St. John School

I am a non-catholic parent that had some reservations about sending my children to a school with any religious affiliation. After meeting the principal, teachers and parents in a few of the open houses my fears were put aside. Now, 5 years after enrolling our first child, I find the involvement of the parents and teachers creates an outstanding community that is both supportive of each other and driven to help the school succeed in its mission to educate and prepare our children. The teachers are involved and readily respond to email or meetings if you have questions or concerns. The sports teams are also competitive and well attended, which was a concern at a smaller, private school. I would recommend St. John to anyone that wants a great education in a safe, community oriented environment that is focused on preparing our children so they can succeed at the next level and beyond.
—Submitted by a parent

St. John School provides a wonderful academic and social environment for children. Students are expected to strive for academic success and also challenged to live as thoughtful, contributing citizens of the world. The community that the school provides is inviting, supportive and enriching. The faculty members are fully engaged with their classes, encouraging students to be the best students and citizens that they can. Having had children at St. John for the past 9 years, I have been thrilled with the quality of their education and their personal development. I would highly recommend his school to anyone.
—Submitted by a parent

St. John is a great school because my kids want to be at school! This is their 9th year at St. John and they've NEVER had a "stomach ache" or a restless night of sleep for dreading school the next day. Even on the mile run day they are eager to go to school. Why? Because of the competent, loving teachers. Because of the supportive administration and building staff. Because of the strong community committed to equality and morality. Because of the great, involved parents who strive for the best in their child's education. I had not intended to send my kids to a Catholic school, but I am so glad I did. You only have one opportunity to educate your children and I can't think of a better place we could have sent them!
—Submitted by a parent

The highest compliment you can pay a school and its team are to recommend it as the school of choice to your nearest and dearest. With four happy and productive years behind us at St John we have been able to confidently and consistently recommend this school and community to our friends and network in Seattle. Some high points worth mentioning are: two classes per grade: constantly evolving after school activities and clubs, onsite day care before and after school, a warm, inclusive faculty and community and a committment to excellent education and christian development.
—Submitted by a parent

St. John is truly an excellent school. The community is extremely inclusive and welcoming. The teaching staff is proactive and caring and encourage the kids to achieve things I would have thought impossible. My child is confidently doing work in kindergarten our neighbor's kids are doing until 1st grade. Approximately 30% of St. John families aren't Catholic, which provides a breadth of experience and diversity not always associated with Catholic education. While kids are taught the tenants of Catholicism, I feel the emphasis is more on providing the children with a good moral compass. The parents are very involved, so much so that there are no required volunteer hours (they just aren't needed). It truly is an excellent school, but it's also an excellent community.
—Submitted by a parent

We entered St. John this year with a second grader. So far I feel like we have not made many connections. People are nice but not overly inclusive. the school is extremely rule oriented and traditional. We are hoping things lightedn up this year and we can become more a part of the community. It seems hard since you drop off and pick up the kids outside and rarely see the teacher.
—Submitted by a parent

Excellent academic program in a supportive atmosphere. My daughter attended preschool and on-site extended daycare at St. John's. She will be entering kintergarten there in the fall. There are 5 day and 3 day programs. The faculty and staff are caring and friendly. My daughter has made big sister friends in the third grade class that give her hugs and spend time with her when they see her even when we run into them outside of school at the local library. We attribute my daughter's conscientious and loving attitude to the school being a big family. Academically, my daughter holds her pencil correctly, knows writing and reciting her alphabet, letter sounds, numbers to 30, colors, shapes, and is beginning to read, all of which is attributed to the school program. We are very happy with all the drawings and work booklets we receive from her studies. We highly recommend this school.
—Submitted by a parent

Very popular school. National award-wining principal. Not too expensive for a great education. The Pre-K program is OK, but worth it to have a better chance at getting into the excellent Kindergarten program (admittance to Pre-K does not guarantee admittance to Kindergarten.) I love that there are two classes per-grade for better classroom diversity thru the years. Older children mentor younger children, which makes for a nice community. Lots of play time outside on the big playground, which is great to see. Lots of required parent involvement (volunteer hours, auction items, etc.) Sports such as x-country and soccer & extracurricular activities such as Scouts and Chess Club are offered. Nice, welcoming families, accepting of non-parishioners. Out of 20 kids in a class, about 4 are out of parish. Non-parishioners pay full-tuition, while parishioners 'prayerfully discern' how much they want to pay, so in other words they pay what they want.
—Submitted by a parent

St John is a wonderful school. One of the few Catholic schools in the neighborhood with 2 classes per grade. Parish members can participate in Fair Share which allows parish families to pay whatever amount they can afford for their childs tuition. Non Parish members may qualify for tuition scholarships, which is UNHEARD of in most Catholic schools. Music, CYO sports, art program, Junior High Musical are all part of the extracurricular activities. Principal, Agnes Jacobsen, awarded National Distiguished Principal by US Dept of Education. Parent involvement VERY high as well as Parish members and school alumni. Diverse racial, economic and religious school population. My daughter entered St John as a first grader and is now in 6th grade, we have had just an outstanding experience at St John's.
—Submitted by a parent

The principal was a 'National Principal of the Year' and went to the White House for her recognition award. She is truly outstanding and annually sets high standards for staff, parents and students. All teachers are excellent and the school has friendly and professional support staff as well.
—Submitted by Tony Ogilvie, a parent