Mission

St. John the Baptist Catholic School is an educational ministry of St. John the Baptist Catholic Parish in Napa, California. We offer a challenging academic program in a safe, stimulating and Christ-centered community. Our faculty, in cooperation with parents and parish, provide our students with opportunities, values and experiences to become faith-filled, responsible and contributing citizens in the 21^st century.

Philosophy

We believe parents are the primary educators of their children. All students enrolled in St. John the Baptist Catholic School are chosen by God to fully live out their baptismal calling. Through attention to the intellectual, spiritual, social, physical, emotional, and artistic dimensions of each child, students will be poised to become personal reflections of Jesus Christ in their daily lives.

School History

In the fall of 1911, Father Joseph Byrne, pastor of St. John the Baptist Church, invited the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael to staff the first Catholic school in the Napa Valley. On January 15, 1912, the Sisters opened the doors of St. John's Catholic School to 120 students, first through sixth grades. The Franklin Street building, now occupied by the Community Projects Thrift Shop, served the Catholics of Napa until December, 1926, when the pastor, Father William Quirke, moved the school to the present building on Main and Napa Streets. The new school opened in January, 1927, with 171 pupils.

After the Dominican Sisters left in 1971, the Irish Sisters of Mercy taught until 1983, when the first lay principal was appointed. The current pastor is Fr. Gordon Kalil and the principal is Nancy Jordan. St. John's, stronger than ever, with almost 300 students, is currently accredited by both the Western Catholic Education Association and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Click here to see some historical St. John's Photos