St. John's Preparatory School is a grade 6–12 private, Catholic, all-boys college-preparatory school located at 72 Spring Street, Danvers, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1907 by the Xaverian Brothers.

St. John's was formerly a combination commuter-boarding school but ended its residential program in 1975.

History

St John's Prep was originally founded in 1907 by a group of Xaverian brothers. The first headmaster, Brother Benjamin, initiated plans to make buildings. In the autumn of 1907, he initiated the construction of the Memorial Gymnasium.

It became evident in those early years that enrollment would continue to rise, so in the spring of 1910 construction began on Xavier Hall. The structure was completed in 1911. At the time it housed 16 classrooms, a library and reading room, a study hall, an assembly hall, 50 private rooms, and a dormitory room for about 80 beds.

Campus

St. John's Preparatory school is located in the town of Danvers, Massachusetts, about 20 miles (32 km) north of Boston. The school is spread out over 175 acres (71 ha) of wooded, residential land. The student population spends the majority of its time in the four main academic buildings:

• Xavier Hall (built 1911; renovated 2004–05)
• Brother Keefe, CFX Academic Center (2015)
• Brother Benjamin Hall (1964; renovated in 2015 to house the middle school)
• A.E. Studzinski Library (2003)

Other buildings of note include:

• The Administration Building (1880), which includes a chapel
• Ryken Center for the Arts (1916; renovated 1995), a former dormitory building that has been renovated into a fine arts facility
• Memorial Dining Hall (1925; renovated in 2007), the cafeteria
• Alumni Hall (1965; renovated in 1993), home to the 350-seat Kaneb Theatre
• Memorial Gymnasium (1955; renovated 1991)
• Leo and Joan Mahoney Wellness Center (2017)

Also on the property of St. John's are two homes for Xaverian Brothers:

• Xaverian House
• The Xavier Center

School life

Athletics

St. John's Prep is a member of the MIAA's Catholic Conference. The other members of the Catholic Conference include Malden Catholic High School, Boston College High School, and Catholic Memorial High School. St. John's is the sixth team in the conference in some sports.

Since 2001, the swim and dive team has won twelve Division-1 State Titles, including nine in a row between 2006 and 2014, with the most recent title in 2022. The fencing team won their 8th straight state championship and went undefeated in the 2009–2010 season. The golf team won the state championship in the fall of 2010 and 2015, and came in second place in 2011 following a league title.

In 2012, 2018, and 2019 the varsity football team won the state title in the MIAA Division 1 championship. The hockey team won the Super 8 state title in 2015 and the state championship in 2022 against their rivals Xaverian Brothers High School. The Cross Country team claimed the Division 3 state title in 2019.

Clubs and Extracurriculars

St. John's is the home of more than 60 clubs and extracurricular activities. While faculty moderators are present, many of these groups are run solely by the students. The clubs include academic organizations, such as The Spire yearbook staff, The Concordia newspaper, and the Cicero Society debating club. Recreational clubs include the Improv Club and the Aviation Club. St. John's also has many clubs that help further prepare students for life after college, such as the Young Democrats, Young Republicans, Model United Nations, Mock Trial (model court hearing), Animal Welfare Club, and Future Entrepreneurs. There is also an Aviation Club managed by former principal Br. Timothy Paul. Minority outreach clubs exist as well, such as L.U.N.A. (Latinos Unidos "N" Accion) and Always our Brothers and Sisters, St. John's Prep's Gay/Straight Alliance. Many fine arts activities are offered, including after-school music lessons and the award-winning Drama Guild, Swingtown!, the Prep's faculty-student a cappella group.

Tuition

Tuition for the 2023-2024 academic year is $31,745 for grades 9-12, $31,295 for grades 6-8.

Notable alumni

Sports