Several local private schools were listed among the top 20 Christian High Schools in the state in a recent ranking done by a national website.

The Westminster School at Oak Mountain, Evangel Classical Christian School, Briarwood Christian School and Kingwood Christian School were included as some of the state’s highest quality Christian schools in the Niche.com list, “2018 Best Christian High Schools in Alabama.”

The Westminster School at Oak Mountain in Birmingham came in at No. 2, with an overall Niche grade of A, and an A+ in academics.

One user, who identifiedas a Westminster student, said the school is academically challenging with dedicated teachers.

“Westminster has challenged me to my very core. It is no doubt a very academically tough school,” the student wrote. “Yet, I have loved every moment at my school. The teachers want to help and love helping. The friends I have made are forever and I am ready for college.”

Another user, who claimed to be a parent, commended Westminster’s Christian values and its culture.

“Westminster uses a Christian worldview model without sacrificing academic goals and offers a community where families can raise their children together in a covenant community,” the review read. “Westminster is the best thing that has happened to our family! We love it!”

Directly behind Westminster is Evangel Classical Christian School, which received an overall Niche grade of an A.

One user wrote that Evangel offers a quality education that will benefit students even after they graduate.

“After being a parent of ECCS for 11 years, I’ve seen about everything I guess,” the user wrote. “Nothing going on here but God’s love and an education that will get you a full scholarship to whatever college you want if you apply yourself.”

Briarwood Christian School in Birmingham came in at No. 6, and received an overall Niche grade of A.

One user referred to Briarwood as “a school that has allowed me to feel more confident and prepared for college.”

“Briarwood has given me insightful knowledge I can use throughout my life,” the user wrote.

Rounding out the list at No. 20 was Kingwood Christian School in Alabaster. KCS’s overall Niche grade was a B+.

A Kingwood graduate-turned-parent said they were proud to be associated with KCS and would recommend it to other parents.

“I can easily say that the Christian education, the teacher-student ratio, dedication to above average learning and overall love and care from faculty is something you cannot easily find in public schools,” read the review.

The rankings were based off of data from the U.S. Department of Education, college data, feedback from Niche.com users and directly from the schools on the list. The list took each school’s composite SAT and ACT scores, top college scores, college enrollment, culture and diversity, student and parent experiences and the ratio of students to teachers into account.

These rankings and more are available online at https://www.niche.com/k12/search/best-christian-high-schools/s/alabama/