St Peter's (Auckland) was the second best ranked New Zealand school in ninth position, while Napier was 13th (and informally lauded as New Zealand's 'people's champions') while Rotorua was 18th.
Top school was Millfield, a public school in Somerset, England, which has previously produced legends of the game such as Sir Gareth Edwards and JPR Williams.
Northern hemisphere schools were ranked on the 2021-22 season and southern hemisphere schools on their 2022 season.
In presenting its annual rankings the website said: "We look at a schools performance in their own country, there can of course be debate on which countries have the strongest systems but we look at it in the context of how they performed specifically in their own country".
Hamilton Boys' High, which had been the No 1 ranked schoolboy team in 2020, and ninth last year, lost the final of the Super 8 to Rotorua after having won all its round robin matches.
The website said: "It is a testament to the character of the coaching staff and the players that they went on to achieve what they did. Losing the Super 8 meant arguably a more difficult route to the final but they went about their business and won the Chiefs championship and qualified for the Top 4 competition.
"A comprehensive with over South Island champs John McGlashan in the semi-finals meant that their familiar face was in the final where they would face off against Super 8 foes Napier Boys, the Hurricanes champions. In a tightly contested final Hamilton would walk away with bragging rights and are now joint equal all time winners with five national titles in their history.
"There are certainly fewer more impressive school rugby programs in the world than Hamilton Boys."
St Peter's College (fourth in 2021) also drew high praise, despite falling short in the Auckland title race.
"A season that promised so much yet in the end did not deliver, but let that not take away from the magnificent rugby that was played by this team.
"Few can argue that historically New Zealand is the strongest rugby nation and the fact that the Auckland 1A competition has produced the most All Blacks is a testament to the strength of this competition.
"There is hardly a year in which one team achieves a 100 per cent record, such is the quality of opposition but St Peter's managed to do this achieving an 11-0 record during the regular season.
"A tight win over De La Salle in the semi-finals of the Cup portion of the competition meant them facing last year's champions Kelston, a team they had easily defeated 22-3 in the earlier part of the season. A win seemed a formality but Kelston had ideas of their own overcoming the team 24-22 to book their playoff fixture against Westlake in the Blues competition. The results in New Zealand have shown there are no easy games in the local school rugby scene."
Napier were honoured as "consistent high achievers in the Super 8 competition with the team acquitting themselves well against tough opposition in one of the premier schools competitions in the country".
"After the Super 8 regular season finished few could have predicted the trajectory the season would have taken with the team defying the odds and winning the Hurricanes competition for a record fourth time."
Until their national championship final loss to Hamilton, it seemed as if Napier was peaking at exactly the right moment.
"The final against Hamilton Boys was certainly a war of attrition with Napier losing in a tightly contested final, after reading many takes on the game it appears as though although not national champions that Napier are certainly the 'people's champions' for 2022.
Rotorua were honoured for their efforts in breaking Hamilton's stranglehold on the Super 8, with their first title win in many years.
"They unfortunately came unstuck against a highly motivated Tauranga Boys team and thus crashed out of contention for a national title."
There was effusive praise for Westlake, which beat John McGlashan College 36-22 in the playoff for third at the national top four in Palmerston North to break into ranking consideration for the first time.
"An epic season for the perennial North Harbour champs. A clean sweep with a 12-0 record in their division, the team then followed that up with a fantastic final win over Manurewa 36-24 to book their place in the Blues final.
"In what was arguably the shock of the school rugby season in New Zealand, the team went on to defeat Kelston, last year's global No 1 in a tightly contested final and qualified for the Top 4 for the first time in their history.
"It was a step too far for the boys however when they encountered a rampant Napier Boys team going down by a significant margin, but the light at the end of the tunnel was their playoff with against a highly rated John McGlashan outfit finishing third in the national championship.
"Truly a generational achievement for the school and one they can be truly proud of."
nextgenxv.com website's Top 20 Rugby Schools in the World 2022:
1. Millfield (England)
2. Barker College (Australia)
3. Paarl Gim (South Africa)
4. Hamilton Boys (New Zealand)
5. Grey College (South Africa)
6. Blackrock College (Ireland)
7. Nudgee College (Australia)
8. Paarl Boys (South Africa)
9. St Peter's (Auckland, New Zealand)
10. Sedbergh (England)
11. St Joseph's Hunter's Hill (Australia)
12. Affies (South Africa)
13. Napier Boys' (New Zealand)
14. St Michaels (Ireland)
15. Clifton College (England)
16. Anglican Church Grammar (Australia)
17. Monument (Australia)
18. Rotorua Boys' (New Zealand)
19. Garsfontein (South Africa)
20. Westlake Boys' (New Zealand)
