By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

A national ranking website has named several local private high schools among the “Best Christian High Schools in Alabama” for 2016.

Five private high schools in Shelby County made Niche.com’s list of the top 25 Christian high schools in the state in its recently released list for this year.

The rankings are based on “statistics, student and parent reviews and expert insights,” according to the site.

“Ranking factors include SAT/ACT scores, the quality of colleges that students consider, student-teacher ratio, student and parent reviews, and more,” read the list.

Catholic high schools were not included in the list.

The top-ranking Shelby County school on the list was Briarwood Christian School off Alabama 119 in North Shelby, which came in at No. 4.

Briarwood has a composite SAT score of 1880 and an ACT score of 28. One hundred percent of BCS seniors go on to attend four-year colleges, according to the website, and the school has a student-to-teacher ratio of 14-to-1.

Following closely behind Briarwood was Westminster School at Oak Mountain, which is also off Alabama 119 in North Shelby.

Westminster has a composite SAT score of 1940 and an ACT score of 29, and 91 percent of its seniors go on to attend four-year colleges. Westminster has a 12-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio, according to Niche.

Alabaster’s Evangel Classical Christian School off Thompson Road came in at No. 7 on the list, posting a composite SAT score of 1880 and a composite ACT score of 28, according to the list.

One hundred percent of Evangel’s seniors go on to attend four-year colleges, and the school has an 8-to-1 ratio of students to teachers.

Also on the top 25 list was Cornerstone Christian School, which is off Alabama 25 in Columbiana. Cornerstone posted a composite SAT score of 1700, and a composite ACT score of 25.

Seventy-five percent of Cornerstone’s seniors go on to attend four-year colleges, according to the list, and the school has a 9-to-1 ratio of students to teachers.

Rounding out Shelby County’s showing on the list is Kingwood Christian School in Alabaster. KCS posted a composite SAT score of 1640 and a composite ACT score of 24, and 70 percent of its seniors go on to attend a four-year college, according to the list.

Kingwood has a 10-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio, according to Niche.

To view the entire list, visit K12.niche.com/rankings/private-high-schools/best-christian/s/alabama/.