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.
Contents
History
St John's Prep was originally founded in 1907 by a group of Xaverian brothers. The first headmaster, Brother Benjamin, initiated plans to build a school. In the autumn of 1907, he facilitated the construction of the Memorial Gymnasium.
It became evident in those early years that enrollment would continue to rise, construction on Xavier Hall began in the spring of 1910 and it 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.
On May 22, 2023, a Danvers police detective accidentally discharged his weapon while responding to a report of an active shooter at St. John's Prep, prompting a large police response as students fled the campus. The initial call was later determined to be a hoax, amid a series of similar swatting calls targeting Massachusetts schools.
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 on 175 acres (71 ha) of wooded, residential land. The school mainly uses four buildings for academics:
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 include:
The Administration Building (1880) with a chapel
Ryken Center for the Arts (1916; renovated 1995), a former dormitory building which 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 St. John's property are two homes for the Xaverian Brothers:
Xaverian House
The Xavier Center (nicknamed “The Brother Barn”)
School life
Athletics
St. John's Prep is a member of the Massachusetts Athletic Association's (MIAA) Catholic Conference. Fellow conference members are Malden Catholic High School, Boston College High School, Catholic Memorial High School, Xaverian High School, and St. John's High in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts.
Since 2001, the swim and dive team has won 16 Division-1 State titles, including nine in a row between 2006 and 2014, with the most recent title in 2024. The fencing team won 10 consecutive state championships from 2005 through 2014. The golf team has won seven state titles since 2000; the team won a championship in 2021.[2]
In 2012, 2018, 2019, and 2022 the varsity football team won the MIAA Division 1 championship. The hockey team won the Super 8 state title in 2015 and the state championship in both 2022 and 2024. The cross country team claimed the Division 3 state title in 2018 and basketball won the 2011 state Division 1 crown. In 2025, under the leadership of Chris Vargas, Riley Selvais, Jordan Toribio, and Maxwell Parent, the varsity football team had a perfect 8–0 season giving Coach St. Pierre's his 100th career victory.
The school's alpine ski team won four straight state titles in a row entering the 2025–26 school year,[3] while the lacrosse program captured the last four state titles through 2024.[4]
Tuition
Tuition for the 2024–2025 academic year is $33,490 for grades 6–12.
Notable alumni
Joseph Boncore, former Massachusetts State Senator