SJS History

A history can simply be a record of dates or it can be a record of achievements. St. John the Apostle Catholic School is proud to have recorded numerous achievements during its 57 years. Among them are the following: a stable enrollment and faculty, relevant curriculum and innovative programs, the continued success of its graduates, the return of many of its graduates as parents of St. John's students, the support and commitment of the families toward an integrated Catholic education, and named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education in 2008 and 2022.


The school was accredited by the Texas Catholic Conference in 1987 and again in 1997, 2007, 2015, and 2022. St. John the Apostle School received numerous exemplary and outstanding ratings and full accreditation status each of these times.

In October 2008, the U.S. Department of Education named St. John the Apostle Catholic School a Nationally Recognized Blue Ribbon School, one of 50 private schools and 270 public schools recognized nationally.

In September 2022, the U.S. Department of Education named St. John the Apostle Catholic School a National Blue Ribbon School for the second time, one of the 24 private schools and 273 public schools. St. John the Apostle Catholic School was also recognized as an Exemplary High Performing School.

Our school community looks forward to on-going achievement and development as an integral part of St. John the Apostle Catholic Parish. We are proud of our past history and look forward to our 60th anniversary with great enthusiasm.
      

Our History

St. John the Apostle Catholic School opened in 1965. The first classes were held in a temporary building while a permanent structure was being built.  The present church and original eight classrooms were completed in the fall of the following year.

1965 - St. John's elected its first School Board, added four additional classrooms, and began a feasibility study on having a Kindergarten program.

1970 - St. John the Apostle Kindergarten accepted its first students. Those students had classes in temporary quarters the first year.

1971 - The preschool building was completed and expanded the program to include three and four year olds. 

1972 - A science room was added.

1977 - The library was added.

1988 - A joint effort with the parish produced four more classrooms, an updated science room, and Family Life Center which included a gymnasium.

2003 - A new media center opened with a new state-of-the-art computer lab as well as two classrooms. 

2009 - A five-phase master plan began which included the following to be accomplished during 2009-2010; renovations to the cafeteria, necessary installations to the nurse's new clinic, repositioning of various classrooms, aesthetic facility updates including paint of all outside facilities trim and new metal soffits attached to the underside of the canopy awnings, the removal of the temporary buildings, and the addition of a new building that houses six classrooms.

2018 - Outdoor Learning Curriculum was added. We started with 2 garden beds, added compost pile and chickens. A couple of years of great results encouraged us to build more garden beds, add a worm farm and more animals for our 4-H program.

2020 - 4-H Program added. SJS joined the Diocese of Fort Worth 4-H Program. We added 2 African pigmy goats, more chickens to our chicken pen, and show animals. We started with turkeys and moved to show lambs and show goats.

Our Principals

• Mrs. Anne Smith, the first Principal, guided the school through many changes during her seven years as administrator.
• From 1972 until 1989, Mrs. Leona Schwartz was the principal. During her 17 years, St. John School grew to more than double its original enrollment and facility.
• In the fall of 1989 Mrs. Grace Messina signed on as principal until the end of the 1992-93 school year.
• In the fall of 1993, Dr. Bronte Gonsalves was appointed principal until the spring of 1997. 
• Mrs. Pam Ratliff served as the principal from 1997 until the end of the 2002-03 school year. 
• Dr. Cindy Cummins was the principal from the fall of 2003 until the end of the 2009-2010 school year. 
• Mrs. Geraldine Syler was appointed principal from 2010 until the spring of 2013.
• Mrs. Amy Felton was appointed principal from 2013 until the summer of 2024.