History & Tradition

In 1858, Saint John the Evangelist Catholic School started humbly in a small frame building located in Hydes, Maryland. Over the next 90 years, there were intermittent periods where the school was not fully operational. In 1947, a one room school house which was run by the School Sisters of Notre Dame was opened on the current site in what is now the Knights of Columbus Building. The original brick school house was constructed in 1950 with additions coming in 1957 and 1991. Throughout that time, the school thrived and became a valued part of the St. John the Evangelist Parish community. In the early 1990s, preschool was added to the kindergarten to eighth grade program. Extended day care was added shortly thereafter providing the community with a complete educational opportunity. The current school facilities consist of the main brick school building, the Learning Cottage that houses the preschool, and the Music House that is used for music instruction and after care.

The school commenced operation as an Archdiocesan Collaborative School within the 2011-2012 academic year with a name change to St. John the Evangelist School, Long Green Valley.

This model combines the benefits of local centralized governance with the added benefit of local community involvement while maintaining a sense of ownership and decision-making at the local level. The deliberative board assists in leadership and makes key decisions on budget, development and strategic planning. The collaboration of the Canonical Representative, Principal, and School Board drives the advancement of the school.

St. John was selected by the Healey Education Foundation in the fall of 2014 to be a part of their Catholic School Development Program. In this three-year partnership the school receives guidance from a Director of Schools along with financial support through grants. With the motto of "Helping Schools Help Themselves," the Healey Foundation focuses on enrollment management, development, and school board governance. The first task for the school was to hire a full-time advancement director to focus on enrollment, retention, and development.

The majority of the student body is comprised of Catholic families. Since the school is located in Baltimore County yet very close to the Harford County line, the student population reflects the demographics of the people living in these two neighboring areas both in terms of race and economics.

The school currently has a student enrollment of 167 with an average of 17 students per class. Because of the schools physical size, the school will only have one of each grade with class sizes maxing out at 25. This allows for a unique opportunity to individualize instruction because of the 9:1 teacher to student ratio, innovative teaching, and classroom technology that incorporates a blended learning model.