Saint John’s Preparatory School – currently home to 337 day and boarding students in grades 7 -12 and post-graduates – has the distinction of being the oldest secondary school in Minnesota! And with the 2,600 acres of woods surrounding the campus and with Lake Sagatagan just below the school, it is also one of the most beautiful campus locations in the state. Saint John’s Preparatory School was founded in 1857 by the monks and priests of Saint John’s Abbey, a Benedictine community that follows the teaching of St. Benedict, guided by the Rule of Benedict.

The History

In the early 1850’s, the population of the territory of Minnesota was growing. European immigrants were making their way to a new home in the Unites States of America where land was available and affordable – and where there would be many more opportunities for their families. The early settlers in this part of the territory included a large Catholic population, which created a need for priests. In January of 1856, the Benedictine community in Latrobe, Pennsylvania finalized their decision to sponsor a new monastery in Minnesota, and by April of 1856, five priests and brothers from St. Vincent’s Abbey began the journey west. They arrived in St. Cloud on May 20th and opened the doors to the first school in the area -- Saint John’s Preparatory School -- on November 10, 1857.

The Prep School had its beginning in a small log cabin located along the banks of the Mississippi River near the developing city. Five young boys enrolled, and actually moved in with the community of five Benedictines. Fr. Cornelius Wittman, OSB began teaching the boys a liberal arts curriculum including history, English, Latin, Greek, astronomy, rhetoric and mathematics.

Of course in the past 150 years, the school has experienced many changes. In 1864, the campus was moved to its present site -- in Collegeville -- about 15 miles from the first building’s location. By the 1900’s Saint John’s had become known not only for its high school, but for a commercial department, a college and a seminary all in one location.

The current academic building – St. Bede Hall – was built in 1962. The architects created a distinctive location for the new school building –selecting the hill overlooking Lake Sagatagan. The four floors of the Prep School were designed with energy conservation in mind and built into the hillside with all classrooms facing the woods and lake with a wall of windows in each classroom.

A new boys’ residence hall was also constructed in 1962, adjacent to the new academic building—and keep in mind that Saint John’s Prep was still an all-male school at this point in time. In 1998, a fifth floor wing was added- the Weber Center–a music, fine arts and community gathering space. And shortly after that in 2000, the Meyers Family Science Center was added, finishing the completion of the fifth floor.

Enrollment has seen changes over the years as well. In the 1960’s the enrollment was predominantly a boarding population. By the late 1970’s just under one-half were day students. And today, slightly more than half are day students.

Young women enrolled for the first time in 1972, in part because of the closing of the nearby Saint Benedict’s High School for girls. For many years, girls did not have access to a resident hall, but since the early 1990’s a residence hall has been rented from the nearby women’s College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph.

For the past 60 years, international students have been a part of the community as well. At first, these students learned of us through the Benedictine communities located in other countries where they were serving communities. Students from Mexico, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico and Japan were encouraged to apply to Saint John’s Prep by the monks and priests working in their home countries. In more recent years, students from Asia, Europe, Africa, and South America have also joined the students here in Minnesota—making up about 20% of enrollment the past five years. A few come for a one year experience; while the majority complete their high school education and many go on to colleges and universities in the United States before returning home to begin their careers in their chosen fields.

The Melk Study Abroad Program began in 1968, creating a long tradition of exchange of students between Prep and the Stiftsgymnasium in Melk, Austria.

The Saint John’s Prep Middle School opened in 1997, with 21 7th and 8th grade students in a combined classroom setting. The Middle School concept of an integrated learning style with a challenging curriculum proved to be very popular, and after ten years, has grown to 66 students in three homerooms. The Board of Regents recently approved adding a fourth section in 2007-2008, with a maximum enrollment of 78 students.