St. John the Baptist School

This school is fantastic! Our whole family has thrived as a result of this school. The staff is tremendous!!!! Each person is treated with dignity and respect. They go out of their way to make sure each child learns in the way that best works for their style. The culture allows children to be themselves so as to be able to better learn. I truly don't understand the negative reviews. There could not be a better group of people and educators.
—Submitted by a parent

My children attend St. John's and I couldn't be happier. They are thriving. The environment is small, caring, and nurturing. They participate in sports, take piano lessons, do woodworking, and because of class size, are able to move according to their ability regardless of grade. Check the honor rolls of Holy Famliy and Minnetonka High, SJB grads are routinely on it. I couldn't imagine having my kids anywhere else. Come and check us out! You won't regret it.
—Submitted by a parent

Unfortunately, the school is really struggling and unable to keep their teachers due to declining enrollments, so they combine some grades into one classroom. Several of the "staff" they picture on their website are not paid, degreed professionals, but volunteers who are helping out, and officially part of Mtka system, but required by law to spend a couple hours a week at this school. Check out other options, the services here are really lacking, and what is available is not as portrayed. For example, the language program - Is it possible to learn a foreign language in a little over an hour a week for a Middle School student? The students are at a disadvantage when they go to other schools. There haven't been art classes, and attend the "concert" to see and hear for yourself what they call a "band" and "choir". A few parents are campaigning to save this school, but look at numbers over the past 10 years, and then talk to people who sent their kids elsewhere and ask them why.
—Submitted by a parent

My kids love their school. It is a warm and loving environment. The low teacher - student ratio allows for a lot of individualized attention. It is a school where a parent can be as involved as they want to be. The main subjects reading, math and science are given priority. Art and music programs do not get the emphasis that they might get in other schools. They offer Spanish twice a week.
—Submitted by a parent

St. Johns is a fantastic school! Children are given individualized attention because it is a small school The children are well prepared for high school once they graduate. It isn't just the above grade NWEA test scores, but the student performance is a testimonial to the school's strong academics. Every single 2010 graduate made their High schools' (public and private) honor roll. The last parent survey showed that 94% of the parents are very satisfied with the school. Yes, there is an occasional parent who is not satisfied with something, but you find that everywhere. I definitely recommend this school if you want the best for your child. Our children have thrived here.
—Submitted by a parent

We do not recommend this school for many reasons. They have frequent issues, it is not what it used to be! Most of the objective comments have been removed, but there is a reason it is small and struggling.
—Submitted by a parent

hi why was my positive post just removed? I saw it and then it disappeared!
—Submitted by a parent

Why have all of the "negative" comments been removed here? A few parents have been on a campaign for "good" reviews. This school is bare bones and lacks the resources one expects- even for basic services and programs. Teachers have doubled up on responsibilities, and do not even have time to update the homework on their websites, as an example. There are much better options in the area....DO YOUR HOMEWORK! Numbers have been declining for a reason.
—Submitted by a parent

St. John the Baptist has such a warm and caring environment thanks to the teachers. They challenge the kids to do their best and beyond. The small class sizes are perfect so no one is lost. The school has star boards in the class rooms and each middle school student has their own lap top. The students have High NWEA test scores and a majority of the graduates are on their high school's honor rolls. My oldest child graduated from St Johns and is doing very well in the advanced high school classes. My youngest is still at St. Johns and we are very pleased with her progress.
—Submitted by a parent

caution, for some reason all of the negative parent remarks have been removed from this site. There are a number of reasons one should do a lot of in depth digging here. Extremely low enrollment that continues to decline. No art program period! since other parents had posted here that there was no art program the school has a parent that has come into the school to do an art project. But really one art project by a parent over the past year does not make an art program. Research, dig deep.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a parent of 4 children who have attended St. Johns and have been a part of this amazing school for the past 14 years. Every year I am amazed at the dedicated teaching staff who always go over and beyond to reach out to all children. The smaller class sizes allow each child for individual attention as well as being able to be involved in sports, theater and talent shows. Three of my children have moved on to high school and were extremely well prepared after attending SJB. I would highly reccomend this school!
—Submitted by a parent

St. John the Baptist School is an exceptional institution. The staff is top-notch and the technology is great. The learning atmosphere is wonderful! The student-to-teacher ratio is a huge advantage. Community service is a big part of St. Johns. Sports and extracurricular activities are fun. BTW ... there is a comment on this board that cannot be from a real parent of a St. Johns student (current or former). The notion that enrollment is declining and that the staff is overwhelmed is self-contradictory.
—Submitted by a parent

SJB is currently accredited by MNSAA. We are dedicated to spiritual formation, academic excellence, moral development and respect of individual gifts. Our children are well prepared to "compete" with their peers from other area schools, with the added benefit of strenthened faith and character.
—Submitted by a parent

St. John's is truly an amazing place! Like someone else said, don't let the facilities fool you. It is on top of all the latest technology and educational developments. We left for a short time and came back. We now truly appreciate every part of it. The most amazing part is the staff. They truly know each and every child and truly care. They understand how to meet their educational needs. Our whole family has grown from SJB!
—Submitted by a parent

Although the school is overall good. Recent teacher changes and struggles to fit the middle school with appropriate teachers that have the skill and knowledge to challenge and teach is a concern. Getting top quality teachers with experience seems to be a challenge mostly because of budget I am sure. The enviroment though is pretty good and compared to other schools in the area St. Johns is a good choice.
—Submitted by a parent

We have three children attending St.John's. We are so thankful that our children are being given such a wonderful education while also being taught about the Catholic faith. The teachers, administation, and families are passionate about this school and it's students. We are a true community.
—Submitted by a parent

Both of our children have attended k-8 at St. John the Baptist school. We could not speak more highly of this school! The teachers are wonderful and caring. The small size of the school enables the staff to know each child and address their needs. Our children have both been extremely well prepared academically and socially and morally for the challenges of high school.
—Submitted by a parent

St. John the Baptist School has been wonderful for our child. The staff is committed to their learning, providing academic excellence and strong values. We chose this school over the public schools because of its smaller size. We thank St. John's for all they have done for our children.
—Submitted by a parent

Although this school is small (only one classroom per grade) it has been providing an excellent academic and social experience while integrating values, morals, virtues and discipline. We are very pleased and our children are happy here. It is an excellent return on a small investment in our opinion.
—Submitted by a parent