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I'm more impressed when a current parent is happy with a school. Schools can change quickly, especially when the administration changes. Philosophy does matter, and sometimes, in the pursuit of the Big Names, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that the aim of this process is to educate one child at a time. Even today's Big Name schools were once No Name schools. John McPhee's biography, "The Headmaster", is a moving portrait of Deerfield's first Headmaster.
So far, I've heard good things about St. Mark's, Tilton, Lawrence Academy, Worcester Academy, and Brooks School. All the parents paid full tuition, as well, so they felt it was worth the sacrifice. That's more impressive to me than any guidebook, or how large an endowment a school manages, or how prestigious a school is thought to be.
I have heard opinions about other schools, but I discount the recollections of 20+ years ago. Schools do change, and a school which was great or a pressure cooker back then, may be entirely different today.
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