Mission and History

Our Mission

Our Catholic family inspires disciples of Jesus by educating the whole person through prayer, high academic standards, and service to others.

Our Catholic family – All members of our community have an important role in educating our children.
Inspires – With the help of the Holy Spirit, we must not only teach but inspire our young people.
Disciples of Jesus – First and foremost, our goal is to help young people love and follow Jesus.
By educating the whole person – Forming the intellectual, emotional and spiritual are equally important.
Through prayer – Prayer is first in the list on purpose, since it is through prayer that we build up our school.
High academic standards – We aim to exceed average achievement standards in all academic areas.
And service to others – We teach children to give back and make a difference in the community.

Our Vision

 St. John the Baptist School is a Catholic community that forms disciples of Jesus Christ. Our students learn to become servant leaders in a collaborative environment, treating others with respect and empathy. High standards lead our school to success in academics, relationships, and service to others.  

Our History

St. John the Baptist School is over 100 years old. What began as the four-room school of St. Leo in 1888 is now the present St. John’s complex of 21 classrooms, a gym, a library/computer center, a meeting area, and a cafeteria.

The original St. Leo School, including the furnace, cost the early parishioners approximately $3500 – in 1888 this was a tremendous sum. Our new addition, completed in 1995, cost $1.2 million, likewise a tremendous sum. Both were built as a commitment of the parish to the Catholic education of its children. Some of today’s students are fourth and fifth-generation parish Members.

Over the past 100 years, the school has been staffed by the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity, Manitowoc; Sisters of St. Dominic, Racine; and the Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Cross, Bay Settlement. Since 1989, St. John’s has been staffed by a lay faculty. Through the years there have been many changes to St. John’s School. The original building was torn down and replaced by the current middle school wing in 1949; this was also the year the school became St. John the Baptist school. In 1958 the east wing was added, and in 1964 the west wing was completed.

The curriculum has also expanded. In 1985, St. John the Baptist School began its kindergarten program. Music and art were added to the curriculum around the same time. Most recently, a band and chorus program has been introduced. In 1995, a preschool program was added. Computer sciences have been introduced at school in proportion to society’s integration of Computers.

In 2007, the parish build a new church adjacent to the school and connected it with a “link” hallway. The new church has brought new energy to the school, staff, and parish. The old church has been converted into a ministry space. Since being built, the parish has doubled in size and the median age has decreased.

To respond to the declining enrollment of St. John the Baptist and other area schools over the past 20 years, the Diocese of Green Bay Diocese made an effort to centralize the Catholic day schools in the Green Bay area through the Grace initiative and then the Faith Alive effort. Neither proceeded. So, after many years of consolidation and re-organization, GRACE (Green Bay Area Catholic Education) was formed in 2008, as the collaborative bond between our now 10 Catholic Schools and 23 sponsoring parishes. Today, GRACE is one of the largest Catholic education systems in Wisconsin and its mission is to build a successful future for Catholic education for generations to come.

St. John the Baptist School continues to educate the total child in a caring Catholic environment that enables the child to grow into a dynamic adult who integrates faith and life. This education began over 100 years ago and will continue for further generations. St. John the Baptist Parish is, has been, and will continue to be, committed to the spiritual development of its people.

“St. John the Baptist has exceeded our expectations year after year. The education received is top-notch, and you will not find more committed teachers anywhere else. The strong sense of community is unparalleled. The SJB community truly is a family working together to ensure all of our children are prepared academically and spiritually. Our kids couldn’t be happier, and neither could we.”

Robyn, Parent