high schools

Seven Cincinnati directory entries have source-reviewed HSPT information - Moeller, McNicholas, Mercy McAuley, Mount Notre Dame, Purcell Marian, St. Ursula, and Summit Country Day - and the region's most-asked-about school, all-boys St. Xavier, has historically used the HSPT as well. Entrance-exam policy is set by each school and can change by application year, so confirm the current test and date with every admissions office before planning prep.

Cincinnati schools with verified HSPT pages

These links open our reviewed records of each school\u2019s exam dates, application steps, and requirements.

Cincinnati Catholic high schools that use the HSPT typically test in the fall of 8th grade, most often between November and January, ahead of spring admission decisions. Each school posts its own date, usually by early fall - plan prep around the earliest date on your list rather than assuming one shared sitting.

How to prepare for the HSPT in Cincinnati

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 Cincinnati families ask:

Cincinnati's Catholic high schools sit in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, and the archdiocese runs its own find-a-school tool at catholicbestchoice.org. Ask each school whether one HSPT sitting can be shared across the schools you are applying to - within the archdiocese this is sometimes possible - and whether the test is used for admission only or also for placement and scholarship consideration.

For the fall admission cycle, Cincinnati families typically research schools in the spring of 7th grade, visit during 8th-grade fall, and test between November and January. Application, financial-aid, and scholarship deadlines differ by school, so collect them in one place early and treat them as planning inputs, not reasons to choose one school over another.