<p>Shann, I don't think you are giving me a hard time at all. You are making me provide a rationale for my contention and I respect that. One of the reasons I have come down on the side of St. John's a being a superlative boys school is because I believe boys across the country are in serious trouble, and St. John's provides a masculine environment to deal with this. Withness Cho at Virginia Tech, and myriad other instances of violence emanating from boys across the country. Boys are also doing far less well in secondary school and are attending colleges in significantly fewer numbers than girls. St. John's provides a plethora of strong male role models so beneficial for young boys. Since it's mission is not as elitist as, say, Collegiate, it takes the raw material of boys from less fortunate circumstances, provides them an excellent education, and gets them into good colleges. This is done in the context of what is definitely the finest secondary sports program in New England for boys.</p>
<p>The quote you alluded to above said it was one of the best prep schools anywhere in the totality of all other private schools. I wouldn't say St. John's is the best overall. For that I would say day programs at Andover, Exeter, Groton, Milton, and, possibly, Middlesex are better, but they are coed schools. I stand by my contention that it is the best boys school in New England, especially within the context of the unique issues boys face in secondary school education. Just my .02.</p>