Best Private Schools in Miami in 2026

Tuition, Rankings & Where to Live for a Short Commute To Miami’s Best Private Schools

The best private schools in Miami in 2026 include Ransom Everglades, Gulliver Preparatory, Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart, Belen Jesuit Preparatory, Palmer Trinity, Miami Country Day, Cushman, and Christopher Columbus High School. Across Miami-Dade County, 545 private schools serve roughly 94,000 students, with average annual tuition of about $17,800 — and at the top of the market, upper-school tuition now exceeds $48,000.

This guide is different from a typical school ranking. It is written by a Miami real estate broker who has raised two children through the system you’re researching, lived in three of the city’s top school-district neighborhoods, and helped hundreds of relocating families land their kids at the schools listed below. Every school here is paired with home listings within an approximate 20-minute morning commute.

About This Guide

David Siddons is a licensed Miami real estate broker and the founder of the David Siddons Group, a luxury residential practice serving families relocating to Miami from New York, London, São Paulo, Hong Kong, and other major markets. He has lived and worked in Miami-Dade County for over 15 years, personally relocated hundreds of families, and has placed the great majority of them at their first-choice school.

His two children have moved through the private school system he writes about here — graduating St. Thomas Episcopal in Coral Gables before entering Gulliver Preparatory in Pinecrest — and his family has made three residential moves driven entirely by school decisions. He has interviewed heads of admissions at multiple schools on this list, works alongside a private school admissions advisor, and regularly makes warm introductions for clients at the most competitive entry points, including Ransom Everglades, Gulliver Prep, and Belen Jesuit.

The families David works with are typically arriving with tight timelines, non-negotiable school requirements, and a target home budget between $2M and $15M. Many begin school tours and property viewings on the same trip. If that is you, the best version of this process starts before you have signed a lease or made an offer.

David Siddons Group · (305) 508-0899 · [email protected]

The Best Private Schools in Miami: 2026 Tuition, Rankings & Where to Live

Miami-Dade County has one of the highest private-school enrollment rates in the country. Roughly 21% of all K-12 students attend a private school here, compared with about 14% statewide. Average annual tuition runs near $17,800 for K-8 and $19,500 for high school, but the top of the market is in a different bracket: upper-school tuition exceeds $40,000 at Ransom Everglades, Gulliver Preparatory, Carrollton, Miami Country Day, and Palmer Trinity. Ransom Everglades is currently Miami’s most expensive school at approximately $48,000 per year.

The most competitive admissions are at Ransom Everglades, Gulliver Prep, Belen Jesuit, Carrollton, and Miami Country Day, all of which now operate what is effectively a two-year admissions cycle for the most popular grade entry points. Catholic options dominate at the high school level — Belen Jesuit and Christopher Columbus together enroll over 3,000 boys, while Carrollton is Florida’s only all-girls Catholic Sacred Heart school. For families seeking smaller, more progressive K-8 options, Cushman in Morningside, St. Stephen’s in Coconut Grove, and the Riviera Day School in Coral Gables are perennially in demand.

The right Miami private school depends on three things most ranking sites ignore: the academic and cultural fit for your specific child, the financial-aid math (which can drop effective tuition dramatically), and — critically — where you live in relation to the campus. A 40-minute commute on Bayshore in October is a different life than a 12-minute commute from Ponce Davis.

Why Trust This Guide

I first shot a video about Miami’s best private schools in 2020. My kids were five and six. Six years on, they have graduated St. Thomas Episcopal in Coral Gables and started middle school at Gulliver Preparatory in Pinecrest. Our family has moved three times along the way: Coconut Grove first, then Coral Gables, now Ponce Davis. Every move was driven by a school decision.

Most articles ranking Miami’s private schools are written by review aggregators that have never set foot on the campuses. I have actually walked the school run — both as the dad doing the forty-minute commute when we lived in the wrong neighborhood, and as the realtor who helped families make the moves that cut it down to twelve.

Beyond my own family, I have spent fifteen years selling Miami real estate and personally relocated hundreds of families. The majority of families I work with are arriving from New York, London, São Paulo, and Hong Kong, often with tight timelines and non-negotiable school requirements. Many arrive before they have a lease signed. For dozens of these families, there is a single priority: placing their children in the right school. We have successfully guided the vast majority into their first-choice institution.  I have interviewed the heads of admissions at multiple of the schools listed below and can often make warm introductions. I have sat at length with a private school admissions advisor to map exactly how Miami’s admissions waterfall works: when applications open, what each school looks for, and where the realistic match versus aspirational stretch lives.

I have also tracked the shifts in real time — the rise of Alpha School and AI-native education in 2025–2026, the post-pandemic waitlist pressure at Gulliver and Ransom Everglades, the quiet emergence of Pinecrest as the new Coral Gables for school-driven buyers. None of that shows up in a Niche or Private School Review listing.

Most importantly, I know the street-level geography around every school on this list. Which Pinecrest blocks are zoned for Gulliver and which add ten minutes to the morning. Which Coral Gables streets are walking distance to St. Theresa or Saint Philip’s. Which Coconut Grove pockets sit four minutes from Ransom Everglades’ Bayshore campus and which double the drive. Which Palmetto Bay homes are five turns from Palmer Trinity. That kind of intel takes years to build. I have built it twice — once as a parent, once as a realtor.

