History:

The parish plays an integral part in the existence and growth of our school. St. John Parish was established in 1946 by Bishop Charles F. Buddy who sent Father Linneman to Encinitas to bring together Catholic families living in Cardiff, Encinitas, and Leucadia. These families had previously been attending St. James in Del Mar and St. Patrick in Carlsbad.

Back then, St. John Parish was comprised of 15 families. These families attended church at the Encinitas Mortuary on 2nd Street while preparations were being made for construction of a new church. An army chapel was procured from Camp Collan near La Jolla Junction. It was reconstructed on parish grounds in Leucadia. The church had the capacity for 200 families and by 1978 the parish had grown to 800 families. Monsignor Michael O'Connor located acreage in Encinitas to build a larger facility. Bishop Leo Maher blessed the grounds for the new church on September 9, 1984. Construction began in April, 1987 and the church was dedicated in 1988. The new Parish Center and office buildings were dedicated in 1991. The parish now has a population of over 3100 families. Monsignor Timothy Harnett has been the pastor since 1979.

St John School first opened its doors on September 10, 1957 with 182 students. Benedictine Sisters from Oklahoma served as the teaching staff. The school then was under the direction of Father John Bradley. The buildings were purchased from government housing units at La Jolla Junction. The total coast of construction and additions was $23,000. The school tuition began at $5 a month per child. At the time the cost of educating a student in the public school was $346 per year.

The Benedictine Sisters remained until 1959. The school was staffed by lay teachers until 1961. From 1962 to 1992 the school was under the administration of the St. Claire sisters. In September 1990, the school moved to temporary modular facilities at the new site in Encinitas on Encinitas Blvd.

Since 1991 the school has been under the administration of a lay principal and staffed by lay teachers. During that time the parishioners had a vision of what a new St. John School would be like with emphasis on service to the fast growing community. In the spring of 1998, grades 1 thru 8 were moved from the temporary facilities across the driveway to the new site with kindergarten classes remaining in the parish hall. Our educational facilities were two thirds complete. Following the success of the parish "Complete The Vision" campaign, in the spring of 2004, after 10 years of temporary accommodations, many moves, the entire school was finally situated in our beautiful buildings surrounding a tree ringed courtyard, completing the third phase of the vision (new administration buildings, two kindergarten classrooms, three additional classrooms, two pre-school classrooms, additional bathrooms, new ramp/stairway and revamping of the lower field.)

The administration, staff, students and parents are all very grateful to Monsignor Harnett, ourpastor, and many dedicated people who continue to provide us with the tools, commitment and direction we needed to be successful in completing the vision.

Mission Statement:

St. John is a Catholic K-8 school committed to educating all students in a Christ-centered environment. The mission of the school is to assist and enable students to achieve their highest potential spiritually and academically. Social awareness is fostered in each student encouraging Christian action in the community.