St. John the Evangelist School

We're a large family that has had to travel a good deal for my husband's job, so we have experienced a lot of elementary schools. And St. John the Evangelist in Silver Spring is our favorite too date. The academics ARE VERY competitive, but since the community is nurturing and small, the demands are not too oppressive. Our children are happy to go to school here every day, and I know first-hand that they will be WELL prepared for high school and college with this foundation.
--Submitted by a parent

I am an alumni of the school and my child has been enrolled in St Johns from pre-K through his current 2nd grade. He is thriving in this wonderful, supportive environment ! Contrary to other reviews i have read here, I have witnessed a wonderful and caring environment between students of all grade levels. Also, the sense of community is very strong with so many parents pitching in to help make it all happen.
--Submitted by a parent

We have seen 3 of our children graduate from St. John's, be accepted into the top high schools of their choice, and our younger 2 children are doing excellently as well. Our high schoolers were very well prepared and continue to earn high grades. We feel blessed that all of our children have or are receiving a top-notch, PERSONALIZED education.
--Submitted by a parent

My son and daughter are currently in kindergarten and the three's preschool class at St. John's and both are flourishing. The teachers are AMAZING.The facility is great. The site is warm, stimulating, large enough for classrooms of one class per grade, a gymnasium, library/computer lab, science lab, separate age-appropriate playgrounds. The school was built in the 1960s and so is not as new as some places, but because it is an accredited elementary school, is held to the standards that are expected of Montgomery County public schools...which says a lot. Some others programs I toured in 2006 when I was shopping for a school (I toured about 15 - I was a little obsessed!) were not as nice. The only preschool facilities that I toured that were better than St. John's were significantly more expensive.
--Submitted by a parent

I really wish I didn't have to give this school a one-star rating. The intentions of the staff and administration are all good ones. Unfortunately, we all know the phrase about what road those intentions pave and while that may be a bit extreme to state, I can say that I'm very unhappy with the 'scholastic' program at St. John's. The student-teacher ratio stated on this site is very out of date. The younger grades and the teaching style is too 'old school' to be effective now-a-days. We've had to remove our daughter and son from the school because it became obvious to us that they weren't getting an adequate education. It's too bad, because this school could have been a little gem in the midst of Montgomery County.
--Submitted by a parent

What a disaster! For several years our son attended this school as an A student. We were consistently told that he was performing at the top of his class. This year, for financial reasons, we have registered him with the Montgomery County public schools only to find that his St. John's 'education' leaves him severely lacking as compared with his peers. What a shame. My wife and I are beating ourselves up over this, and we really fear for the parents of children in this school who don't know better. We are fortunate that with tutoring our son will be able to make up for the lack of education he received at St. John's, but this was a sad lesson to learn.
--Submitted by a parent

I have to agree with the parent who noted the unwelcoming environment. My wife is not a native speaker of English and twice she's been hung up on when contacting the school after the 'receptionist' provided her with a cursory: 'I can't understand you.' Mind you she speaks English, but with a French accent. The pre-K is well behind where we'd hoped it would be by this time of year, we'll be removing our son after one, unfortunate, year at St. John's.
--Submitted by a parent

We were asked to come here and say some great things about St John's and I just want to say that it is the best school. The parents are super nice and Sr Kathleen is the best principal ever. We are happy to hav all of our children there. I just can't say enuf good things about it!
--Submitted by a parent

When I left St. John's after graduating in 8th grade I found that I was ill-prepared for the rigorous educational standards expected in the Montgomery County school system. Based on my grades at St. John's I anticipated that I'd be able to hold my own in honors-level classes but this was not the case. I wish I and my parents had known how woefully the education provided there was lacking before it was, almost, too late. Fortunately, with tutoring I've been able to catch up with my peers. I can't, in good conscience, recommend that anyone send their child to this school.
--Submitted by a student

A very unwelcoming environment to new families. We've removed are child after two years of head-banging just trying to get the administration to understand the value of modern teaching methods.
--Submitted by a parent