A School Designed for Boys

For more information on Boys' Schools, please visit the International Boys' Schools Coalition web site by clicking  here.

As Middle Tennessee's only boys' school, MBA offers an extraordinary educational choice --- a campus where a boy’s academic, extracurricular, and emotional needs are the priority. Learning is most effective in an environment where camaraderie is nurtured; where teachers present subject matter with the nature of boys in mind; and where students are inclined to pursue a range of interests. Boys are celebrated for who they are and for what interests them.

The spirit of camaraderie naturally emerges in an all-boy environment. Traditions and events, academic discipline, and behavioral expectations at MBA provide shared experiences and stability for the boys, nurturing a sense of common purpose and friendship. Boys freely and enthusiastically celebrate learning, engage one another intellectually, and enjoy the many roles they assume at MBA. It is not unusual for a boy to sing the national anthem before charging onto the football field, or to discuss literature in the locker room.

Educators recognize from practical experience and quantitative research that boys have particular learning styles. MBA has the ability to tailor the curriculum in such a way that students are as comfortable with poetry as they are with physics. Choosing themes to which boys respond--courage, adventure, risk-taking, honor, and a sense of duty--is an effective approach to enhance learning and communication. MBA takes advantage of the opportunity to structure and present course materials designed to meet the unique learning requirements of our young men.

MBA recognizes the need to prepare boys for life in a coeducational world. Our boys interact regularly with girls in a number of settings. Students of both genders collaborate in book clubs, art shows, service projects, and athletic competition. They also take coeducational trips to explore colleges, the outdoors, cities, and foreign countries-- building lifelong friendships along the way.

At MBA, we know how to inspire boys. Our teachers actively engage them in learning by setting the stage for discovery, involvement, and action. They understand how boys learn, what they know, and what they are capable of accomplishing. On an even deeper level, they get to know the boys as individuals; and they work diligently to champion their individual efforts. Boys at MBA excel in the arts, through debate competition, in athletics, and in creating college options for themselves. They form lifelong friendships here, develop deep personal convictions, and learn to give freely to causes in which they believe. Our students lead enriched and satisfying lives, due in part to the inspiration, opportunities, and cohesiveness inherent in an all-boys school.