St. John the Baptist has had a long-standing tradition of academic achievement going back more than 65 years.

Opening our doors in 1952, initial enrollment of St. John the Baptist School was 179 students with 4 teachers. The Sisters of Saint Joseph of Carondelet arrived in Excelsior ready to move into their newly built convent adjacent the school and become the first teachers at St. John the Baptist.

Fr. Cushen, who had organized the building of the school and convent, spearheaded efforts almost immediately after construction ended to expand the school to include a gymnasium and stage, donating his own inheritance of $30,000 to start the project.

The school grew to an annual enrollment of nearly 500 students over the next decade. The Kindergarten grade level was added in 1972, followed by an Early Childhood Education Center and Preschool a decade later, in 1982.
Constant throughout the history of St. John the Baptist School is an unwavering devotion to a true education, guiding children to live out the Gospel message and achieve academic excellence. While education best practices have evolved since the beginning of St. John the Baptist School, the commitment to educating the whole child has remained steadfast.

In 1999, St. John the Baptist opened an Atrium for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a childhood faith formation program in the Montessori style. This Atrium served children ages 3 years to 3rd grade.
Building on the success of the Atrium program, in 2016 the school transitioned to a Catholic Montessori School serving toddlers through 8th grade.
Today we continue the rich tradition of preparing students for life by cultivating a love of learning, a sense of wonder and gratitude, and strengthening their faith to live out the Gospel message with joy.