If you are relocating to Miami with school-aged children, the best version of this work happens before you’ve signed a lease or made an offer. — David Siddons, David Siddons Group · (305) 508-0899

Annika Fraser | Pinecrest Buyer (Relocation from California)

Stephanie Doerfler | Coconut Grove Buyer (Relocation from New York)

“David Siddons and his team were more then professional in my process of buying a home in Coconut Grove. As a New Yorker I knew very little about the ways of real estate in Miami or much of anything else when it came to Miami . David and his team educated us fully! Very detailed yet not  overwhelming. Most brokers in my experience don’t really know there clients needs and wants. David and his team really got to know myself, family and even my closest friend in Miami in order to find us the perfect home. 

Inside Miami’s Private Schools: Conversations You Won’t Find Anywhere Else

Five conversations with the people who actually decide who gets in. A school admissions advisor maps the full Miami admissions landscape. The director of Gulliver Preparatory speaks candidly about what the school looks for. Admissions directors from two of Miami’s most competitive campuses explain the process in their own words. And one conversation with a school taking a very different approach to education in 2026.

Relocating to Miami with Children: An Insider’s Guide to Securing the Right School

A New Model in Miami Education: Inside One of the City’s Most Innovative Private Schools

Interview with Simon Hess. Head of Gulliver Schools

Interview with Debby Lichtner, head of admissions at St Thomas

Interview with Danny Reynolds head of admissions at Palmer Trinity

FAQs about Miami Private Schools

How much is private school in Miami?

The average private school tuition in Miami-Dade County for 2025–26 is approximately $17,800 per year. Elementary tuition averages around $17,500 and high school around $19,500. At the top of the market, upper-school tuition exceeds $40,000 at Ransom Everglades, Gulliver Preparatory, Carrollton, Miami Country Day, and Palmer Trinity. Ransom Everglades is the most expensive at approximately $48,000 per year.

What is the most prestigious private school in Miami?

Ransom Everglades School in Coconut Grove is consistently ranked the most prestigious private school in Miami and regularly listed among the top private schools in North America. The school enrolls approximately 1,250 students in grades 6-12 on a waterfront campus on Biscayne Bay, and sends graduates to Ivy League and other top universities at exceptionally high rates.

What is the best Catholic school in Miami?

The most highly regarded Catholic private schools in Miami are Belen Jesuit Preparatory, an all-boys school with approximately 1,344 students in grades 6-12, and Christopher Columbus High School, an all-boys school with approximately 1,730 students in grades 9-12. Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart in Coconut Grove is the leading all-girls Catholic option, providing Montessori through grade 12.

When are Miami private school applications due?

Most top-tier Miami private schools open applications in early September for the following academic year, with submission deadlines between November and January. Financial aid applications often have separate deadlines — Ransom Everglades sets January 15 as its annual financial aid deadline. Demand has effectively shifted the most competitive schools into a two-year admissions cycle.

Are private schools in Miami worth it?

For families prioritizing small class sizes, college placement, and access to academic, athletic, or arts programs unavailable in public schools, Miami private schools deliver measurable value. Class sizes at top schools range from 14 to 22, college acceptance rates approach 100% at the top of the market, and many schools provide financial aid covering up to 90% of tuition.

What is the most expensive private school in Miami?

Ransom Everglades School in Coconut Grove is the most expensive private school in Miami, with upper-school tuition for 2025-26 of approximately $48,000 per year. Gulliver Preparatory, Carrollton, Miami Country Day, and Palmer Trinity all charge upper-school tuition exceeding $40,000 annually before mandatory fees.

Where should I live for a short commute to Miami’s best private schools?

The four neighborhoods most closely associated with Miami’s top private schools are Coconut Grove (Ransom Everglades, Carrollton, St. Stephen’s), Coral Gables (Riviera Schools, St. Thomas Episcopal, Saint Philip’s, St. Theresa), Pinecrest (Gulliver Preparatory), and Palmetto Bay (Palmer Trinity, Westminster Christian). Ponce Davis and Miami Shores are also strong choices.

How do I get my child into a top private school in Miami?

“Admission begins 12-18 months before the target enrollment date. Plan for school tours, parent and student interviews, standardized assessments such as ISEE or SSAT, teacher recommendations, and application fees starting around $200. Working with a Miami-based admissions advisor or relocation specialist familiar with the schools is increasingly common, especially for Ransom Everglades, Gulliver, and Belen Jesuit.

One Conversation Changes Everything

If you have read this far, you are probably serious about getting this right. That is exactly the kind of family we do our best work with. Miami’s private school admissions process is more competitive than it has ever been. The waitlists are longer, the entry points are fewer, and the families who secure their first-choice school almost always began the process earlier than they expected — and with better local intelligence than they could have gathered on their own. The same is true of the real estate. The homes closest to the right campuses move fast, and the difference between a twelve-minute commute and a forty-minute one is not just convenience — it is the daily quality of your family’s life in a new city.

David Siddons has spent fifteen years at the intersection of both. He knows which Coconut Grove streets put you four minutes from Ransom Everglades. Which Pinecrest blocks are genuinely close to Gulliver and which only look that way on a map. Which admissions directors he can call directly. And how to sequence a school visit, an admissions meeting, and a property tour into a single trip so your family arrives in Miami with both decisions made and made well. This is not a service most realtors can offer. It is what David has built his practice around. If your family is relocating to Miami in the next six to eighteen months, the best time to have this conversation is now — before you have committed to a neighborhood, before application deadlines have narrowed your options, and before the homes you want are under contract.

Call or text David directly at +1 (305) 508-0899 or schedule a 30-minute call at a time that works for you.