Governor French Academy in Belleville, Illinois, ranks as the most diverse private K-12 school in the St. Louis area, according to newly released rankings from Niche.
Principia School ranks second and MICDS (Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School) is third. DaySpring Arts & Education and Center Cross Academy round out the top five.
Niche, a website that helps families research and compare schools, releases rankings each year based on school data and reviews from students and parents.
For its diversity rankings, Niche looks primarily at the racial makeup of a school’s student body. It also considers gender and economic diversity, where students come from and what students and parents say about a school’s culture.
Niche’s newly released 2027 rankings list these as the 12 most diverse private K-12 schools in the St. Louis area:
- Governor French Academy, Belleville, Illinois
- Principia School, St. Louis
- MICDS (Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School), St. Louis
- DaySpring Arts & Education, Maryland Heights
- Center Cross Academy, St. Louis
- New Life Academy, Bridgeton
- Christian Academy of Greater St. Louis, St. Louis
- Gateway Legacy Christian Academy, Glen Carbon, Illinois
- The Fulton School, Chesterfield
- North County Christian School, Florissant
- Providence Academy, St. Louis
- Veritas Christian Academy, O’Fallon
Governor French is a private, nonprofit college-preparatory school that has operated in downtown Belleville since 1983. It serves students from prekindergarten through 12th grade and emphasizes small classes and individualized instruction.
Private School Review reports that 59% of Governor French students are students of color, compared with 34% at private schools statewide in Illinois.
The school describes itself as diverse and nonsectarian and says it provides education regardless of national origin, race or religion. Niche also gives Governor French an A for diversity, a grade that considers racial and economic diversity as well as student and parent assessments of school culture.
Kim Powers, an administrator at Governor French, credited the school’s small classes and individualized approach with its success in a 2024 interview with the Belleville News-Democrat.
“We attribute our success to the academy’s ability to take a highly individualized approach on education and our small class sizes,” Powers said.