At a Glance
An all-girls Catholic college prep rooted in faith and service, drawing young women of color from across New York into the heart of the Upper East Side.
Best suited for
A young woman of faith — or one open to a faith-rooted education — who wants a challenging, supportive all-girls college prep with real college-credit opportunities and a student body drawn from across New York City.
What stands out
- Tuition is listed at $13,500 for 2025-26 — exceptionally accessible for a Manhattan private school and a strong signal that meaningful financial aid is part of the model.
- The Bridge program with St. Joseph's University allows students to earn up to 33 college credits before graduation, an early head start on a four-year degree.
- The Jeanites Flagship Programs give every student structured pathways in partnership, service, city engagement, travel, talent, and student journalism — uncommon breadth for a school this size.
- A required 10th-grade internship program pulls classroom learning into real workplaces, a rare offering at the secondary level.
- A built-in College Essay Writing Program and free SAT prep remove two of the biggest private college-counseling expenses for families.
Things to consider
- As an all-girls Catholic school, families should consider whether a single-sex, faith-rooted environment is the right fit for their daughter.
- At 321 students the community is tight, but electives, course breadth, and athletic offerings will be narrower than at much larger schools.
- Parents describe the academics as genuinely challenging — students who need heavy external academic support may find the pace demanding.
- The tuition figure suggests a school that lives or dies by fundraising and aid — worth asking current families about the experience of applying for and receiving financial support.
- Admissions are rolling, which is convenient, but competitive seats can close earlier than later applicants expect.
Identity
Founded in the tradition of the Congregation of Notre Dame and named for St. Marguerite Bourgeoys, St. Jean Baptiste is a Roman Catholic, all-girls college preparatory secondary school. It aims to develop young women of faith, service, and leadership through a curriculum grounded in both academic rigor and spiritual formation. The school is accredited by the National Catholic Educational Association and maintains a rolling admissions process.
Community
St. Jean Baptiste draws a student body that looks very different from the surrounding neighborhood: roughly 92% of students identify as Black or Hispanic, with smaller shares of Asian and White students, giving the school one of the most racially concentrated student bodies among Manhattan Catholic schools. With 321 students and a 15.3:1 student-teacher ratio, the community is small enough that teachers and students know each other well. The school is widely understood as a place where families from across the five boroughs find an accessible Catholic education.
Neighborhood
The school sits on a residential block of the Upper East Side's Carnegie Hill area, a neighborhood defined by townhouses, museum crowds, and one of the highest median household incomes in the city. The contrast between the affluent surroundings and the school's cross-city student body is part of what makes the institution distinctive. Cultural and academic resources abound in the immediate area, and the campus is woven into a quiet, walkable stretch of the neighborhood.
The 77 St station on the 6 line is about a 2-minute walk, the 72 St station on the Q line about 6 minutes, and the 68 St-Hunter College station on the 6 line about 8 minutes — making subway commuting straightforward from anywhere in the city.
Notable Programs
What Parents Are Saying
Generally positive - parents praise academic rigor, college prep support (SAT prep free), and scholarship opportunities. Students describe school as academically challenging with focused peers. A 4.2/5 rating from 9 reviews
Synthesized from public parent reviews · Apr 2026
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is ST JEAN BAPTISTE HIGH SCHOOL a good school?
- Published quality ratings aren't available for ST JEAN BAPTISTE HIGH SCHOOL yet on Motley. It's a private school serving grades 9 to 12 in Upper East Side-Carnegie Hill.
- What grades does ST JEAN BAPTISTE HIGH SCHOOL serve?
- ST JEAN BAPTISTE HIGH SCHOOL serves grades 9 to 12.
- How do students get into ST JEAN BAPTISTE HIGH SCHOOL?
- ST JEAN BAPTISTE HIGH SCHOOL runs its own private admissions process — typically an application, a visit, and sometimes testing.
- Is ST JEAN BAPTISTE HIGH SCHOOL public, charter, or private?
- ST JEAN BAPTISTE HIGH SCHOOL is a private school.
- What neighborhood is ST JEAN BAPTISTE HIGH SCHOOL in?
- ST JEAN BAPTISTE HIGH SCHOOL is in Upper East Side-Carnegie Hill, Manhattan.